First Reading:  Isaiah 25:6-10a

In the Midst of Danger, Hope

6 On this mountain, Yahweh of Armies will make all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of choice wines, of fat things full of marrow, of well refined choice wines. 7 He will destroy in this mountain the surface of the covering that covers all peoples, and the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He has swallowed up death forever! The Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from off all faces. He will take the reproach of his people away from off all the earth, for Yahweh has spoken it. 9 It shall be said in that day, “Behold, this is our God! We have waited for him, and he will save us! This is Yahweh! We have waited for him. We will be glad and rejoice in his salvation!” 10 For in this mountain the hand of Yahweh will rest.

World English Bible

Where do you find hope in times of desperation?

When we read the prophets, especially Isaiah, we forget their timeless messages found a beginning in social and political crises. In the book of Isaiah, Assyria had swept the northern kingdom of Israel away. Now it rode from the north and endangered Jerusalem. Little did the city realize that the seeds of Assyria's destruction lay in her expansion. The impending crisis had a "silver lining."

These verses share the hope of the changing situation. Through the prophet, God announced a time of celebration in Jerusalem and an end to the desperation that covered the city "like a veil." God was liberating Mount Zion (upon which the city was built) from danger and was restoring the reputation of the city and the people.

Hope in the light of vindication and liberation. The message of Isaiah still rings true today as it did so many centuries ago.

Where do you see hope in the light of danger? How has God restored you when you were "down and out?" How did you thank God for your turnaround?