A sound, a dream, or a thought wakes him in the night. He is 8 years old and scared. The darkness holds the unknown. It changes the familiar into shifting shadows of fear producing blackness. Daytime sounds are transformed at night. He pulls the covers close, but eventually it is too much for him. He makes a beeline for his dad. This is the image I have in my mind when I read Isaiah 26:9. Israel has chosen to walk in darkness. A time is coming when that darkness will take on the physical form of captivity in Babylon. In a foreign nation, there will be no temple in which to worship. Families will be torn apart. Identity will become murky. But there will be a longing in the night for the redemption, hope, and security that can only be provided by God. When my days are dark and fear seems to loom large, I know that there is a Father in heaven who listens. I know that God will move to calm fear and restore hope and peace. I know that my longings in the night don’t go unheard or unanswered. That is not what a father does. A father reaches out. A father comforts. Our Father does the same for us.
| Date | Reading |
| November 30 | Isaiah 24 |
| December 1 | Isaiah 25 |
| December 2 | Isaiah 26-27 |
| December 3 | Isaiah 28 |
| December 4 | Isaiah 29:1-30:17 |
| December 5 | Isaiah 30:18-32:20 |
| December 6 | Isaiah 33-34 |
| December 7 | Isaiah 35 |