I'm stumped.

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit." - Isaiah 11:1 NIV

One thing about me: I'm a SUCKER for a beautiful, brand new notebook.

Especially a cute one.

Something about all the fresh new pages waiting to be written on - and a good gel pen - that ignites writing bliss in me!

Yesterday, I decided that I needed new notebooks for work and the mentoring program that I'm starting at church. I remembered that Burlington Coat Factory sells cute "notepad-clipboard-portfolio combos" for only $5.

(I don't know what to call them but they're cute and nifty!)

I fell in love with these two notebooks - a pink/metallic one that says "Faith Moves Mountains" and a black/metallic one that says "Grace Upon Grace".

This morning, I sat down at my high top table in my "She Space" to begin the day. I intended to read/listen to the Verse of the Day on the YouVersion Bible app, but I felt lead to open my physical Bible (My Bible that has been through it with me - and it shows!).

I opened the Bible and landed on Isaiah 11. I turned to a fresh new page to jot down notes and boyyy did the Holy Spirit have something to write this morning!

I read the entire chapter but God kept leading me back to the very first verse:

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit'

I decided to study the verse. This is the Word that I got from it:

First, let's start off with the stump of Jesse - which is David.

(For those who may not be an avid reader of the Bible, this is the same David that slayed Goliath!)

David was the youngest of Jesse's children. As a shepherd, he had no experience as a soldier. As you could imagine, it was doubted that he could defeat a giant like Goliath.

Yet, what he lacked in physical strength and experience, he had in faith and his fear (reverence) of God.

God favored David because of it. He gave him the ability to defeat Goliath - with a slingshot, might I add - and he was later crowned king. David's glory was God's glory!

So, let's back up to why David might have been referred to as a "stump":

A stump can kinda be looked at as "the least". Think about it: it's the not-so-pretty part of the tree...No flowers. No leaves. Just...a stump.

Which, I would imagine, was how David was looked at when he offered to go against Goliath...

A stump also happens to be the strongest part of the tree. Even when the whole tree falls down, it remains.

David was the strongest in his faith in God. After all of the men that attempted to defeat Goliath failed, he succeeded. He remained....and new life sprung from him...

Back to the verse - it says that a shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

Who is that shoot that this prophetic Word is speaking about? That would be the Son of God and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! He is a descendant of King David...and royalty He is!

It says that He is the shoot. Sooo, in a plant sense, what is that?

I learned that a shoot bears the flowering buds and stems and is responsible for food production. It is the source of nourishment - just as Jesus is the bread of life for us (John 16:35).

Often in life we seek other things for fulfillment and it may fill you momentarily, but that filling/feeling is fleeting. When we truly come to Jesus and remain (abide) in Him, we get the nourishment for our souls that we truly need - His peace. His strength. His guidance. His unconditional love that frees us...

There's so much to unpack from this Word but I have a few takeaways -

1. God's strength truly is sufficient in our weakness. Just like David, our own strength may be lacking, but we can rely on God to impart His endless strength to us and get us through.

2. From reading this morning, I also heard God speak to me about worthiness: what would've happened had David doubted his worthiness to defeat Goliath, based on the number of men that fallen (with nobility and experience in battle)? I'm reminded to not doubt my worthiness to do what God has called me to do. Don't compare. Don't doubt what God can do. He is AMAZING and can do ALL things!

3. Last, to remain in Jesus. Jesus came so that we could have abundant life IN him. I can find safety, peace, freedom, strength, joy - amongst an endless number of things - by simply remaining in Him...and you can too!

As always, I pray that this post blesses you.

I love you. Live your life in YELLOW 💛