Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done and proclaim that his name is exalted.
—Isaiah 12:4
Thoughts on Today’s Verse…
It is wrong to think God’s love for the nations began only with Jesus and his Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). God sent the reluctant Jonah to save Israel’s great enemy, Nineveh, by calling them to repentance. Remember the precious story of Ruth, a foreigner, a Moabite woman, grafted into the lineage of King David and ultimately Jesus the Messiah (Ruth 1:4, 16; Matthew 1:5-6). God loves all people and wants them to come to share in his grace and find eternal life (John 3:16-17; 2 Peter 3:9). As Christians, we are his salt and light. We are here to touch all the people of the world – people of all people, languages, and nations – and beckon them to come back to the one Father who truly loves them.
My Prayer…
Holy God, please stir our hearts to share your passion and love for our lost world. May our lives, money, ministry, concern, and love be used to do more of your work throughout the world. Please, O LORD, especially bless the efforts of all those who share the Gospel of Jesus with grace in cultures different from their own. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
