God’s Promises Through Transition

By Debbie Yamamoto

“The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a
sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”
–Isaiah 58:11

My Sunday school class has learned quite a bit about me and my family this year, but if pressed, the two things they would probably readily remember are that I love to walk around at the zoo downtown and Isaiah is my favorite book of the Bible. The zoo part is self-explanatory…it is world-famous after all…but my love of the book of Isaiah comes from the rich promises that are found within, like today’s verse from Isaiah 58:11: “The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs…” Isn’t that what we all really want for ourselves and our families and friends—faithful guidance and our needs met?

During the month of May, with the traditional school year coming to a close, I always find myself thinking about (and praying through) transitions. Life is full of transitions, but a lot of them (especially for our young people) come during this time of year. There are kids in Sunday School who are registering for their first year of middle school. The young men from my second Confirmation group are all in various stages of becoming independent, licensed California drivers (yikes!). I think a lot of us here at PLC remember our unsure emotions as we carried a little blue decorated bucket through the preschool gate and out into the parking lot for the last time. Our church family is full of young people and families facing transition with upcoming elementary and middle school promotions, graduations, new schools, new jobs, new independence, and even marriages, all on the horizon. This week let’s bless them during this exciting and sometimes anxious time of their lives with our heartfelt prayers of promise from the book of Isaiah.

Dear Lord, we praise You for every single young person and family You’ve placed in our care over the years. As so many of them face new things during this season, we call on Your gracious promises and pray for Your guidance over every decision, Your answers for every question or concern, Your peace over every anxious thought and worry, and Your blessing and joy over each new day. Lord, help each of us to be fruitful like a well-watered garden. May the world see Your life-changing, living water in each of us. Amen.