God is always communicating with us, and Scripture is the primary way he does it. So to hear from him we have to take the time to read the Bible and listen with our hearts. I'm in Isaiah 57:1-13 this morning. Why don't you join me there? First ask the Holy Spirit to impress on you what you need to hear most. Write down that verse(s) and then journal your observations and what you plan to do in response.
Devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death. (v. 1-2)
Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is it that people who have no use for God often live far too long for most of us, while the people you never want to be without get taken away? It's incomplete, but here is one of the reasons that the best people sometimes die prematurely. As much as we want to cling to our present lives there is something far better beyond it! Only Jesus could fully reveal that truth and solidify our hope in what lies beyond physical death. But even here in the Old Testament the people of God were given hints and in their hearts felt that we were meant for something more.
The fact is that some people are just too good for this fallen world. God sometimes honors them by removing them from it to introduce them to the wonders of his heaven and release them from the burdens that presently weigh us down. Or he knows that something that lies ahead would be too painful for them, so he spares them from it by bringing them to his side where nothing can ever threaten their well-being again.
It shows something of the contrast between how we view death and how God sees it. To us the timing may seem tragic and unfair, while from his perspective it is a blessing and an honor. The reason God sees it so differently is that he knows fully what it's like on the other side of the door of death. And he knows how the future will play out on our own side of that door. He understands far better than we the maginitude of the release that the transition from this life to the next provides.
Thank you for speaking to me today, God. You've given me some perspective on Cathy's death at age 39. I've often struggled and cried out to you about how you could take someone so godly and wonderful so early in her life when the kids and I and the world needed her light. Maybe she was just too good to have to wait for heaven any longer. I miss her so much, but I'm thankful that she is celebrating with you.
We would be so blessed to hear your own impressions of God's message to you today from this text. Please comment below (choose Anonymous from the drop-down menu or sign into your Google account first).
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Blind Lookouts
I can't wait to discover what God wants to say to me today! How about you? I know that whether he's inspiring me, encouraging me, challenging me or convicting me, everything he says to me is intended to bless me and help me find real life. So here we go! I'm taking in just four verses today from Isaiah 56 (v. 9-12). It might take several readings, but ask yourself what the message is for you today.
Israel's watchmen are blind . . . they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; . . . They are shepherds who lack understanding. (v. 10-11)
Blind lookout guards, watchdogs without a bark and senseless shepherds all have one thing in common--they're pretty worthless. The imagery here is brilliant and funny. God definitely has a sense of humor, as well as a way with words. Imagine guards posted at the tower, entrusted with sounding the alarm if the city or the base is being attacked. But as they peer out across the landscape, they can't see a thing! And then there's the neighbor who buys a dog because she wants to feel safer, but the poor thing only hacks when it tries to bark! These sound like a scene out of a Monte Python flick! Sheep are dumb enough animals to walk right into a wolf pack or a hole in the ground. That's why they need shepherds. But if the shepherds are just as oblivious those sheep are really in for it!
God is talking specifically about the leaders, especially those entrusted with the spiritual oversight of his people. They were not much help because they only told the people what they wanted to hear. Every week their sermon topic was something like Everything's Just Peachy or You Don't Need to Change a Thing. It makes for big crowds and good offerings! ... But it also leaves people wandering and misguided and vulnerable to the many attacks on their lives and their relationship with God by our Enemy.
We need people in our lives who tell us the truth. And it's not just our spiritual leaders. I need friends who tell me the truth when they see me heading the wrong direction. I need a mate who has her eyes open to how I'm doing spiritually and who loves me enough to not just turn a blind eye if I'm drifting. And they need me to do the same for them. As a parent, I've got to be sure that I am paying close attention to what is happening in my kids' lives. They are depending on me to protect them. I don't want to be a blind watchman! And if I do see a real problem I've got to have the courage to speak up even if it makes me unpopular with them. I am wise to surround myself with people who have discernment instead of friends who wouldn't know a rattlesnake from a pile of cow manure. They will help keep me out of trouble instad of leading me into it.
So what kind of people have you surrounded yourself with?
Please share your comments and insights below! (Choose Anonymous from the drop-down menu or sign into your Google account first.)
Israel's watchmen are blind . . . they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; . . . They are shepherds who lack understanding. (v. 10-11)
Blind lookout guards, watchdogs without a bark and senseless shepherds all have one thing in common--they're pretty worthless. The imagery here is brilliant and funny. God definitely has a sense of humor, as well as a way with words. Imagine guards posted at the tower, entrusted with sounding the alarm if the city or the base is being attacked. But as they peer out across the landscape, they can't see a thing! And then there's the neighbor who buys a dog because she wants to feel safer, but the poor thing only hacks when it tries to bark! These sound like a scene out of a Monte Python flick! Sheep are dumb enough animals to walk right into a wolf pack or a hole in the ground. That's why they need shepherds. But if the shepherds are just as oblivious those sheep are really in for it!
God is talking specifically about the leaders, especially those entrusted with the spiritual oversight of his people. They were not much help because they only told the people what they wanted to hear. Every week their sermon topic was something like Everything's Just Peachy or You Don't Need to Change a Thing. It makes for big crowds and good offerings! ... But it also leaves people wandering and misguided and vulnerable to the many attacks on their lives and their relationship with God by our Enemy.
