Isaiah 33

I’ve been reading the Old Testament book of Isaiah. There are parts of Isaiah I like, and sections I don’t like. The prophet Isaiah doesn’t hold back with judgment when God’s people make a mess of things. As I came to Isaiah 33, I thought to myself–I’m only halfway through and already losing steam. It’s a slog to read through five woes in Isaiah 28-32 directed at Israel and its enemies. Yet, this chapter reminded me why I persist in reading Scripture. There are innumerable gems buried deep in God’s Word waiting to be discovered. At the outset of chapter 33, the sixth woe is directed at the superpower Assyria, who has already crushed the northern ten tribes (called Israel) and is now bearing down on the remaining two tribes of the southern kingdom (called Judah), where Jerusalem is located. Isaiah breaks off from this final woe to pour out his heart in prayer, something he doesn’t often do, in four simple, instructive petitions. 1. “Be gracious to us.” When this verse is read in tandem with Isaiah 20.18, “The Lord longs to be gracious to us” (Is. 30.18), it’s a request for God to give us what is already in his heart to give. 2. “We long for you.” Despite our many longings, the Bible asserts God is our deepest desire. C. S. Lewis wrote, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we are made for another world.” 3. “Be our strength in the morning.” This phrase in Hebrew literally translates, “Be our strong arm.” God’s arm symbolizes divine power, as expressed in the Psalm, “God’s right hand and holy arm have worked salvation for us” (Ps. 88.13). My only quarrel, as a left-hander, is there’s no equivalent reference to God’s left hand! 4. “Be our salvation in times of distress.” God not only saves us at conversion but continues to act as our Deliverer and Rescuer. Since the totality of this prayer is one verse with four constituent phrases, it’s possible to commit to memory or post it on your bathroom mirror or refrigerator door. What a great prayer to repeat as your day unfolds. There are hundreds of prayers in the Bible like this one waiting to be prayed: