[Thursday's Devotional] - Scratch-proof Sapphire

“O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colourful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.
Isaiah 54: 11 [NKJV]

Sapphire is the foundation of Heaven, the New Jerusalem, second only in hardness to Diamond. It can be polished to a very high standard and is also mentioned as one of the gems in the garments worn by the High Priest.  The very throne of God is mentioned as being "the colour of sapphire".

You might not realise that sapphire today is not only used for jewellery but in man-made form it is commonly used as the cover or window for the camera in virtually all modern mobile phones – due to the scratch resistant nature, it means that you can take good pictures even when your phone has been kept in your pocket or handbag.

Scratches can dull the surface and spoil the appearance of a material, making it dull and unattractive.  In the same way as disciples we need to resist the scratches which will make it hard to see clearly through the window on our lens (through which we see the world).

Is your vision of the world clear?  Can you see through the mist?

We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

1 Corinthians 13: 12 [The Message]

Lord, help us to be resistant to scratches and to see clearly what you would have us do.  Guide and direct us until we stand on the sapphire floor of Heaven.  Amen.

Dave MacLellan