We need people in our lives who tell us the truth. And it's not just our spiritual leaders. I need friends who tell me the truth when they see me heading the wrong direction. I need a mate who has her eyes open to how I'm doing spiritually and who loves me enough to not just turn a blind eye if I'm drifting. And they need me to do the same for them. As a parent, I've got to be sure that I am paying close attention to what is happening in my kids' lives. They are depending on me to protect them. I don't want to be a blind watchman! And if I do see a real problem I've got to have the courage to speak up even if it makes me unpopular with them. I am wise to surround myself with people who have discernment instead of friends who wouldn't know a rattlesnake from a pile of cow manure. They will help keep me out of trouble instad of leading me into it.
So what kind of people have you surrounded yourself with?
Please share your comments and insights below! (Choose Anonymous from the drop-down menu or sign into your Google account first.)
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Everyone Belongs
I'm glad you're back to open your mind to some more God-thoughts! The conversation with God for today is centering around Isaiah 56:1-8. What is he trying to communicate to you?
Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely exclude me from his people. . . . for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." (v. 3, 7)
The Jews always had a hard time accepting the fact that they weren't the only nation that God loved. God had chosen them to specially represent him to the rest of the world, but God's sights were always set on the whole world, not just Israel. Gentiles (non-Jews) were excluded from the inner court of worship in the temple. There was an outer section called the Court of Gentiles where they had to stay. It was like being in coach when the Jews were all in first-class. But God didn't intend to leave them there. His plan was to welcome them into honored places in his family. . . something that would only happen through the new covenant brought in by Jesus.
I'm so glad that I'm not a second-class citizen in God's Kingdom! I'm thankful for the way he has honored and included me with full rights as one of his sons! God, you have been so good to me!
At the same time, I realize that I can repeat the same spirit of exclusion that the Jews had of the Gentiles. I wonder what people group--what ethnicity or social class--feels like they don't belong in our faith community? And what can we do about it? How can we better recognize and reflect that the U.S. doesn't have the corner on Jesus? I could start by praying more for the nations to know Jesus. I could support my church's mission efforts to places outside our own region. I can intentionally walk across the room and extend my hand of friendship to people of other ethnicities than I am, invite them into my life, learn about them and their customs. I could invite them to worship with me.
Father, help me to learn to love and value all kinds of people and all nations of people as you do. Forgive any hint of prejudice or nationalism that smacks of false pride and makes others feel excluded. Thank you for being a God who loves not just Pearland, not just the U.S., but the world. Amen.
Please share your comments with us! Your insights are welcome!
Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely exclude me from his people. . . . for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." (v. 3, 7)
The Jews always had a hard time accepting the fact that they weren't the only nation that God loved. God had chosen them to specially represent him to the rest of the world, but God's sights were always set on the whole world, not just Israel. Gentiles (non-Jews) were excluded from the inner court of worship in the temple. There was an outer section called the Court of Gentiles where they had to stay. It was like being in coach when the Jews were all in first-class. But God didn't intend to leave them there. His plan was to welcome them into honored places in his family. . . something that would only happen through the new covenant brought in by Jesus.
I'm so glad that I'm not a second-class citizen in God's Kingdom! I'm thankful for the way he has honored and included me with full rights as one of his sons! God, you have been so good to me!
At the same time, I realize that I can repeat the same spirit of exclusion that the Jews had of the Gentiles. I wonder what people group--what ethnicity or social class--feels like they don't belong in our faith community? And what can we do about it? How can we better recognize and reflect that the U.S. doesn't have the corner on Jesus? I could start by praying more for the nations to know Jesus. I could support my church's mission efforts to places outside our own region. I can intentionally walk across the room and extend my hand of friendship to people of other ethnicities than I am, invite them into my life, learn about them and their customs. I could invite them to worship with me.
Father, help me to learn to love and value all kinds of people and all nations of people as you do. Forgive any hint of prejudice or nationalism that smacks of false pride and makes others feel excluded. Thank you for being a God who loves not just Pearland, not just the U.S., but the world. Amen.
Please share your comments with us! Your insights are welcome!
Monday, March 28, 2011
God Thoughts
After a worshipful Sunday do you have the Monday spiritual let-down? You know, you can hear from God even on Monday mornings! Let's listen in to what he's saying in Isaiah 55:8-13 today. You can read this through twice in a minute. But no need to rush. What is God speaking to your heart through this text? Again, there is so much paced in these few short verses! Here is what I'm focused in on . . .
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. . . . So is my word that goes out form my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (v. 9, 11).
How much I need God's thoughts in my head! My own thoughts tend to take me to the wrong places, how about you? That is because they come from my fallen human nature. Funny how I sometimes find myself expecting God to think like me! If I'm not careful I am capable of projecting myself and my ideas onto God, as if he is basically just a super-human me. My own feelings can become the standard by which I discern right from wrong and good from evil. If it's okay with me, surely it must be okay with God....right?
