Trusting God’s Unlikely Ways
Devotions this week based on Come Home Week 3 – TRUST (WATCH HERE)
Isaiah 11:1 “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”
“I thought it was dead.” After a winter freeze in Texas a few years ago, our lemon tree seemed to have bit the dust. All the branches died and there was no sign of life. Until there was. That spring little shoots came out of the stump and now the tree that is is bigger than the one that died off (Unfortunately we haven’t had a single blossom on it…so the illustrations stops there!).
Isaiah speaks of a stump that seemed dead, but wasn’t. The line of David seemed to be a dying breed. Those that were bloodline were some, but those that had the faith of David were fewer. Yet what God promises through Isaiah is that out of this seemingly dead stump, a Branch would come and establish itself with strong roots and bear fruit once again.
I don’t know what will happen with our lemon tree. It may have lost its ability to bear fruit (if there are anyone who might know what to do…let me know!), yet the branch from the stump of Jesse would guarantee fruit.
Not the place you would expect the Lord to show up. Yet, in this statement God speaks hope that would be found in an unlikely place. Not a towering tree. Not instant restoration. But through a small, tender, and easily overlooked shoot, God promises new life that begins quietly, almost invisibly, in the ruins of what once was.
The hymn Where Shepherds Lately Knelt captures the wonder of it:
“In that unlikely place I find Him… sweet newborn babe, how frail! … a still, small voice to cry one day for me.”
To think the one who would plead on my behalf would arrive in the world, not with force or spectacle, but as a baby, dependent and vulnerable, laid in a manger.
Trusting God often means trusting His way of working. And His way is rarely what we expect.
Trust, at its core, is placing your weight on something because you are convinced of its reliability. Yet God asks us to place our weight on what looks fragile: a shoot from a stump, a child in a feeding trough, a quiet promise spoken into a season of loss. Everything in us wants visible strength, quick answers, and clear signs of success. God offers something better, something slower, smaller, and deeper.
Trusting God’s unlikely ways means believing that He is at work even when we cannot yet see the fruit. It means trusting that what looks insignificant now may carry eternal weight. It means believing that God is faithful not only in victories, but in beginnings that seem barely alive.
If God can bring the Savior of the world through a stump and a manger, He can bring hope through whatever feels cut down in your life.
This Christmas, you are invited to trust not in what is impressive, but in what is promised. To lean not on what is visible, but on what is faithful. The shoot is growing. God is not finished. And new life is already on the way.
Reflection: Where in your life does something feel like a “stump” rather than a flourishing tree? What would it look like to trust that God can still bring life from that place?
Prayer: Lord, you bring life from what looks finished. Teach me to trust your work in small beginnings and hidden places. Help me believe that you are still growing something good, even when I cannot yet see it. Amen.
It’s hard to believe!
Devotions this week based on Come Home Week 2 – HEART (WATCH HERE)
Jaraslov Vajda penned in his hymn, “Where shepherds lately knelt, I come in half-belief…”
We know the shepherd’s reaction to the angels’ announcement of the birth of Jesus was fear. Once the fear was calmed and the message was heard, their hearts had curiosity. “Let’s go see this thing…which the Lord has told us about.”
The Lord’s word which came through the angelic messengers compelled the hearts of the shepherds to go find the baby “wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
Were their hearts fully convinced?
Were their hearts fully prepared?
Was the fear in their hearts totally gone?
Perhaps not.
But they came. They came to the manger to find the one who was “Christ, the Lord.”
For years they and their ancestors had been waiting for the promises of Isaiah and the other prophets to be fulfilled. Perhaps the “half-belief” was simply the fact that they could not believe that THEY were the ones that get to experience first-hand the culmination of the Spirit’s prophetic work.
For years there was speaking of spiritual healing and the end to “warfare” over sin and its consequence. Perhaps the “half-belief” was the consideration that this baby lying in the manger WAS the comfort and ultimate victor over sin.
For years there was a desire to ensure the scales of justice with the Lord would be balanced by the good works of mankind over the grace of God. Perhaps the “half-belief” was the reality that the greatest work this child came to do was to have his hands pierced with the nails we deserved.
