Our Daily Bread Today 22 May 2026 | Seeking God’s Face
OUR DAILY BREAD DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE FOR THE FAMILY – 22ND MAY 2026
Read Our Daily Bread Devotional for May 22, 2026 — A powerful word of hope and empowerment to start your day. Discover today’s message, scripture, and reflection for spiritual strength.
Our Daily Bread Today 22 May 2026 Devotional Message
Seeking God’s Face
Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 16-18, John 7:28-53
Bible Verse: I will set . . . the fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know . . . the Lord has done this. – Isaiah 41:19-20
Today’s Scripture: Isaiah 41:17-20
Insight In chapters 1-39, Isaiah warns an unrepentant people that God will use the Assyrians and the Babylonians to discipline them for their idolatrous unfaithfulness. But beginning in chapter 40, the prophet extols God’s grace and covenantal kindness and prophesies a future restoration and glorious blessing. As the sovereign God, He has the power to save, protect, and restore (40:10-17). The prophet also reminds them of God’s loving, providential care. The Israelites have a very special relationship with Him, having been graciously chosen to be His servant (41:8). God won’t abandon them but will keep them close and care for them (vv. 8-10, 17). He’ll bountifully provide for them and turn the arid desert into a land of flowing water and great productivity (vv. 18-19). Like the people in Isaiah’s days, creation reminds us that He is “the Lord” (v. 13), our “Redeemer” (v. 14), “the Holy One of Israel,” and Creator (v. 20). We can trust Him with the circumstances in our lives. By: K.T. Sim
Those who drive along Highway 18 in western Oregon each fall are greeted with a delightful surprise from the tree-covered hillside flanking the road: a giant smiley face. The cheerful face is only visible in the autumn when the Larch tree needles turn yellow, contrasting with the surrounding, dark green Douglas fir trees (which create the eyes and mouth). A lumber company planted the three-hundred-foot-diameter face in 2011 as part of an effort to replenish the timber they’d harvested.
Isaiah invites us to know God as the one who brings life to desolate places. He reminded the Israelites during the barrenness of their captivity that God “[makes] rivers flow,” can “turn the desert into pools of water,” and grow “the cedar and the acacia” in the desert (Isaiah 41:18-19). God does these things not solely for His (and our) delight; He plants junipers, fir, and cypress “so that people may see and know” (v. 20) that He authors all and will ultimately redeem all—even those places thought to be a “wasteland” (v. 19).
Though we may not glimpse a face smiling back at us from a hillside, all of creation can remind us of God’s redemptive power over our world and our individual circumstances—even in the wake (or fear) of devastation. Let’s seek His face as our source of hope and joy amid our struggles. By: Kirsten Holmberg
Reflect & Pray
When has God brought joy or hope to a place of sadness in your life? How does creation direct your focus to Him in times of hardship?
Thank You, dear Father, for Your creative and redemptive work in the world.