When I'm feeling cynical, depressed, hopeless, inferior, inadequate or generally discontent I can be sure that it is my own thoughts that are forming my emotions. The same is true when I'm feeling superior, judgmental, unaccountable, envious, ungrateful, apathetic, spiteful or malicious, or even inappropriately lustful. God's thoughts don't lead me there.
God's thoughts take me to much greener pastures. They fill me with peace about the past, gratitude about the present, and confident hope for the future. God's thoughts lead me to serve others, to care about the injustices in the world enough to do something about them. They inspire me to see myself as he sees me, to feel loved and honored and cared for. God's thoughts lead me into God's ways, which are also so much higher than my own.
That's why I need God's Word (read the verses above again). God's Word expresses God's thoughts. When I meditate on God's Word it puts God-thougths in my mind. God promises here that his Word will accomplish what he intends for it to. It is effective and powerful! It's like refreshing rain on the parched earth of my soul. It elevates me from earth-bound thinking and wordly ways to a much higher plane of thinking and doing.
I love to take in the amazing thoughts and ideas of the infinitely holy God! I soak them in and let them saturate my mind. That's what my devotional time, my journaling time is all about. And sharing that experience with you, encouraging you to reap the same rewards is why I take the time to publish this blog.
Good for you to take time to drink in God's life-giving thoughts! You will be blessed today because of it.
Please share your impressions from this awesome text with us! Comment below either by selecting Anonymous from the drop-down list or sign into your Google account first and then comment. We will be eager to hear what you have to share!
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. . . . So is my word that goes out form my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (v. 9, 11).
How much I need God's thoughts in my head! My own thoughts tend to take me to the wrong places, how about you? That is because they come from my fallen human nature. Funny how I sometimes find myself expecting God to think like me! If I'm not careful I am capable of projecting myself and my ideas onto God, as if he is basically just a super-human me. My own feelings can become the standard by which I discern right from wrong and good from evil. If it's okay with me, surely it must be okay with God....right?
When I'm feeling cynical, depressed, hopeless, inferior, inadequate or generally discontent I can be sure that it is my own thoughts that are forming my emotions. The same is true when I'm feeling superior, judgmental, unaccountable, envious, ungrateful, apathetic, spiteful or malicious, or even inappropriately lustful. God's thoughts don't lead me there.
God's thoughts take me to much greener pastures. They fill me with peace about the past, gratitude about the present, and confident hope for the future. God's thoughts lead me to serve others, to care about the injustices in the world enough to do something about them. They inspire me to see myself as he sees me, to feel loved and honored and cared for. God's thoughts lead me into God's ways, which are also so much higher than my own.
That's why I need God's Word (read the verses above again). God's Word expresses God's thoughts. When I meditate on God's Word it puts God-thougths in my mind. God promises here that his Word will accomplish what he intends for it to. It is effective and powerful! It's like refreshing rain on the parched earth of my soul. It elevates me from earth-bound thinking and wordly ways to a much higher plane of thinking and doing.
I love to take in the amazing thoughts and ideas of the infinitely holy God! I soak them in and let them saturate my mind. That's what my devotional time, my journaling time is all about. And sharing that experience with you, encouraging you to reap the same rewards is why I take the time to publish this blog.
Good for you to take time to drink in God's life-giving thoughts! You will be blessed today because of it.
Please share your impressions from this awesome text with us! Comment below either by selecting Anonymous from the drop-down list or sign into your Google account first and then comment. We will be eager to hear what you have to share!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Gotta Have You Now
It's a great day, because I have life and God has me in his hand! I'm listening to him today from Isaiah 55:1-7. It's very short, but wow is it ever full of thoughts to dwell on! Don't miss out on what God wants to speak to your heart. He is inviting you right from this text, "Listen, listen to me . . . and your soul will delight in the richest of fare." That's his promise! Take a moment and read it thoughtfully, then again. . . . What are you hearing?
My eyes are drawn to this:
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. (v. 6)
I'd like to think that God is always going to be accessible for me whenever I choose to take my pursuit of him seriously. But God is saying something otherwise here. There's a window of time when our hearts are opened to God. There's a time when I will find him if I seek him. There's a time when he is near and inviting me. The implication is that if I keep putting him off, the window may eventually close. The door may shut. God wants a relationship with me, but I have only today to pursue him. Tomorrow may never come.
I think the limitation is on our own part, not God's. It's not that God will stop pursuing us but that we will become more and more insensitive to his voice if we keep shutting our ears to it. I use MS Outlook. When I first started keeping my calendar on it, I would sit up and take notice whenever a reminder popped up. But I found that often the reminders would come at the most inconvenient times. I would invariably be right in the middle of a thought I was carefully crafting or a phone call or a project. So I started ignoring the reminders with the intent of reading them a few minutes later. Now that I've done that enough times, something interesting has happened. I don't even hear the reminder alarm anymore! It can go off and I will not even notice it!
The most consistent problem I see that is keeping people from a life-giving connection with God is that they are in no hurry for it. Everything else takes priority. God is what they will focus on when their schedule opens up a little and there's nothing else pressing or entertaining to do. They occasionally hear something from God that sparks their interest, convicts them, or brings to their minds their need for God. But they lay it aside for another day. Maybe someday, when . . .
