S – You are to regard only the Lord of Armies as holy. Only he should be feared; only he should be held in awe. ¹⁴ He will be a sanctuary; but for the two houses of Israel, he will be a stone to stumble over and a rock to trip over, and a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Isaiah 8:13–14 CSB

O – Commentary:

To make the Lord… holy meant giving him first place in life and acknowledging that nothing is greater than he is. • Fear of God means reverencing him as God (Prov 1:7). The people of Judah were not to fear Israel and Syria or the Assyrians (7:9; 10:24).

8:14 He will keep you safe (literally he will be a sanctuary): God is a place of refuge. • stone … stumble … rock … fall: By trusting Assyria rather than God, the people of Jerusalem would find themselves in a trap and a snare as the Assyrians turned against them. For those who trust in the Lord, however, he is faithful and strong

 New Living Translation Study Bible (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2008), Is 8:13–14.

A – This scripture was almost 2,800 years ago and the challenge is still the same.  What do we fear or reverence that is more important that God?  Will we allow ourselves to stumble, trip or be entrapped or snared by people, things or situations?  We can go out of way to avoid God or we can surrender to the fact that He is Lord over it all. 

R – Heavenly Father, you are Lord of all. We surrender our hearts, minds and lives to you today.  We invite your Holy Spirit to lead us in all situations.  Empower us with your presence, power and peace.