The prophet Isaiah lived in a period of Israel's history in which the nation was in rebellion toward God. A series of evil kings led the nation into idolatry, and the worship of God that was left was meaningless and perfunctory.

The book of Isaiah serves as a warning to the nation of Israel. Isaiah correctly predicts that God would use the mighty kingdoms of the day, first Assyria and then Babylon, to judge and condemn them for turning their backs on God.

Isaiah is also a book of hope. Against the dire predictions of the book's first half, in the second half, Isaiah vows that God will keep his promises to the nation and deliver them from their captivity.

Today's scripture is about that delivery. Just as God used the kingdoms of the day to punish the nation, he will use another great kingdom to deliver it. Chapter 45 says that Cyrus, a king who did not even know God, will deliver the nation of Israel. A century before Cyrus was born, God, speaking through Isaiah, called Cyrus by name as the deliverer of His nation.

Cyrus was a great and powerful king in a long line of great and powerful kings. Today's scripture, however, puts his greatness in perspective. Listen to the way The Message translation puts verse 13, the verse that follows today's verse:

Cyrus was powerful, but he was powerful because God made him so.

So what does this mean for us? It mostly means that God is alive and as sovereign now as He was then. He is more powerful than any king, president, or army, and He can use whomever or whatever He wants to achieve His purposes. Who is the most powerful person you can think of? God is greater than that person.

It means that God is the ruler over our times and events. What do you fear or dread the most? God is greater than that thing.

It means God created all the heavens and the earth. There is nothing you can touch, feel, or see that God did not make, no matter how big or small.

It means that God is greater than anyone or anything we might put on the thrones of our lives.

And God, through the gift of the death and resurrection of His son Jesus, not only allows us to be in a relationship with Him, but he desires it.

God is in control, greater than anyone or anything, and that is a source of hope.

Father, thank you for your might and your sovereignty. Thank you, for even though you are greater than anything we can know or imagine, you love and care for us. Thank you for the unsurpassed gift of life with you through Jesus Christ. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Cliff McCartney.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

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