But eventually they don't even notice when God is speaking to them anymore. He becomes more and more distant from their thoughts. They lose the heart to really seek him, so they never find him. Or the day comes unexpectedly when there are no more tomorrows for them. The window of opportunity is forever shut.
God, you offer me real life through knowing you, the source of life. You love me infinitely and long for me to be filled up with your love. But I know that you will not settle for being my afterthought. God, I will seek you now.
I would love to hear from you! Please share your comments below (choose Anonymous from the list or sign in with your Google account first.)
My eyes are drawn to this:
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. (v. 6)
I'd like to think that God is always going to be accessible for me whenever I choose to take my pursuit of him seriously. But God is saying something otherwise here. There's a window of time when our hearts are opened to God. There's a time when I will find him if I seek him. There's a time when he is near and inviting me. The implication is that if I keep putting him off, the window may eventually close. The door may shut. God wants a relationship with me, but I have only today to pursue him. Tomorrow may never come.
I think the limitation is on our own part, not God's. It's not that God will stop pursuing us but that we will become more and more insensitive to his voice if we keep shutting our ears to it. I use MS Outlook. When I first started keeping my calendar on it, I would sit up and take notice whenever a reminder popped up. But I found that often the reminders would come at the most inconvenient times. I would invariably be right in the middle of a thought I was carefully crafting or a phone call or a project. So I started ignoring the reminders with the intent of reading them a few minutes later. Now that I've done that enough times, something interesting has happened. I don't even hear the reminder alarm anymore! It can go off and I will not even notice it!
The most consistent problem I see that is keeping people from a life-giving connection with God is that they are in no hurry for it. Everything else takes priority. God is what they will focus on when their schedule opens up a little and there's nothing else pressing or entertaining to do. They occasionally hear something from God that sparks their interest, convicts them, or brings to their minds their need for God. But they lay it aside for another day. Maybe someday, when . . .
But eventually they don't even notice when God is speaking to them anymore. He becomes more and more distant from their thoughts. They lose the heart to really seek him, so they never find him. Or the day comes unexpectedly when there are no more tomorrows for them. The window of opportunity is forever shut.
God, you offer me real life through knowing you, the source of life. You love me infinitely and long for me to be filled up with your love. But I know that you will not settle for being my afterthought. God, I will seek you now.
I would love to hear from you! Please share your comments below (choose Anonymous from the list or sign in with your Google account first.)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Gift of Peace
Today's conversation with God is coming from Isaiah 54:11-17. I hope you can give yourself the blessing of listening to what he is saying to you there. The most well-known statement in this text comes from verse 17, but today God is putting something else on my heart . . .
All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace. (v. 13)
That's exactly what I want for my children! There is nothing more I could ask for them than for the level of peace they experience in their lives to be great! I think that's what most every parent wants and hopes for. We do our best to love them and spend time with them and give them many fun experiences. The park. Little league. Ice cream sundaes. Birthday parties filled with presents and balloons. Video games. Movies. Campouts. McDonald's. We give them everything we can to make their lives happy.
But while all those things are great, none of them are the real key that is going to unlock the door to a life of great peace. What is going to help them avoid following the crowd down all the wrong paths? What is going to keep their heart pure? How are they going to really love and care about the others around them instead of becoming mean and insulting like most kids in school do?
Where are they going to learn to wait to experience sex in marriage where they can have real, amazing intimacy instead of empty thrills that lead to shame, heartbreak, disease and unwanted pregnancies? What will inspire them to see themselves as the wonderful creations they are when the world is trying its best to make them feel inferior?
Where will they learn not to worry and fret about things? How will they navigate their feelings when someone they love dies? How will they find contentment? What will keep them from measuring their worth by the value of their assets or being owned by their possessions? How will they know what the right thing to do is? Where will they learn the joy of being generous with all they have and all they are and making a difference?
How will they learn what real love is and develop the capacity to love their mate all out with a serving, giving, tender love that just won't quit? Where will they gain the wisdom to make it through life's disappointments and painful experiences with grace, poise and hopefulness?
These are the things that will bring my children peace. And few if any of these things will happen by accident. These things are learned by knowing God . . . by knowing him personally and deeply . . . by receiving his love and loving him back. My children will have great peace in their lives to the degree that their hearts are taught by the Lord. And that starts with me, their parent. Above all things, it is my foremost duty and privilege as a parent to make sure that I guide them into a personal relationship with God and a real understanding of his will as he revealed it in Scripture.
Father, as you have taught me, may I be diligent about teaching my children of you. I want so much for them to know you so that they will know peace.
Please bless us by sharing what God impressed on your heart as you read this text! Comment below after signing into your Google account or just select Anonymous from the list. It's easy and you may encourage someone else!
All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace. (v. 13)
That's exactly what I want for my children! There is nothing more I could ask for them than for the level of peace they experience in their lives to be great! I think that's what most every parent wants and hopes for. We do our best to love them and spend time with them and give them many fun experiences. The park. Little league. Ice cream sundaes. Birthday parties filled with presents and balloons. Video games. Movies. Campouts. McDonald's. We give them everything we can to make their lives happy.
But while all those things are great, none of them are the real key that is going to unlock the door to a life of great peace. What is going to help them avoid following the crowd down all the wrong paths? What is going to keep their heart pure? How are they going to really love and care about the others around them instead of becoming mean and insulting like most kids in school do?
