Isaiah 60:1 ” Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”

The Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 5:14,  paraphrases this verse in Isaiah when he writes, “Wake up O sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you.”  Jesus is the light of the world, and when this truth illuminates our being, we become painfully aware of just how  deplorable our sinful life is.  We clearly see ourselves for what we are…miserable, wretched humans…spiritually dead and doomed to eternal punishment.  But both verses encourage us by saying, “Don’t wallow in sin anymore – a new day is dawning –  rise up out of the muck and mire, and receive your salvation.”

Numbers 10:35 ” Rise up, O Lord! May Your enemies be scattered; may Your foes flee before You.”

Lord, we know of Your intense hatred of idolatry and hypocrisy, and that You will repay Your foes according to what they have done. (Isaiah 59:18)  As we look at all the evil in the world, we remember the words of the Psalmist who said, “…as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God.” (Psalm 68:2)   So we echo this verse and say,  “Rise up, O Lord!  May Your actions be immediate and dramatic…may Your enemies be scattered.”