Through the Bible Devotions

Sometimes all you have to do is wait

Posted on August 4, 2025 by William Douthwaite

Some “through the Bible” thoughts from Isaiah 64.

From of old no one has heard
    or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
    who acts for those who wait for him.
You meet him who joyfully works righteousness,
    those who remember you in your ways. (Isaiah 64:4,5)

This description of God brings up a good question, “Should I do something or wait for God to take care of it?” After all, he “acts for those who wait for him.”

Most people probably believe that you can’t just sit around and wait for God to take care of a situation. You get to work and do what needs to be done.

And yet on the other hand, in retrospect, God takes care of a lot of things without our help.

My garden is a good example. I had high hopes for lots of home grown veggies. I made raised boxes, filled them with good soil, supplemented the soil with homemade compost, built chicken wire cages to keep the squirrels out, watered, weeded, and staked up the tomatoes. Most of the lettuce died, a got more than enough jalapenos, and found out that cherry tomatoes are the only ones that grow well in my beds.

I didn’t plant much this past spring. (In Florida you plant in February or October, when the weather is a little better.) Lots of weeds grew. But so did a pepper plant. A green bell pepper plant. Which I’ve never planted. It must have been from the compost. I walked out there one day and harvested two pretty nice peppers for my salads. All courtesy of the creator, who made fruit-bearing plants that reproduced themselves.

All I had to do was wait.

I take medicine when I don’t feel well. But for the most part, my immune system takes care of my ailments and I feel better after a few days of rest.

All I have to do is wait.

Earlier this year, I worked hard to rehab our backyard lawn that had been torn up by an energetic Great Dane puppy. Sod, sod plus, filling holes, and taking her for more walks. Then the rains came, and the yard suddenly came to life. The grass grew in nice and thick so that I had to start cutting it every 4 or 5 days.

All I had to do was wait.

God provides in lots of different ways. Parents while we’re growing up, jobs and the ability to do them, friends who help us out, a earth filled with resources, and government. So no matter how hard you work, he ultimately gets the credit. And if you choose to wait, he gets the credit as well.

To God be the glory.

Through the Bible Devotions

Instead of

Posted on August 3, 2025 by William Douthwaite

Some “through the Bible” thoughts from Isaiah 61.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me…
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit (Isaiah 61:1,3).

What do you think of those restaurants whose menus announce, “No substitutions?”

“Can I get a side salad instead of the vegetable medley?”

“Could you give me a baked potato instead of the smashed garlic potatoes?”

“I’m gluten free. Can I get celery instead of the pita chips?”

“I’m vegan. Do you have Beyond meat?” (at a steak restaurant, lol)

Burger King was the chain who conditioned us to think we can have it our way. John Wanamaker supposedly said, “The customer is always right.” Plenty of “Karens” have led us to believe we can bully our way around a “no substitution” world.

On the other hand, God is all about “instead of.”

Joy instead of gloom.

A beautiful outfit instead of a black suit for a funeral.

A smile instead of a frown.

Life instead of death.

This world offers little. God offers so much. Grace instead of shame. Forgiveness instead of condemnation. Renewal instead of expiration. Fresh instead of stale. Victory instead of defeat. The old has gone; the new has come!

Through the Bible Devotions

Closer than you think

Posted on August 2, 2025 by William Douthwaite

Some “through the Bible” thoughts from Isaiah 59.

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear (Isaiah 59:1).

The hearing aid business must be doing very well. They take out full page ads in the local paper. I get robo-calls and lots of direct mail from a variety of vendors. I’m in that age group. Everyone my age has some hearing loss. At this point, I’m not aware of my need for assistance.

I am shorter than I used to be. For most of my adult life I was five foot ten inches. Somewhere I lost an inch. Now I’m only 5′ 9″.

So it’s only natural to think that the eternal God, the ancient of days, may have lost a step or two. At the very least, he’s not as quick to respond as we would like.

I love how Isaiah addresses this. “Behold…” in other words, “Look…” God’s reach is as long as it’s ever been. His hearing is just fine. He’s not the problem. You are. Your sin, your failures, your mistakes, your disobedience, and your dishonesty has created distance between you and God. At a distance, objects look smaller than they really are.

So does God.

Like a young child who wanders ahead of the parents, we don’t realize how far we’ve strayed until we need divine assistance. Then all of a sudden we wonder why God seems so far away. Guess what? He never moved. You did. And I did.

It happens at the beach. You’re out in the water having a great time. You look up and realize you’ve drifted far from your beach umbrella and cooler.