Where are they going to learn to wait to experience sex in marriage where they can have real, amazing intimacy instead of empty thrills that lead to shame, heartbreak, disease and unwanted pregnancies? What will inspire them to see themselves as the wonderful creations they are when the world is trying its best to make them feel inferior?
Where will they learn not to worry and fret about things? How will they navigate their feelings when someone they love dies? How will they find contentment? What will keep them from measuring their worth by the value of their assets or being owned by their possessions? How will they know what the right thing to do is? Where will they learn the joy of being generous with all they have and all they are and making a difference?
How will they learn what real love is and develop the capacity to love their mate all out with a serving, giving, tender love that just won't quit? Where will they gain the wisdom to make it through life's disappointments and painful experiences with grace, poise and hopefulness?
These are the things that will bring my children peace. And few if any of these things will happen by accident. These things are learned by knowing God . . . by knowing him personally and deeply . . . by receiving his love and loving him back. My children will have great peace in their lives to the degree that their hearts are taught by the Lord. And that starts with me, their parent. Above all things, it is my foremost duty and privilege as a parent to make sure that I guide them into a personal relationship with God and a real understanding of his will as he revealed it in Scripture.
Father, as you have taught me, may I be diligent about teaching my children of you. I want so much for them to know you so that they will know peace.
Please bless us by sharing what God impressed on your heart as you read this text! Comment below after signing into your Google account or just select Anonymous from the list. It's easy and you may encourage someone else!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Loved Forever
Welcome back! If you're reading the blog and haven't yet, please indicate that you want to "follow this blog" (in the right hand column). And please share it with anyone you know that might be blessed by it!
The text I'm reading today is Isaiah 54:1-10. This is such an inspirational book of Scripture! If you can, allow yourself the benefit of reading the text yourself first, at least twice. Ask God to make it speak freshly to you. I'd like to know what catches your attention. For me it's . . .
"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you. (v. 10)
After God expresses that when I'm in a state of callused rebellion against him, he may briefly "abandon" me--in the sense of punishing me--and hide his face from me (v. 7-8), this promise in verse 10 gives me so much peace. If I can't count on anything else in life I can depend on one thing--God does indeed love me with an "unfailing love"! He loves not just me as an individual but his people as a collective group. He loves his church with an unfailing love (the "you" in this passage is plural in Hebrew). He promises that nothing can make him stop loving me! Nothing I've done or might do, no matter how bad, can shake his love. It's the most solid, unmovable force in the universe! He will never withdraw from me his offer of relationship.
That's hard for me to fathom. I'm all too aware of how short-lived the love of humans can be. People can be so fickle and conditional with their love. Maybe the unfailing love of God is the hardest truth about him to really comprehend. It's also the most life-changing. No matter how devalued others may make me feel, the God who created the universe with a word and rules over it finds me--me!--worth his infinite love.
Sovereign Lord, I never want to live in a way that I feel abandoned by you. I confess that when life is painful it sometimes feels like you have turned your face away from me. But I know the truth, this truth you are speaking into my heart today. Thank you for loving me always, no matter what! I feel honored today by who I am in your eyes. Help me to love others with that same kind of unfailing love. Amen.
I would be honored to hear your own reflections on this passage! Please share your thoughts by commenting below. (Sign into your Google account first, or just select Anonymous from the drop-down menu.)
The text I'm reading today is Isaiah 54:1-10. This is such an inspirational book of Scripture! If you can, allow yourself the benefit of reading the text yourself first, at least twice. Ask God to make it speak freshly to you. I'd like to know what catches your attention. For me it's . . .
"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you. (v. 10)
After God expresses that when I'm in a state of callused rebellion against him, he may briefly "abandon" me--in the sense of punishing me--and hide his face from me (v. 7-8), this promise in verse 10 gives me so much peace. If I can't count on anything else in life I can depend on one thing--God does indeed love me with an "unfailing love"! He loves not just me as an individual but his people as a collective group. He loves his church with an unfailing love (the "you" in this passage is plural in Hebrew). He promises that nothing can make him stop loving me! Nothing I've done or might do, no matter how bad, can shake his love. It's the most solid, unmovable force in the universe! He will never withdraw from me his offer of relationship.
That's hard for me to fathom. I'm all too aware of how short-lived the love of humans can be. People can be so fickle and conditional with their love. Maybe the unfailing love of God is the hardest truth about him to really comprehend. It's also the most life-changing. No matter how devalued others may make me feel, the God who created the universe with a word and rules over it finds me--me!--worth his infinite love.
Sovereign Lord, I never want to live in a way that I feel abandoned by you. I confess that when life is painful it sometimes feels like you have turned your face away from me. But I know the truth, this truth you are speaking into my heart today. Thank you for loving me always, no matter what! I feel honored today by who I am in your eyes. Help me to love others with that same kind of unfailing love. Amen.
I would be honored to hear your own reflections on this passage! Please share your thoughts by commenting below. (Sign into your Google account first, or just select Anonymous from the drop-down menu.)
