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.
