April 3: The Lord is Gracious and Just
♫ Music:
Day 49 - Tuesday, April 3
Title: The Lord is Gracious and Just
Scripture: Isaiah 30:18-22
Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him. O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left. And you will defile your graven images overlaid with silver, and your molten images plated with gold. You will scatter them as an impure thing, and say to them, “Be gone!”
Poetry: Grace
By Wendell Berry
The woods is shining this morning.
Red, gold and green, the leaves
lie on the ground, or fall,
or hang full of light in the air still.
Perfect in its rise and in its fall, it takes
the place it has been coming to forever.
It has not hastened here, or lagged.
See how surely it has sought itself,
its roots passing lordly through the earth.
See how without confusion it is
all that it is, and how flawless
its grace is. Running or walking, the way
is the same. Be still. Be still.
“He moves your bones, and the way is clear.”
GRACE
Wendell Berry, whose poetry celebrates the holiness of life and the everyday miracles we so often take for granted, chose “Grace” as the title for today’s poem that describes the perfection of walking through the autumn woods. Beholding these brilliant leaves in myriad shades of green, red, and gold, as they cling to branches, gently drift downward, or lie silently on the ground, Berry senses the flawless grace that surrounds him and admonishes, “Be still, be still.”
How often do I rush through my daily tasks, missing sacred moments where God softly prompts, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). In this deep stillness, enveloped by sheer beauty, Berry gains a deeper insight and revelation that “Perfect in its rise and in its fall, it takes the place it has been coming to forever. It has not hastened here, or lagged.”
Similarly, in today’s passage, Isaiah 30:18-22, the prophet casts a vision of God’s character as longing to be gracious to us; not hastening or lagging, but simply waiting. Waiting for the perfect moment to show His deep compassion in direct response to our cries for help. He not only sees the weeping of His people, but promises that He will surely be gracious in His response. The idea that the Lord God, Creator and Sustainer of the heavens and the earth, actually longs to be gracious to His children and waits on high to show compassion on us, is truly beyond anything we deserve. Yet, He waits for us to turn to Him and recognize His divine desire to help. He sees our tears and at the moment we urgently cry out to Him, He answers us and His gentle voice directs our steps.
Jacopo Bassano’s vivid painting, The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, provides a visual glimpse into a moment when Christ’s miraculous provision led His disciples to a deeper commitment as His disciples. According to Luke 5, they had fished all night on the Lake of Gennesaret with little success. They were physically exhausted, and Peter was understandably skeptical when Jesus commanded them to let down their nets. Bassano imagines the moment the miracle occurred—Peter and Andrew are turning to Jesus, demonstrating a physical orientation of their bodies and lives as a result of this revelation of His power and holiness.
When we are in the midst of a confusing, painful or simply tiring season of life, we are often tempted to doubt God’s presence or question His goodness, and our hearts long for things to change. Waiting for God to somehow intervene, to speak, can feel like an eternity. But our hearts can find encouragement in Isaiah’s words of promise and hope:
He will be gracious if you ask for help.
He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.
Your own ears will hear him.
Right behind you a voice will say,
“This is the way you should go,”
whether to the right or to the left.
Surely our faithful God will surround us with His compassion and grace, our ears will hear His words of truth, guidance, and direction, and we will gain a new glimpse of who He is and how deeply He loves us.
Prayer:
O blessed Jesus, give me stillness of soul in Thee.
Let Thy mighty calmness reign in me;
Rule me, O King of Gentleness, King of peace. . .
By Thine own deep patience, give me patience.
Make me in this and all things more and more like Thee.
Amen.
—John of the Cross (1542– 1591)
Deborah Taylor
Provost and Senior Vice President
Biola University
The Miraculous Draught of Fishes
Jacopo Bassano
1545
Oil on canvas
143.5 x 243.7 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
This painting is about the results of what happens when the disciples of Jesus listen to and follow his instructions to let their nets down on the other side of the boat (Luke 5). However, Jacopo does not set the scene in the Sea of Galilee, but rather in Bassano del Grappa, a community near Venice, where he was born, lived, and died. This personalizing of the event shows that Jesus is in the present, calling him and those who live in his village. The passage today from Isaiah, which is directed to the people of Jerusalem, is also directed at anyone who will listen to the words of the One teaching us which way to go.
About the Artist:
Jacopo Bassano (1510-1592), also known as Jacopo dal Ponte, got his name from Bassano del Grappo, the town near Venice where he was born and later died. He painted mostly genres and landscapes, and is considered the first modern landscape painter. Despite never leaving his hometown, he was an avid collector of art and was influenced by the work of such artists as Albrecht Dürer, Raphael, Tintoretto, and Titian. Titian's influence can especially be seen in the bright colors Bassano preferred to use.
About the Music:
“Sermon to the Birds “ from the album All Creatures, Vol 1.
About the Composer/Performer:
Jacob Montague (b. 1989) is a producer and multi-instrumentalist by day (for the bands Branches and Tsutro), and cinematic folk composer by night. His compositions weave a musical landscape composed of big beats, plucked strings, minimal patterns within grand combinations, and ethereal sounds. The California native studied physics at Azusa Pacific University, and currently resides in Oakland, CA. Today's track, which ends with the refrain "Alleluia!" from the hymn "All Creatures of Our God and King," references a moment in the life of St. Francis of Assisi. According to Bonaventure, who recounts much of the saint's life, “[Francis] came to a spot where a large flock of birds of various kinds had come together. When God’s saint saw them, he quickly ran to the spot and greeted them....and solicitously urged them to listen to the word of God, saying, ‘Oh birds, my brothers and sisters, you have a great obligation to praise your Creator, who clothed you in feathers and gave you wings to fly with, provided you with pure air and cares for you without any worry on your part.’…The birds showed their joy in a remarkable fashion: They began to stretch their necks, extend their wings, open their beaks and gaze at him attentively."
About the Poet:
Wendell Erdman Berry (b. 1934) is an American novelist, poet, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer who was educated at the University of Kentucky, where he became Distinguished Professor of English in 1971. The intensity of his writing's involvement with the human and natural characters of his native locality has gained Berry recognition as one of the leading writers of the twentieth century. A prolific author, he has written many novels, short stories, poems, and essays. He is an advocate of Christian pacifism, as shown in his book Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Christ's Teachings About Love, Compassion and Forgiveness. He states that the theme in his writing is "that all people in the society should be able to use the gifts that they have, their natural abilities, and they ought to use them responsibly for their benefit as individuals and as a community." Berry was named the recipient of the 2013 Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award, an annual U.S. literary award recognizing the power of the written word to promote peace.
About the Devotional Writer:
Deborah Taylor is Provost and Senior Vice President at Biola and holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from Biola University and a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University. Prior to coming to Biola, she was the principal of a K-8 private school. She has had the joy of being a faculty member, as well as serving in a variety of administrative roles since coming to Biola in 2001. She has a lifelong love for beautifully written and illustrated children’s literature, and currently finds great pleasure sharing her vast collection with her six adorable grandchildren.