Unbreakable Faith

Hi again, and welcome to today's encouragement from the Our Daily Bread devotional. Our reading, titled Unbreakable Faith, was written by So Chi Dixon. After doctors diagnosed their firstborn son with autism, Diane Doko Kim and her husband grieved facing a lifetime of caring for a cognitively disabled child. In her book, Unbroken Faith, she admits to struggling with adjusting their dreams and expectations for their beloved son's future. Yet through this painful process, they learned that God can handle their anger, doubts, and fears.

Now, with their son reaching adulthood, Diane uses her experiences to encourage parents of children with special needs. She tells others about God's unbreakable promises, limitless power, and loving faithfulness. She assures people that He gives us permission to grieve when we experience the death of a dream, an expectation, a way, or a season of life.

In Isaiah 26, the prophet declares that God's people can trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord is the rock eternal. He's able to sustain us with supernatural peace in every situation, focusing on His unchanging character and crying out to Him during troublesome times revitalizes our hope. When we face any loss, disappointment, or difficult circumstance, God invites us to be honest with Him.

He can handle our ever-changing emotions and our questions. He remains with us and refreshes our spirits with enduring hope. Even when we feel like our lives are falling apart, God can make our faith unbreakable.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Isaiah chapter 26, verses 3 through 13. You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord Himself, is the rock eternal. He humbles those who dwell on high. He lays the lofty city low. He levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust.

Feet trample it down. The feet of the oppressed, the footsteps of the poor, the path of the righteous is level. You, the upright one, make the way of the righteous smooth. Yes, Lord, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for You. Your name and renown are the desires of our hearts. My soul yearns for You in the night.

In the morning, my spirit longs for You. When Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness, but when grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness. Even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and do not regard the majesty of the Lord. Lord, Your hand is lifted high, but they do not see it. Let them see Your zeal for Your people and be put to shame.

Let the fire reserved for Your enemies consume them. Lord, You established peace for us. All that we have accomplished, You have done for us. Lord our God, other lords besides You have ruled over us, but Your name alone do we honor.

Let's pray. Lord, none of us leaves this world without experiencing deep and lasting pain. Thank You for walking alongside us when we're hurting and even carrying us when we just can't go on. Thank You also for the honest way in which people in Scripture express their pain to You, whose faith remains secure despite their cries. Help us to have that same honesty with You and to trust You with our own hurts, believing that You will heal us in due time. Thank You, Father. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.