For years there was the promise of a King greater than David who would rule on his throne forever. Perhaps the “half-belief” was the discrepancy between the vision of a palace and the reality of a manger which held the promised King.
Maybe your heart echos the “half-belief” Vajda surmised the shepherds had. Maybe your heart has doubts, fears, uncertainties and things that you feel are incongruent with how you think God should show up in your life.
But the very one in the manger invites us to come home, even in “half-belief.” He calls our hearts to curiosity to know more about who he is. He calls our heart to certainty as he fulfills the prophecies of Isaiah and more. He calls our heart to peace as he is called “Jesus,” the one who saves us from our sin. He calls our “half-belief” to full belief that he is our Savior…your Savior; our King…your King; our Comfort…your Comfort.
Christmas is not about arriving full of faith. It’s about coming with what you have and leaving with what Jesus gives.
The shepherds returned, “glorifying and praising God for all that they had seen and heard.” Their “half-belief” changed to “full-belief” when they were home at the manger.
The same will happen for you.
Apply: What part of my faith feels “half” right now? What truth of Christmas might move the “half” to “full”?
Prayer: Lord, I come as I am. Even if my faith is weak, I trust You to hold me. Draw me close this Christmas. Amen.
God Reveals His Glory at Christmas!
Devotions this week based on Come Home Week 2 – HEART (WATCH HERE)
Isaiah 40:5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
It’s hard to describe the grandeur of the Grand Canyon. Nothing can prepare you for walking to the edge of the rim and seeing the massive canyon open up below you. Even though someone may have told you what to expect and how it would look, the glory of it wasn’t fully realized until you stood there yourself and witnessed it personally.
Nearly 800 years separated the writing of Isaiah and the writing of the Apostle John. But something happened in that span that Isaiah said all people WILL see and John says, “We HAVE seen.”
God gave the words to Isaiah who wrote and spoke them to God’s people. There was something behind the words of comfort that were spoken (40:1-2). There was a purpose to the preparation of hearts in 40:3-4.
“The glory of the Lord will be revealed.”
Perhaps the stories of Moses and the pillar of fire and cloud would come to mind as moments where the glory of the Lord would be seen. Perhaps the grandeur of Solomon’s temple made a glorious impression that many saw.
Yet the Lord had spoken: “ALL people will see it together.”
There would be no doubt and no one that would miss it.
The glory of the Lord would be revealed, seen and recognized.
Many after Isaiah may have said, “Is that it?” or “Is that God’s glory over there?”
There may have been glimpses, but John records the sighting of the reality:
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
God didn’t just speak comfort from heaven. He sent Comfort into the cradle of Bethlehem.
He didn’t just suggest a smooth road to be prepared, he sent his Son to speak the truth of grace to smooth the very hearts he would enter.
The glory of God wrapped in the skin of humanity.
The glory of God experienced in the grace of the forgiveness he secured.
The glory of God heard in the truth he proclaimed.
It wasn’t flashing thunder or galactic light show. It was the Son of God stepping into our world to bring us grace and truth.
The glory of God wasn’t a distant concept, but now a present reality.
Every time we experience grace and hear his truth, the glory of God reveals itself to us.
Every Christmas is a moment to treasure the Glory of God that was revealed to us full of grace and truth.
Apply: Do I see Jesus as God’s glory sent for me? Do I treasure the grace and truth he brings?
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for coming into this world and allowing us a glimpse of God’s glory. Let your grace and truth fill my heart with faith, awe, and peace. Amen.
Prepare our Heart for the LORD!
Devotions this week based on Come Home Week 2 – HEART (WATCH HERE)
Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
Scripture tells us that preparing the way for the Lord is not about perfect behavior, spotless routines, or flawless religious performance. Isaiah says the way is prepared when the valleys are lifted up, the mountains are brought low, and the crooked places are made straight. These images are not commands for us to fix ourselves; they are pictures of what God Himself does within our heart. Preparing the way for the Lord begins when the Spirit of God changes the deepest places of our hearts with his transforming power.
We often think spiritual growth depends on our ability to manage, control, or improve ourselves. But Scripture gives a different picture. Psalm 145:14 says, “The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.” God is the One who lifts what is low—our shame, our despair, our hidden exhaustion. He takes the parts of us we try to hide and brings healing where we thought only brokenness existed.
