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.
