I’ve been reading Isaiah recently. It’s a brilliant book. Just got up to chapter 35 where it gets a bit nice. The first 34 chapters are focused on God’s judgement of Israel, Judah and surrounding nations. Although this is sometimes grim reading, it has the occasional glimmer of hope and it reminds me of the complete holiness of God and how much he hates sin, and exactly what I deserve for rebelling against Him. Again and again God despairs of Israel and Judah putting their faith in the strength of their neighbours rather than in God. As Isaiah so aptly puts it ‘But the Egyptians are men and not God’ – yet Judah was still putting their trust in Egypt rather than in God. Why do I put my trust in things that aren’t God? Why do I think I’ll be ok if I have friends around me and I’m in a place I know? Surely I’m putting my faith in these things rather than in God. I want to trust in God. What’s the point in trusting other things – they are not God they cannot save me. And yet, even though I don’t always trust God as I should He still wants to know me. In chptr 35 Isaiah paints a beautiful picture of what heavens gonna be like – and the fact it is the redeemed who will be there. I will be in heaven, not coz of anything I’ve done but because of what Jesus did for me – we have an awesome God!