by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Discovering Hope

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“But you, Israel, my servant,
    Jacob, whom I have chosen,
    the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
    and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, ‘You are my servant,
    I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
 fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.'”
Isaiah 41:8-10 English Standard Version

The Willis Tower in Chicago, formerly known as the Sears Tower, stands 110 floors high, or 1,451 feet above the city. The Skydeck is on the 103rd floor and offers an amazing panorama of Chicago and surrounding states, that is, for those who are not terribly afraid of heights.

To make matters more interesting, on the west side of the Skydeck is the Ledge. The Ledge consists of 1.5 inches of glass on five sides. Yes, you stand on glass 1,353 feet above Chicago. Something happens to people when they can’t see the floor. Blood pressure elevates, breathing becomes more rapid, and sweat starts to seep from every pore in a person’s body.

Does it feel like you are standing on glass? Does each day contain moments where your blood pressure increases, your breathing is elevated, and sweat pours out of your body?

Israel was about to step out on to glass, headed for exile in Babylon. Everything they relied on would be taken from them because of their sin, and yet, anticipating that day, Isaiah reminds the people that God still had them.

Even when you are at your worst and you step out on the glass of your broken life, God has you. He will not let you go. Even when sweat pours from your body, your breathing rate increases, and your blood pressure skyrockets, he’s got you. Your faith in Christ, the One suspended between heaven and earth, guarantees he will always be with you.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado