Contemplative Bible Reading

Isaiah 59:1 (New English Translation)

Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak to deliver you; his ear is not too deaf to hear you.

This verse is a great comfort. The Lord is listening to me. He hears my prayers and my thoughts. The Lord is strong and active. He will do some of the things I ask of Him. It is a great comfort to know that a strong God is there listening to me.

This verse is a great challenge. It removes my ability for wishful thinking and gives me a responsibility for righteous prayer. I can wish for all sorts of things like

• I wish I wasn’t so forgetful
• I wish I could show up on time
• I wish I didn’t say so many bad things about other people
• I wish I could lend a hand now and then
• I wish so-and-so wasn’t so mean to me

But my Lord is strong and listens. Therefore, my wishes should be prayers prayed with the belief that God will hear them and do something. Everyone of these wishes, and everyone of the dozens more I didn’t list, should be a prayer prayed in faith.

The Lord’s hand is not too weak to

• improve my memory
• have me be more organized and punctual
• tame my tongue
• push me into helping
• change the lives of others around me

And perhaps most important, the Lord is not too weak to grow my heart so that I love those around me more today than yesterday.

God is not a “mail order” God where we send our wishes and have them granted. He is, however, powerful and He does listen. No task is too small or too great for Him. My challenge is to take my cares and worries of each day to Him and believe that He hears me and works in my life.