Some seasons leave you feeling cut down. Not just tired,  but trimmed. Like life took what you thought would keep growing and left you with what looks like a stump: a marriage that changed, a job that ended, children grown and gone, a diagnosis, grief, disappointment, or a dream that didn’t unfold the way you prayed. That’s where Isaiah 11 starts, with a stump. Jesse’s line (David’s family tree) looks reduced. The glory looks interrupted. The promise looks quiet and dim. But God whispers something we need to remember: What looks finished to you can still be fertile to Him. Isaiah 11 points to the coming Messiah, Jesus.  He is described as a Branch growing from Jesse’s roots. He won’t lead with hype or appearance; He will rule with righteousness, defend the poor, and judge with truth. Then the chapter paints a picture that feels almost impossible.  Peace where there used to be danger, wolf with the lamb, leopard with a kid, a child near what used to bite. It's not just about animals; it’s a portrait of what happens when God’s reign is fully established. The Threat loses its power, and fear no longer governs the atmosphere. It closes with restoration, God gathering His people, making a way, and bringing them home. In other words: what was scattered will not stay scattered. A gardener knows the difference between a dead plant and a dormant one. In winter, everything looks like loss, bare branches, silent soil, no color, no fruit. But beneath the surface, life is still working. Roots remember what the eye can’t see. Isaiah 11 is God saying: I have roots in you. When I’m ready, new growth will rise from what you thought was over. God’s grace doesn’t just comfort you, it grows you. He can bring a fresh “branch” out of an old place, put His Spirit on what was weary, and bring peace where anxiety used to live. What part of my life feels like a “stump” right now, cut down, reduced, or quiet? Where do I need God to rule with truth instead of my fear ruling with worst-case scenarios? What relationship, pattern, or inner conflict needs the Prince of Peace to establish a new way of thinking? Prayer: Lord Jesus, Branch of Jesse, grow in the places I thought were finished. Where I feel reduced, remind me that roots still hold promise. Rest Your Spirit on me, wisdom for decisions, understanding for my season, counsel for my confusion, strength for my weakness, and the fear of the Lord to steady my heart. Establish Your peace in my mind and in my home. Make me a woman who lives under Your rule, not my worries. Gather the scattered pieces of me and restore what You intend. In Jesus’ name, Amen. What looks cut down is not counted out.God is growing something new in me, quietly, surely, by grace.

Some burdens don’t come from one bad decision, they come from systems. From “papers” that carry power: a denial letter, a court order, a policy change at work, a budget that squeezes your household, a rule that benefits the loudest and forgets the weary. When you’re already stretched thin, it can feel like life is being decided by ink by someone else’s “decree.” Isaiah 10 opens with God calling that thing out: unjust decrees that crush people who are already vulnerable. God is not indifferent to what feels unfair. He sees what’s signed. He sees what’s hidden in fine print. He sees who got overlooked. God pronounces woe on leaders who use authority to exploit, then He asks a sobering question: when accountability comes, where will you run for help? The chapter shifts: God speaks of Assyria as “the rod”.  He allows for judgment, yet Assyria’s heart is proud, cruel, and self-congratulating. Here is the comfort: God can use an instrument without excusing its arrogance. What God permits for a season, He still governs. He promises to humble the oppressor, preserve a remnant, and tell His people not to live in fear forever. Think of a heavy weight on a barbell. God may allow resistance to build your endurance but He never meant that weight to crush your chest. He’s the Spotter. He decides when the set is over. He controls the limit. And when pride tries to act like it’s in charge, God reminds the weight: You’re not the lifter. You’re not the Lord. Pearl of Grace God does not ignore injustice. He does not abandon the ones under it. He sees the decree. He measures the season. He confronts the proud.  He keeps a remnant people that He will carry through. Where have you felt “written off” by a decision that seemed unfair or heavy? Have you been living as if the pressure is permanent, when God says it’s seasonal? What would it look like today to trust God as Judge and Deliverer? God gives a promise to hold on to from Isaiah 10.  This pressure has an expiration date. God promises that His indignation will not last forever and He tells His people, “Be not afraid” . Even when the weapon is loud, God has the final say. Prayer: Father, You see every unjust burden, every heavy decree, every quiet oppression, every fear I’ve carried because life felt out of my control. Judge what is wrong with righteousness, and cover me with Your mercy. Teach me not to panic under pressure, and help me trust that You govern seasons I cannot understand. Keep my heart from bitterness, keep my mind from fear, and keep my faith anchored in Your authority. In Jesus’ name, Amen. God sees it. God governs it. God will end what He allowed and He will keep me through it.