Some challenges seem too terrible to get through. But we find in the book of Isaiah a unwavering word to all suffering through gut-wrenching days:

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God.

Perhaps it’s coincidental (but likely not), that I ran across this promise in my Bible reading on 9/11, a day of terrible darkness for so many. Even from afar the agony twisted my core, but nothing like those who lost lives and loved ones in the attacks. I join scores of others praying for them today.

We all face terrible situations, and when you do, remember that even as darkness descends and light disappears, the Lord is reliable, trustworthy and present.

Isaiah 50 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Aaron Lee

I had an algebra teacher in high school who chided our class for not arriving prepared. I remember him saying in his Arkansas drawl, “I cain’t hep you if you don’t do your homework.”

A good life lesson. No one learns math without study, and no one goes deeper into the ways of the Lord without effort. Only personal time in the Scripture, just you and the Holy Spirit, brings deeper understanding and enjoyment of the Lord.

In a few paragraphs of text, Isaiah wrote a variation of one phrase from God’s mouth multiple times—I am the Lord, and there is no other (Isaiah 45;14, 18, 21, 22; 46:9).

No other god exists in all the world. Unless any major religion or minor sect leads one to the Lord in some roundabout way, they end in frustration. I’ve heard the threadbare phrase there are many paths to the top of the mountain, used again and again to give credence to religious inclinations. But amateur theologians mouthing such a shibboleth didn’t do their homework.

Many paths may get you to the base of the mountain. All religions carry some truth about the human condition and God who created the world. But only one path takes you to the top. The Lord, from Moses to Isaiah through Jesus and Paul, makes that quite clear.

It’s all spelled out in the text. Crack it open and do your homework. Best of all? Once you get started you’ll enjoy it way more than algebra.

Isaiah 45 & 46 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2023

Photo by Antony Hyson S

Isaiah wrote extensively about failed worship practices among the people of Israel. He pointed out the ludicrous nature of sawing a log in two, using half to bake bread and fashioning the other half into an idol.

He wrote of one who lived this way: Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”

These deluded ones worshipped a variety of gods represented by the forms they crafted. Isaiah continually reminded them that their idols and the ideas behind them were worthless—simply nothing at all.

Isaiah announced again and again that a god you can hold in your hand ain’t no god at all.

The God of the Bible cannot be held. God told Isaiah, This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb. I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself.

Often I prefer a god I can carry in my pocket, a talisman or lucky rabbit’s foot to help me through tough situations, one I can then tuck away until needed again. But that god only exists in my imagination. I need to wise up and realize this thing in my hand is a lie.

Turn to the Lord as discovered in the Scriptures. Way scarier and wilder and out of our grasp. But he’s the only God available, the only Redeemer with our best interests on his heart.

Isaiah 44 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Iza Gawrych

I’ve endured a couple of whopper toothaches in my time. Few things grab your attention in such a vivid way. When a toothache erupts, the entire body suffers. I cannot retreat into a quiet corner of my big toe to escape the pain.

When the pain finally ebbs, my grimace melts into a smile and I relax. Like an evil sorcerer, agony in one tiny exposed nerve held my entire body in thrall.

Paul wrote to the church in Corinth to hang in together, to give attention to one another, to treat each other kindly, using the metaphor of a body to get his concept across:

There should be no division in the body, but its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

I may not hurt today, but others do. In the group of believers surrounding me I listen and try to understand and not talk too much. I support my fellow believer in their pain, and they will in turn support me in mine. I’ve experienced this aspect of the Christian faith again and again. It’s quite wonderful actually. Not perfect, but an astounding support in a world that cares little about you and me.

How does a person live without a body of Christ-following people around them, arms locked with one another? In most cases, not terribly well, especially as we age and friends fall away.

Engage with a group of believers. The Lord created you to need them and they to depend on you. Value those sharing the body with you, teeth and toes, knowing the Lord put you together for a purpose.

1 Corinthians 12 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by engin akyurt