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Rescue 9-1-1
This evening is a good time to pause for a few minutes and listen to God's voice. The text I'm reading today is one of the most amazing prophecies of Jesus found in the Old Testament. It's Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12. It's often referred to as the "Suffering Servant" prophecy, given almost 8 centuries before Jesus' birth! Give it a careful read.
Here's the part that the Spirit is emphasizing to me right now . . .
We've all like sheep wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our onw thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him. (v. 6 Msg.)
It's the heart of the Good News--the central truth of Christianity. I'm never going to be good enough. I don't have a prayer of connecting with God on the basis of how well I've lived my life. No matter how well I might feel like I compare to some other people in the world, I'm flawed. I'm broken. I've played with evil. I've strayed away from God's will and stubbornly followed my own impulses at times. There were periods of my life when I felt so guilty, so far away from God.
So God steps up and rescues me! Unlike me, Jesus is good enough. This wayward sheep was saved by the sinless Lamb of God. And I'm so glad to let him have the glory! He is the one who deserves it. All of my cleansing of the past, my confidence in the present and my hope for the future is in Jesus. That's what Christianity is about--Jesus. It's realizing that Jesus is the only pillar we need to support our faith. Christianity is not about having the right checklist. It is not having the right ritual. It is not having the right positions. It is having the right Savior. Period. Jesus IS the way, the truth, and the life.
Thank you, Jesus, for bearing the punishment for all I've done wrong. I was a lost sheep. Today I rejoice that you came looking for me and found me and brought me home!
We would love to hear your impressions of what the Holy Spirit is emphasizing on your heart from this amazing prophecy. Please add your comments below (select Anonymous from the drop-down menu or sign in with your Google account first).
Here's the part that the Spirit is emphasizing to me right now . . .
We've all like sheep wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our onw thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him. (v. 6 Msg.)
It's the heart of the Good News--the central truth of Christianity. I'm never going to be good enough. I don't have a prayer of connecting with God on the basis of how well I've lived my life. No matter how well I might feel like I compare to some other people in the world, I'm flawed. I'm broken. I've played with evil. I've strayed away from God's will and stubbornly followed my own impulses at times. There were periods of my life when I felt so guilty, so far away from God.
So God steps up and rescues me! Unlike me, Jesus is good enough. This wayward sheep was saved by the sinless Lamb of God. And I'm so glad to let him have the glory! He is the one who deserves it. All of my cleansing of the past, my confidence in the present and my hope for the future is in Jesus. That's what Christianity is about--Jesus. It's realizing that Jesus is the only pillar we need to support our faith. Christianity is not about having the right checklist. It is not having the right ritual. It is not having the right positions. It is having the right Savior. Period. Jesus IS the way, the truth, and the life.
Thank you, Jesus, for bearing the punishment for all I've done wrong. I was a lost sheep. Today I rejoice that you came looking for me and found me and brought me home!
We would love to hear your impressions of what the Holy Spirit is emphasizing on your heart from this amazing prophecy. Please add your comments below (select Anonymous from the drop-down menu or sign in with your Google account first).
Monday, March 21, 2011
Awaken
As we step into a brand new work week we need God leading us through it. And he's eager to communicate! Let's let him speak a fresh word to us from Isaiah 52:1-12 today. There are several powerful statements here. I am hearing so much that is resonating with me. How about you? I have a painting on my wall with a caption from verse 12. But today it's the beginning of the chapter that I want to meditate on.
Awake, awake, . . . clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor. . . . Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned. . . . Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion. (v. 1-2)
In these words I can hear God's heart for the people he has created, and especially those he calls his own. We get so proud as humans and imagine that we don't really need God that much, or we think he doesn't really get it when it comes to our needs and desires. But here is a great snapshot of what God will do for us if we let him.
He begins by awakening me. Because when I'm not in tune with him it's like I'm sleepwalking through life. Even now, sometimes I get distracted and fall back into a bleary haze. Connecting closely to God wakes me up! His voice pulls me back to clarity and alertness. He helps me see what I've been missing--all the things that make life beautiful and satisfying, the implications of the messages I'm receiving, the path that my choices are leading me down, how much blessing there is around and in store for me.
After awakening me, he clothes me. He dresses me in the righteousness of Jesus--so that I'm much more attractive than I could ever be on my own. He gives me strength and moral veracity to seize the life and character he wants for me. Without him I'm weak and powerless.
Then he gives me every reason to shake off the dust of sadness and depression from me. (Covering yourself with dust or ashes was a cultural way of expressing deep emotional pain.) He invites me to trade in my sorrows for the joy of the Lord!
He reminds me of my position of glory as his child. Every day he encourages me to take my throne as a prince of heaven! Quit living like I am nothing more than an unremarkable, ordinary guy. Remember and reflect my position of honor as a member of his royal family. Think as a prince of heaven, act as a prince of heaven!
And finally I have his blessing of freedom. He's already set me free from the guilt of my sins. And now he's urging me to live free! I am free to run, to dance, to sing, to live my life out from under the slavery of sin (hear a song there?). He's given me the power to break its grip on me and now it's just up to me to believe it, claim it, and discipline myself so that I experience that freedom.
Jesus, it amazes me the way you give my life wings! I know you are good and I have felt you fulfill these promises in my own story. I want to continue to grow in my experience of you and this quality of life that you lead me into!
