When Nothing Jumps Off the Page

Good morning. Today we are in Isaiah 23.

And today, I don't have very much.

I have read Isaiah 23 many times.

I read Your Word and understood applications of Tyre and what happened.

I even wrestled with verses 17 and 18 and how Tyre eventually goes back to what it always did.

It doesn't say that they return to God.

It says that it turned to what it's always done, but this time God would use the money to benefit those who dwell in the presence of the Lord.

And I chased down Scriptures.

I looked up words.

I dug around a bit more.

And there's—I—I have no great insight today.

I don't know if any of my insights are great, but today I don't have anything that really, you know, snuck up and made me stop and think.

What do we do when we read Scripture and we come seeking God?

And I come with an open heart, asking God to reveal Himself to us, and the Scripture doesn't come at you with bold letters, doesn't come off of the page, nothing really catches your attention.

It doesn't change who God is.

But I feel, from a human perspective, it's frustrating.

I know it's frustrating for me.

I want something deeper and something more.

But sometimes Scripture shares a history, and in this case, another ancient civilization that God shows us He is sovereign and over, regardless of them turning to Him.

Regardless of Him keeping Tyre low for 70 years, they returned to what they always did.

And as you sit with that, I don't know.

That's uncomfortable for me.

God passed judgment on them, and they still chose not to return to Him.

But nowhere in this does it actually talk about them returning to God.

And yet God is still sovereign.

He is still in control.

He still shows that He can hold—sorry, that He holds the rivers of the kings in His hands and where it goes.

And sometimes we just learn to sit with that.

To know that not every section in Scripture we read is going to give us something that feels applicable to us today.

And that's okay.

Because it's still God's Word.

He has still written it for us to sit down and wrestle with.

And maybe eventually He'll tie it up with something else.

He seems to do that a lot.

But in the meantime, it's okay to sit with Scripture and not have any clear revelation from it.

And I just want you to know that that's okay.

It's okay to sit with it and go, "Well, I read my Bible today, but nothing's connected."

So this one's gonna be short today.

But I'm curious: When you read Isaiah 23, does God have anything for you?

I'd love to hear what He showed you.

Because just because He didn't have anything extraordinary for me doesn't mean He doesn't have something for you.

So go read it.

Go let me know.

In the meantime, just know God is still God.

And He just asks us to seek Him wholeheartedly.

And He will reveal Himself to us.

And He did today.

Just not in some grand fashion.

Oh, dear Heavenly Father, thank You for today.

Thank You for inviting me into Your Word, for giving me something to read and understand, for being able to acknowledge that You are still God.

You are still Lord of all things.

And if You say that a city like Tyre is supposed to be silent for 70 years and forgotten, You have a plan and a purpose.

Lord, thank You.

Just all throughout Isaiah, all I keep coming back to is You are sovereign.

You are righteous.

You are just.

You are merciful.

You are loving.

You have wrath, and You will not tolerate sin.

And yet You provided us a way through Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Thank You for that.

Lord, please be with us today as we go out and do the things You've laid in front of us, the people You've placed in front of us.

That we can be a light on the hill, and we will share the good news of the gospel.

Lord, thank You.

Thank You for being consistent.

It is in the precious name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Thank you for joining me today as we wander through God's Word with wonder.