It happens at sporting events. You thought you had good seats. But the players seemed so small from where you were sitting.

Younger kids often look through the wrong end of binoculars. Everything looks so small!

How often do you look at God through the wrong end of the binoculars? How small and remote is your view of God?

Only scripture can turn the binoculars around. In the bible God is bigger than the seas, mountains, rivers, creatures, weather, trees, and hailstorms. He overcomes trouble, storms, hunger, fatigue, doubt, and death. Impressive. Much bigger than we think or imagine.

We can’t get close to God. But he comes to us. Jesus comes to make the impossible possible. God with us!

Through the Bible Devotions

Beyond ritual to relationship

Posted on August 1, 2025 by William Douthwaite

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Isaiah 58.

“Will you call this a fast,
and a day acceptable to the Lord?” (Isaiah 58:5)

This whole chapter (Isaiah 58) is convicting. In it, Isaiah challenges us to look at our worship practices. Are they nothing more than ritual? If there’s no horizontal dimension to our spiritual lives, our worship isn’t worship at all. In other words, if our devotion doesn’t affect how we live with others, we’re not worshiping God. We’re just going through the motions.

When love for others is paired with love for God, we get it. He graciously provides food for our souls and an eternal home, and uses us to provide others with physical nourishment and homes. Worship isn’t just about me and God. It’s about God and us, those who intersect our lives every day.

How can you keep your spirituality from becoming nothing more than ritual? Reading this chapter of Isaiah is a good wake up call for those us of, like me, who find that ritual is easier than relationship. The problem is, ritual leaves you further from God. God promises to be closer when we pay attention to each other.

Through the Bible Devotions

Crushed

Posted on July 31, 2025 by William Douthwaite

Some “through the Bible” thoughts from Isaiah 53.

There’s so much in Isaiah 53. I’ve read it so many times. I could write a whole series of devotions on just this chapter. And some day I will. This time I paused at these words

“It was the will of the Lord to crush him” (Isaiah 53:10).

Did those prophetic words echo in Jesus’s mind in Gethsemane when he prayed, “Not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42)? Absolutely. He knew his task was to fulfill scripture. He knew the Father’s will. He knew the plan.

Jesus knew he would be crushed for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5).

I wonder what Isaiah thought about this description of God’s servant? A servant of God should be honored and celebrated. In Jesus’s parables, faithful servants are rewarded. Yet the ultimate servant, the Christ, will be stricken, smitten, afflicted, pierced, and crushed for our sin (Isaiah 53:4,5). For my sin.

I underestimate what Jesus suffered for me. I take it for granted. God forgives me; it’s all good. I just leave out the crushed part. Crushed like those who didn’t make it out of the World Trade Center on September 11. Crushed like someone in a mineshaft that collapsed. Crushed like someone who rolled their car into a ditch. Horrible way to die, right?

Can you imagine what it would be like to be Jesus and read Jeremiah 29:11, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.” Do you think Jesus would want to see those words on a cake, t-shirt, or coffee mug?

Through the Bible Devotions

Let him set the pace

Posted on July 30, 2025 by William Douthwaite

Some “through the Bible” thoughts from Isaiah 52.

You shall not go out in haste,
and you shall not go in flight,
for the Lord will go before you,
and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. (Isaiah 52:12)

In context, as God promises to redeem, restore, and return his people from exile, the journey will be different from the Egyptian exodus. There’s no hurry. You’re not running for your lives. God goes ahead of you and God’s got your back. There’s no need to rush when you’re surrounded by God.

I paused at those words because it’s hard to slow down. We rush through life, impatiently waiting for microwaves, traffic lights, package delivery, return on investments, food at a restaurant, someone to finish up in the bathroom, pain medication to kick in, popcorn at the movie theater, and the dog who must stop at every mailbox post.

I believe one characteristic of a mature faith is letting God set the pace. That could mean waiting to see what he’ll do. It might mean obeying a clear instruction without delay. Don’t get out ahead of God. Don’t lag behind either.

What’s that look like? Well, for one thing God is “slow to anger” (Exodus 34:6). At the empty tomb, the angel told the women, “Go quickly and tell his disciples that [Jesus] has risen from the dead” (Matthew 28:7). Jesus said, “I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:20). But one fruit of the Spirit is patience (Galatians 5:22).

Once the Israelites got out of Egypt, God set the pace, leading them with a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. When he moved, they moved. When he was still, they set up camp and stayed put.

i guess you just have to pay attention. Where do you see God at work? In what situations does he seem to be taking his good old sweet time?