So what about you? What statement from this part of Isaiah 52 spoke especially to you? I would love to hear your impressions and so would the other readers! To comment, choose Anonymous from the profile list or log into your Google account.
Awake, awake, . . . clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor. . . . Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned. . . . Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion. (v. 1-2)
In these words I can hear God's heart for the people he has created, and especially those he calls his own. We get so proud as humans and imagine that we don't really need God that much, or we think he doesn't really get it when it comes to our needs and desires. But here is a great snapshot of what God will do for us if we let him.
He begins by awakening me. Because when I'm not in tune with him it's like I'm sleepwalking through life. Even now, sometimes I get distracted and fall back into a bleary haze. Connecting closely to God wakes me up! His voice pulls me back to clarity and alertness. He helps me see what I've been missing--all the things that make life beautiful and satisfying, the implications of the messages I'm receiving, the path that my choices are leading me down, how much blessing there is around and in store for me.
After awakening me, he clothes me. He dresses me in the righteousness of Jesus--so that I'm much more attractive than I could ever be on my own. He gives me strength and moral veracity to seize the life and character he wants for me. Without him I'm weak and powerless.
Then he gives me every reason to shake off the dust of sadness and depression from me. (Covering yourself with dust or ashes was a cultural way of expressing deep emotional pain.) He invites me to trade in my sorrows for the joy of the Lord!
He reminds me of my position of glory as his child. Every day he encourages me to take my throne as a prince of heaven! Quit living like I am nothing more than an unremarkable, ordinary guy. Remember and reflect my position of honor as a member of his royal family. Think as a prince of heaven, act as a prince of heaven!
And finally I have his blessing of freedom. He's already set me free from the guilt of my sins. And now he's urging me to live free! I am free to run, to dance, to sing, to live my life out from under the slavery of sin (hear a song there?). He's given me the power to break its grip on me and now it's just up to me to believe it, claim it, and discipline myself so that I experience that freedom.
Jesus, it amazes me the way you give my life wings! I know you are good and I have felt you fulfill these promises in my own story. I want to continue to grow in my experience of you and this quality of life that you lead me into!
So what about you? What statement from this part of Isaiah 52 spoke especially to you? I would love to hear your impressions and so would the other readers! To comment, choose Anonymous from the profile list or log into your Google account.
Friday, March 18, 2011
No Fear
God's Word is indeed living and active. It is so much more than just words on a page. It is nourishment for my soul and my heart. Thanks for joining me today in a conversation with our Creator! I'm in Isaiah 51:12-23. There's some really vivid imagery here and something important that God is communicating.
I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men . . . , that you forget the LORD your Maker . . . . I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand--I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth. (v. 12-13, 16)
I opened to my reading today and these statements leaped off the page. I receive it today as his word to me. Fear is not to rule over me. Jesus has freed me from a life of fear. There are momentary situations in which fear is a normal reaction to warn us to danger, but living in fear or anxiety is not to be normal for someone who knows personally the God of heaven and earth. Courage comes from the assurance that God has me in his hand, that he has placed a covering over my life so that nothing can destroy me, nothing can thwart his ultimately amazing plans for me! Nothing is outside the realm of his control or his power to bring about everything good that he wants to give me and do through me.
Courage is also borne of focusing not on the things that trouble me, but on completeing the mission and purpose God has given me. He wants me to feel totally secure in his care and focus on caring for others. He has put his words in my mouth, he says. I have been given a message to deliver to the people in my life--a message of God's love and salvation, of hope and meaning--not just because I'm a pastor, but because I have come to know him. I need to turn over my concerns for my own well-being to my almighty God and share what I have come to know of him with the seeking, hopeless hearts around me.
Lord, today I will lift up my head, trust myself completely to your care, and feel your validation as you send me to be a messenger of your grace. I thank you for freeing me from a life of fear, worry and self-doubt. There is no more secure place than in the shadow of the covering of your hand. Amen.
Join the conversation! Please share your thoughts with us by commenting below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or just select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men . . . , that you forget the LORD your Maker . . . . I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand--I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth. (v. 12-13, 16)
I opened to my reading today and these statements leaped off the page. I receive it today as his word to me. Fear is not to rule over me. Jesus has freed me from a life of fear. There are momentary situations in which fear is a normal reaction to warn us to danger, but living in fear or anxiety is not to be normal for someone who knows personally the God of heaven and earth. Courage comes from the assurance that God has me in his hand, that he has placed a covering over my life so that nothing can destroy me, nothing can thwart his ultimately amazing plans for me! Nothing is outside the realm of his control or his power to bring about everything good that he wants to give me and do through me.
Courage is also borne of focusing not on the things that trouble me, but on completeing the mission and purpose God has given me. He wants me to feel totally secure in his care and focus on caring for others. He has put his words in my mouth, he says. I have been given a message to deliver to the people in my life--a message of God's love and salvation, of hope and meaning--not just because I'm a pastor, but because I have come to know him. I need to turn over my concerns for my own well-being to my almighty God and share what I have come to know of him with the seeking, hopeless hearts around me.
