Isaiah 40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.
Isaiah’s vision looks ahead — not only to the Arm of the LORD revealed in the Exodus or even in the cross, but to the day when that same Arm will come again in glory. This is not a picture of brute force but of purposeful arrival. The Z’roah — the Arm of the LORD — comes clothed with strength to establish His rule, and He does not come empty-handed. His reward is with Him, and His work is before Him. The promise is sure: He is coming, and He is rewarding.
“His reward is with Him” speaks to the faithfulness of God’s covenant. The Hebrew word sakar carries the sense of blessing, vindication, and fulfillment of promise. The Lord does not forget His people. When He comes, He comes with restoration, with vindication for the righteous, and with the joy of fulfilled hope. The Arm that rules does not bring only judgment; He brings blessing for those who have trusted Him.
“His work is before Him” reminds us that nothing is left unfinished. What He begins, He completes. The story of redemption is still unfolding, and the Arm of the LORD carries it forward without delay or distraction. Creation itself testifies to His completed word, and redemption will likewise be brought to perfect fulfillment. The work of salvation is not a project abandoned halfway — it is always before Him, and He will see it through until the end.
Messianically, Isaiah’s prophecy echoes into Revelation 22:12: “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me, to repay each one for what he has done.” The Arm revealed in weakness on the cross will return in glory, not only to reign, but to reward. The Lamb who was slain will return as the King who repays justice for the wicked, and eternal blessing for the faithful. His coming will consummate what His Arm has already secured: salvation, restoration, and everlasting kingdom.
For us today, this shifts our perspective. We live not as those scrambling under the chaos of the world but as those awaiting the certainty of His appearing. His work is still unfolding — and we are caught up in it. His reward is already secured — and we are heirs of it. Every act of obedience, every step of faith, every burden carried in His name will be answered when the Arm comes.
The Arm that once stretched wide to save you is the very Arm that will soon split the heavens and come for you. Lift your eyes — your King is coming clothed in power, crowned with justice, and carrying blessing for His people. Stand unshaken, for His work includes you, and His reward will surely be placed in your hands.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]When Elijah cast his cloak over Elisha in the field, it wasn’t just a symbolic act — it was a divine call. Elisha understood this and responded not with delay or excuse, but with decisive action. After asking to say goodbye to his parents, he returned, slaughtered his oxen, and used the wooden yokes as fuel for the sacrifice. Then he gave the meal to the people and walked away from everything familiar to follow the prophet Elijah.
Elijah had just come through one of the most intense seasons of his life. He had called down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel, seen the prophets of Baal defeated, and yet found himself running in fear from Jezebel, exhausted and discouraged. In the cave at Horeb, he cried out, believing he was alone and that all was lost. But it was there—in the still small voice—that God revealed His presence and His plan.
Over the weekend, the United States launched a bold operation aimed at ending Iran’s nuclear program. In the quiet of the night, unseen by human eyes, B-2 Spirit bombers initiated Operation Midnight Hammer—a precision strike designed to eliminate hidden threats before they could bring harm. With unmatched stealth, they cut through the darkness, delivering a decisive blow against danger.
Every true move of revival begins where few look for it—at the hidden brook, in the quiet place of God’s pruning. Cherith (נַחַל כְּרִית) means to cut off, to separate, to covenant. Before Elijah could stand on Mount Carmel and call down fire, he had to be separated, set apart for God’s purposes.
Before God’s servants can stand in high places before men, they must first bow low before Him. Elijah, fresh from proclaiming God’s judgment to Ahab, might have felt indispensable to God’s plan. Yet the following command was unexpected: “Hide yourself.” The brook Cherith became Elijah’s place of humbling, where pride was stripped away, self-reliance was broken, and his soul learned the sweetness of depending on God alone.
God’s servants must learn to walk by faith–one step at a time. This is a simple lesson, yet one that challenges even the most faithful. Consider Elijah: before he left his quiet home in Thisbe to stand before King Ahab with the word of the Lord, how many questions must have stirred his heart!
As we continue our journey through the life of Elijah, let us take heart in this: Elijah was a man just like us. He was not born with heroic strength or unshakable resolve. He knew weakness, fear, and moments of failure—the same struggles we face. And yet, this one man, by faith, stood alone against a tide of sin and idolatry. By faith, he turned a nation back to God.