God sees the whole story – July 24, 2023

Read: Isaiah 44:6-11

“This is what the Lord says—
Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;
apart from me there is no God.
Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and lay out before me
what has happened since I established my ancient people,
and what is yet to come—
yes, let them foretell what will come.
Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?
No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”
Isaiah 44:6-8

God sees the whole story

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Have you seen the Star Wars movies? They tell the story of the Jedi versus the Dark Side. It’s a battle between good versus evil, and throughout the series, it seems like the Dark Side is winning.

As we live in our world, we might say something similar. Sometimes, it seems like “The Dark Side” is winning.

If that is how you feel, then you need to listen to the words of Isaiah, the prophet. He wrote about a time when the big bad Babylonian Empire would invade the little tribe of Judah. They would destroy the temple and take God’s people into exile. It seemed like “the Dark Side” was winning.

But Isaiah reminded God’s people that they were only looking at a snapshot in their story. The Lord God Almighty knew their story from beginning to end, and he was going to bring about the ending he wanted for his people.

We have the blessing of seeing how that story has unfolded. Just as Isaiah predicted, the Messiah, Jesus, came. He overcame all that was evil by being pierced for our sins and crushed for the world’s wickedness.

And yet, we still haven’t experienced the final happy ending when Jesus returns. Until that day, Isaiah tells us to remember that there is no God like your God! He’s been from the very beginning to the very end of our story. Nothing compares to him and his power!

As the story of your life unfolds, and especially in dark moments that feel like they are never going to end, remember who your God is and his word of encouragement, “Do not tremble or be afraid.” Instead, cling to the Lord, our Rock, who will bring this story to his desired happy ending with him.

Closing Prayer:

Lord God, when it seems like evil is winning, help me to trust in your and your plans. Remind me of your victory over sin and death through Jesus. And give me hope for your happy ending. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• What is your favorite book or movie? How does it end?
• Because of Jesus, how is our story going to end? How does that make you feel?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• What are some of your favorite movies? Who are the “good guys”? And who are the “bad guys”? Do the “bad guys” ever win in the end? Why or why not?
• How can we be sure that the devil and all that is evil will not win at the end of our story?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• What are some examples of evil? Why does it feel like evil is winning in our world?
• Explain why we can always have hope that God will win in the end.