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Daily Devotionals
Voice of the Lord
Have no fear, Ya'akov, you worm, you men of Isra'el! I will help you (Isaiah 41:14).
Once I was reading Isaiah 41:10-16, in which God told Israel how he would utterly defeat all of her enemies. When I came to this verse about the "worm," I thought, "How insulting! Why would God call Israel a worm in the middle of this wonderful promise of deliverance?" Then I understood. It is because we are! Rabbi Sha'ul (Saul; i.e., Paul) said it a little differently in the Brit Chadashah (New Covenant Scriptures),"My power is brought to perfection in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
It was during a time of great stress, trial, and tribulation in my ministry when I received this revelation. I suddenly understood that I needed to become weak— a worm—in order for God to be strong within me. The victory eventually came, not through my abilities, but by God's mighty hand. Interestingly, later in that same passage, God said he would transform this worm into a "threshing- sledge" (Isaiah 41:15) that would pulverize mountains! When we yield to him totally, he will transform us into mighty instruments of righteousness.
Do you have any mountains today that need pulverizing? Trust the Lord completely, and he will become strong in you. Recognize that your strength for this spiritual walk comes from him alone. Let God perfect his strength in you.
...recognize that I cannot live a victorious life in the Messiah through my flesh. It can only be done in the Spirit.
DC
The Voice of the Lord, Copyright © 1998 by the Lewis and Harriet Lederer Foundation, Inc. Published by Messianic Jewish Publishers, Distributed by Messianic Jewish Resources, www.messianicjewish.net. All rights reserved. Used by permission. No part of this article may be reproduced in print or on the web, or transmitted in any form, without the written permission of the publisher.