He also brings low what is high. Pride, self-reliance, stubborn independence—these mountains are not leveled by guilt or self-discipline but by the gentle work of God’s Spirit. Proverbs 3:5–6 reminds us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding. When we stop relying on our own strength, God straightens our wandering paths. He clarifies decisions, aligns our steps, and guides us toward wholeness.
Ezekiel 36:26 offers perhaps the most comforting promise of all: “I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” God softens what is hardened in us—old wounds, deep disappointments, defensive habits, and fears that have calcified over time. We are not asked to make our hearts tender; we are invited to bring our hearts to the One who can.
We are not called to reshape ourselves. We are not called to manufacture spiritual growth. God Himself reshapes what life has damaged. The valleys, mountains, crooked places, and hardened ground are not tasks on our spiritual to-do list. They are invitations for God to work.
So how do we respond? We invite Him in. We allow the Spirit of God to be the “road crew” to prepare our hearts to welcome our Savior.
Home is not the place where everything is perfectly ordered. Home is the place where healing is happening. In the same way, a spiritually prepared heart is not a flawless heart—it is a heart where God is welcome to work.
Invite Him into your lowest places—the parts of you overwhelmed by discouragement or weariness. Invite Him into your hardest struggles—the patterns that feel too strong to break. Invite Him into your hidden failures—the regrets you rarely speak aloud. These are the very places where the Lord builds pathways for His presence, leveling and straightening it all with the power of his love and the reality of his forgiving grace!
Apply: Where do I most need God to reshape my heart? Which valleys need lifting? Which mountains need leveling? Which hardened places need softening?
Prayer: Lord, create in me a heart that welcomes You. Lift what is low, soften what is hard, and straighten what is crooked in me. Make my heart a home where Your healing can take root. Amen.
Rest. Your service is complete!
Devotions this week based on Come Home Week 2 – HEART (WATCH HERE)
Isaiah 40:2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
Her warfare is finished that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.
After a long day of work, you want to know your work is done and you can relax. After a grueling week of semester exams, you breathe easier when the last one is handed in. After a tour of duty, you are overwhelmed with relief when your commanding officer proclaims, “Dismissed!” and your hard service is complete.
Our hearts yearn for the same relief. The exhaustion we carry is not only physical. It is spiritual. We grow weary from trying to prove ourselves, from guilt we cannot erase, and from failures we cannot undo. But God meets us in that weariness with an invitation.
Jesus says:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say clean yourself up first. He does not say fix what you broke before you come. He invites the weary just as they are. Rest is not something you achieve. It is something you receive.
Paul reminds believers that forgiveness is not a feeling but a finished fact:
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us. He took it away, nailing it to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14
Our sins are not waiting to be addressed. They are already covered. The charges are not pending. They are canceled. The cross did not partially pay your debt. It erased it completely.
Romans speaks to those who still believe their failures place them outside of grace:
“The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” Romans 5:20
Grace always outpaces guilt.
These three truths stand together like gospel pillars supporting a weary soul.
Rest replaces striving.
Forgiveness replaces shame.
Grace replaces condemnation.
This is the heart of Isaiah 40.
Your warfare is ended.
Your sin is paid for.
You no longer have to labor to be loved.
Yet, some of us are still living as though the cross did not finish its work. Some of us are still fighting battles God already won. Some of us are still punishing ourselves for sins God already forgave. Some of us are still striving for approval that Christ already secured.
Christmas gives us another chance to come home not just to a season but to a Savior. Let this be the moment you stop carrying what Jesus already carried for you. Lay it down. The regret. The guilt. The need to be good enough.
You were never meant to carry your own salvation. Jesus already did.
Your warfare is over. Jesus won for you!
Apply: What burden am I still holding that Jesus is inviting me to lay down? What would it look like to actually rest in forgiveness and not just talk about it?
Prayer: Jesus, I bring You my weariness and my guilt. Thank You for the cross that canceled my debt. Teach my heart to rest in grace and not strive for what You already secured. Replace my shame with forgiveness and my fear with peace. I receive what You freely give. Amen.