When you are walking or running or biking with someone, it’s proper to let the slower set the pace. That way you always stay together. That’s good advice for followers of Jesus, too.

Through the Bible Devotions

His last miracle

Posted on July 29, 2025 by William Douthwaite

A “through the Bible” devotion from Isaiah 50.

“I clothe the heavens with blackness
and make sackcloth their covering.” (Isaiah 50:3)

God speaks those words through the prophet Isaiah to people who must have forgotten his power to save, dry up bodies of water (like the Red Sea), or darken the sky (like one of the plagues).

Later, Jesus would find himself immersed in darkness from noon till 3 in the afternoon, when he breathed his last on the cross and died. I never thought of this before, but since he’s the son of God, he created that supernatural three hours of darkness. It was the last miracle of Jesus’ public ministry, foretold long before by Isaiah.

That darkness is an indication that things were going according to plan, not spinning out of control. When Jesus seemed to be helpless and powerless, he was preaching with that unusual darkness, making a powerful point. The judgment of God was real and it was fully released on the one who deserved it the least. Jesus, the righteous one, was suffering the wrath of God for sin, in place of all those (all of us) who deserve it.

“By him all things were created” (Colossians 1:16), including light and darkness, day and night, the heavens and the earth. The one who can blot out the sun and can also blot out your sins. The one who clothes the heaven with blackness can also clothe us with his righteousness. The one who covers the skies with sackcloth can adorn us with garments of salvation and robes of righteousness.

Never for a moment, even in death, underestimate his power, his mercy, and his love.

Through the Bible Devotions

What if God’s behind it all?

Posted on July 25, 2025 by William Douthwaite

A “through the Bible” devotion from Isaiah 45.

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and to loose the belts of kings (Isaiah 45:1)

For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name,
I name you, though you do not know me. (Isaiah 45:4)

I am the Lord, and there is no other,
    besides me there is no God;
    I equip you, though you do not know me…
I form light and create darkness;
    I make well-being and create calamity;
    I am the Lord, who does all these things. (Isaiah 45:5,7)

In these verses, Isaiah writes about a king, Cyrus, who has not even been born yet. Two hundred years from then, the armies of the Medes and Persians, under Cyrus, would defeat Babylon and restore God’s exiled people to their homes. Cyrus doesn’t know God. He knows little if anything about the one true God of Israel. Yet God uses him. God is behind it all. There’s no one else making these things happen.

Could it be that God is behind current events, working out his plans for his people? Absolutely. What if today’s headlines really about what God is doing in the world? Faith opens our eyes to that reality.

God is not limited or deterred by unbelief, rebellion, selfishness, and greed. It’s a good thing that God isn’t dependent on our faithfulness and obedience. He wouldn’t get much done, would he?

I believe we tend to forget about God when we read or hear news. We tend to leave him out of the equation. What if we began with the assumption that God has a hand in whatever was happening? What if we believed he is involved in history, science, economics, government, entertainment, artificial intelligence, and space exploration? What if God’s connected in some way to crime, violence, scams, human trafficking, natural disasters, and pandemics?

Interesting questions, huh? Challenging questions for sure.

Remember, he’s not a God apart from our world. He’s incarnate. He’s a part of our world, fully immersed in every human endeavor.

And there is no other.

Through the Bible Devotions

Do you carry your god, or does your God carry you?

Posted on July 24, 2025 by William Douthwaite

A “through the Bible” devotion from Isaiah 46.

“Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
    all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been borne by me from before your birth,
    carried from the womb;
even to your old age I am he,
    and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
    I will carry and will save. (Isaiah 46:3-4)

Those who lavish gold from the purse,
    and weigh out silver in the scales,
hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;
    then they fall down and worship!
They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it,
    they set it in its place, and it stands there;
    it cannot move from its place. (Isaiah 46:6-7)

I find this justaposition of ideas fascinating. On the one hand, you have the one true God of Israel, who promises to carry his people just as he always has.

On the other hand, a metalworker fashions a god someone carries around from place to place.

Which kind of god would you rather have?

What’s your daily carry look like?

A phone, for sure. (That’s kind of a god right there, isn’t it?) Keys. A water bottle. Wallet. My dad always carried a handkerchief and a pocket knife. Most women have a purse full of essentials. A briefcase or a backpack? All the stuff that gets us through the day.

God’s daily carry is you. And me. He carries our burdens, anxiety, sin, and us through this life and into the next.

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