Isaiah 11:1-9

The Branch From Jesse

11 

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

2 

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—

    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

    the Spirit of counsel and of might,

    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—

3 

and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

    or decide by what he hears with his ears;

4 

but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

    with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;

    with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

5 

Righteousness will be his belt

    and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

6 

The wolf will live with the lamb,

    the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;

    and a little child will lead them.

7 

The cow will feed with the bear,

    their young will lie down together,

    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8 

The infant will play near the cobra’s den,

    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.

9 

They will neither harm nor destroy

    on all my holy mountain,

for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord

    as the waters cover the sea.

Reflect.

What our eyes see and what our ears hear can make hanging on to a vision of peace tough to do. What problems do you see that trouble you, that you want God to solve?

Response

“They will not hurt or destroy,” says Isaiah’s vision. What changes would cause people to stop hurting and destroying one another and the world?

Response

What needs to change within you? How has knowing God made a difference in you?  How has God brought about reconciliation in your life?

Response

What areas of your life or inner self do you still need to experience peace and reconciliation?

Rest.

Think about a world where the lion can lie down with the lamb, Where every child is safe, where peace reigns in every heart. Enjoy the scene. Ask God how you can help to bring that world to reality.

Pray a breath prayer.

For a breath prayer today, consider praying, “God of peace, bring peace through me.”

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