February 14, 2026 Devo

Casey Diaz grew up in a violent environment in Southern California. His father was an alcoholic who would frequently beat Casey’s mother. Sitting on the fire escape when he was only eight years old, Casey watched as a man gunned down three other men in the alley behind the apartment where he lived. Violence was all he knew, so angry and violent was what he became.
When Casey was eleven, he joined a local gang. The initiation for joining was participating in attacking a rival gang member and stabbing him. The gang became Casey’s family, and crime and violence became his daily life. For the next few years, Casey was in and out of juvenile detention centers and courtrooms. Then, when he was sixteen, Casey killed a man. He was on the run for 21 days until he was caught, convicted, and sent to prison, where he was kept in solitary confinement.
While in prison, there was a woman who came with a church group to visit. They did a Bible study and shared about Jesus. This woman, who became aware of Casey’s extensive record, told Casey she was putting him on her “hit list” to pray for him every day. Casey thought she was nuts. Then one day, alone in his cell, Jesus revealed Himself to Casey. Casey realized he was not only a criminal, but he was a sinner before God. Casey cried out for forgiveness, and God met Casey in that cell with His love and grace. God not only forgave Casey, He also called him to a new way of life. Casey is now a pastor in Burbank, California.
Transformation. That’s what our passage in Isaiah is talking about. As God pointed His People to the coming Christ, He told them what His Son would do. He would completely change their lives. They would be given a new life, a new song, and a new understanding of the grace of God. Where once they had been the objects of His wrath, they would become the objects of His joy. Jesus would change EVERYTHING.
That’s our promise today as well! We can let go of our old lives for the New Life God has for us. We can cast off the chains of sin. We can let go of our anger and hate. We can stop living defeated lives of helplessness and allow the Lord to be our strength and victory. How about YOU? Are you tired of living the way you’ve been living? Step into the wonder of God’s Transforming Power! That’s God’s Word for you today.