Isaiah 25:1 I will lift You up that all may know Your glory!

All honor, all glory belongs to You alone God.

Isaiah 25:1  Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

We exalt Your holy name, Jesus. In and through His sacrifice we find You. In and through Holy Spirit we are changed into Your character. In Your gift of salvation Father we live and abide. Carla

Wonderful things refers to the wonders only God can do. Faithfulness and truth may be rephrased as “absolute truth.” The NKJV Study Bible

A hymn of praise to Yahweh, presumably placed as a response to the apocalyptic judgment of chapter 24. The poem seems to be a reaction to the reign of Yahweh foretold in 24:23. Faithlife Study Bible

Before we lose hope, though, we can remember God’s sacrifice. Jesus’ work of redeeming us has reversed our fate. The threat is gone—and that changes everything. Our lives are infused with the incredible purpose of His costly death. We have a renewed sense of hope because of His resurrection.

The cross puts everything in perspective. It is the new focus of our gaze. From His sacrifice to the time when redemption is complete, we are meant to live intentional lives that reflect His purpose. Keeping our eyes on Him helps us to stay on the path. Barry, J. D., & Kruyswijk, R. (2012). Connect the Testaments

This I know in my spirit; in the world we live in, detachment—emotional, spiritual, personal—is quite seductive. Not because I don’t want to be connected or invested. But because there is a part of me that is afraid, or reluctant—don’t want to be hurt or disheartened—about something.

And there is a part of me doesn’t know what to give or invest. “After all, what can I do?”

Well, let us begin here. I carry this encouragement in my heart, “Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.” (Thank you Iain Thomas)

So, here’s the deal; I don’t want my heart to go away. I want to speak from that place. Speaking to hope and respiration and peace, without the weight of any perceived role or expectation. I choose to honor…

My Heart. Empathy. Listening. Seeing pain (and not just the “other”), and honoring dignity and inclusion and safety and hope. Saying “no” to greed, malice and meanness. Saying, “Yes, there are umbrellas to hold.”

My Tears. Redeeming life’s heaviness, they can be a healing (and cleansing) for craziness.

My Laughter. I choose to be grounded in wonder and awe and grateful gladness. “Sabbath Moments”

“In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him" (Ecclesiastes 7:14).

This perspective on God's sovereignty can influence our reactions to our circumstances. This verse emphasizes that God is in control of all our days: the good ("prosperity"), the hard ("adversity"), and the unknown (what "man may not find out," or what "no one can discover" [NET]). 

Let's look at three ways we can respond to this truth and face every situation with confident assurance in the Lord.

1. Rejoice in the good.

The Hebrew word for "prosperity" in Ecclesiastes 7:14 can also mean "goodness" or "pleasantness." While it may seem natural to be joyful in such circumstances, sometimes we can be tempted to suppress our joy out of guilt (feeling like we don't deserve it) or caution (fearing that our blessings may disappear). But the Teacher's words assure us that God wants us to be joyful. When we recognize every good gift is from Him (James 1:17), our joy becomes worship because our hearts are directed toward Him.

2. Reflect in the hard.

The word "adversity" in Ecclesiastes 7:14 evokes times when it can be challenging to look beyond our circumstances. Yet this verse encourages us to consider God's involvement, reminding us that He is in control despite our difficulties. In fact, He is at work within the hardship. We can "count it all joy" when we face trials because they are not the end (James 1:2).

3. Remember in the unknown.

The Teacher concluded Ecclesiastes 7:14 with a statement that no human can know the future "that will be after him." But God can. And He does. In fact, nothing "will be after" God because He is eternal and infinite! In Ecclesiastes 7:1-8, we see that every human life is framed by birth and death, but God has no beginning, no end, and no limits (Psalm 90:2). We must remember He is sovereign over our days of prosperity and adversity as well as the days yet to come.

God wisely weaves the joyful days and the difficult ones into His plans and His purposes. We can trust Him with the past, present, and future because He knows the best way to accomplish the ultimate good for His children: for us to know Christ and grow in His likeness (Romans 8:28-29). “First5”