“And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die.”

While the prophet Isaiah tells the people to seek repentance, the world says “lighten up.” A new year dawns, a time when some will enjoy wealth unparalleled in human history; our tumultuous cities are brilliant with life; roadways teem with commerce; the air is filled with busy passengers; satellites soar between the stars. As our bodies are permeated with the radio waves of cell phone conversations, we think the world has advanced by technological leaps and bounds since Isaiah’s times. But have we? “Live for today!” our culture proclaims. The Bible tells us that the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all who wait for Him.

SAVE US, CREATIVE GOD, FROM OUR HUNGER. HELP US TO SEE BEYOND OUR HUMAN ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND LIMITATIONS. DIRECT OUR HEARTS AND MINDS TO CARE FOR YOUR SACRED CREATION, AND LET US SEEK JUSTICE AND PEACE. AMEN.

-Shared by Mark Youngjohn