In today’s reading, Isaiah prophesies about God’s nature. God states that He is the first and the last and there are no other gods beside Him. In fact, other people may try to claim other gods, but their false gods will fail to declare what is to come or what will happen. God is absolute, which means God is not created; He does not come from anything else; He is independent; and He is necessary for the world’s existence. Without God, there is nothing else. He is the only God, the Creator of everything that exists. Because of His position as Creator, God instructs us not to fear. From the beginning of time, He has declared who He is. There is no one beside Him.

• How does understanding God’s nature prepare us to interact and share our faith with people of other religions?