Today’s reading is found in Isaiah 11:1-6 (NLT).
Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—
yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
He will delight in obeying the Lord.
He will not judge by appearance
nor make a decision based on hearsay.
He will give justice to the poor
and make fair decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his word,
and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
He will wear righteousness like a belt
and truth like an undergarment.
In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
and a little child will lead them all.
When a tree is cut down it often feels so final. The end of something large and great. However, if you have ever had a large tree cut down, but did nothing to the stump, you know what will happen. A small shoot will come up one day and continue to grow until another tree is there before you. This is the imagery that Isaiah was presenting in these verses. Life coming from what appeared to be dead.
Take some time today to focus your mind on Christ, the Messiah, and consider this question:
Remember a time when things didn’t go as planned. Can you look back and see God’s hand in the midst?