Lord, today I will lift up my head, trust myself completely to your care, and feel your validation as you send me to be a messenger of your grace. I thank you for freeing me from a life of fear, worry and self-doubt. There is no more secure place than in the shadow of the covering of your hand. Amen.
Join the conversation! Please share your thoughts with us by commenting below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or just select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Overtaken By Joy
Nothing fills me up and nourishes my inner core like time in God's presence, letting him speak truth and light into my heart.Today I invite you to join me as we meet God in Isaiah 51:1-11. Pray first. Then read it through two or three times, out loud at least once.Practice listening to the words you are speaking. Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate your mind to what you most need to hear today. Then write it down. Here's mine. . .
The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (v. 11)
The word "overtake" gives a picture I need to see. It's as though joy and happiness in its deepest form is pursuing me, chasing me down in times of sorrow or emptiness. Perhaps I've gotten ahead of it by running ahead of God's plan for my life. Maybe I've run off his course and taken a detour. Or maybe it's just that God had to hold them back for a time while he did some painful work.
Regardless, joy and gladness is God's ultimate intention for me, and even though it may seem in those difficult periods that sorrow and disappointment will always be my traveling companions, they will not. I'm destined for everlasting joy! Eventually it will catch up to me on my journey. It will rush up on me and surprise me and I will welcome its coming. Upon its arrival it will chase every negative emotion away. It is God's promise. No matter how bleak life can feel at times, the dawn is going to arrive . . . and it will be glorious!
Father, thank you for this promise. I'm standing on it and claiming it today. Since I'm destined for joy in the future I will choose it even now in this day, this moment. Amen.
The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (v. 11)
The word "overtake" gives a picture I need to see. It's as though joy and happiness in its deepest form is pursuing me, chasing me down in times of sorrow or emptiness. Perhaps I've gotten ahead of it by running ahead of God's plan for my life. Maybe I've run off his course and taken a detour. Or maybe it's just that God had to hold them back for a time while he did some painful work.
Regardless, joy and gladness is God's ultimate intention for me, and even though it may seem in those difficult periods that sorrow and disappointment will always be my traveling companions, they will not. I'm destined for everlasting joy! Eventually it will catch up to me on my journey. It will rush up on me and surprise me and I will welcome its coming. Upon its arrival it will chase every negative emotion away. It is God's promise. No matter how bleak life can feel at times, the dawn is going to arrive . . . and it will be glorious!
Father, thank you for this promise. I'm standing on it and claiming it today. Since I'm destined for joy in the future I will choose it even now in this day, this moment. Amen.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Wake-up Call
Yesterday's post was especially meaningful to me. I hope you got to read it. Today, I've sat down with Isaiah chapter 50. (It's just 11 verses.) Why don't you spend a few minutes with it yourself first? Journal your own thoughts in responsivenes to God. Here are mine . . .
The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. (v. 4)
In this statement I hear God asking me to do a self-check. How open and sensitive am I to God's voice? Do I start each day listening for it? Am I paying attention to what God is teaching me?
If I start each day asking for God's guidance, thinking about pleasing him, determined to be wise about the steps I take by following his will, I will have the pleasure of God's companionship through my day. There is no one's presence I'd rather wake up to each day than his. But I have to remember to be intentional about listening and I have to have a teachable heart.Those are the prereqs for receiving the guidance I need.
When I am careful to listen to God and let him teach me his truth and his ways every day, then I have something really valuable to pass on to the people in my life, especially the most important ones. I'll have something worthwhile and meaningful to say to lift people up when they're feeling down. I'll have words of life, love, wisdom and hope. And that will make me a very appreciated person as they open up and trust me with their struggles and walk away encouraged! Otherwise, while I might find some encouraging words to say from my own wisdom, they might not be the ones that God really wanted them to hear. They might not reflect truth and may actually be misleading. It's one thing to give advice. It's another to share God's wisdom and the hope that only he gives.
God, please waken me each morning with a word from you. I will be listening.
Join the conversation! Please share your thoughts with us by commenting below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or just select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. (v. 4)
In this statement I hear God asking me to do a self-check. How open and sensitive am I to God's voice? Do I start each day listening for it? Am I paying attention to what God is teaching me?
If I start each day asking for God's guidance, thinking about pleasing him, determined to be wise about the steps I take by following his will, I will have the pleasure of God's companionship through my day. There is no one's presence I'd rather wake up to each day than his. But I have to remember to be intentional about listening and I have to have a teachable heart.Those are the prereqs for receiving the guidance I need.
When I am careful to listen to God and let him teach me his truth and his ways every day, then I have something really valuable to pass on to the people in my life, especially the most important ones. I'll have something worthwhile and meaningful to say to lift people up when they're feeling down. I'll have words of life, love, wisdom and hope. And that will make me a very appreciated person as they open up and trust me with their struggles and walk away encouraged! Otherwise, while I might find some encouraging words to say from my own wisdom, they might not be the ones that God really wanted them to hear. They might not reflect truth and may actually be misleading. It's one thing to give advice. It's another to share God's wisdom and the hope that only he gives.
God, please waken me each morning with a word from you. I will be listening.
Join the conversation! Please share your thoughts with us by commenting below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or just select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Welcome Surprises
Every morning God is waiting on me when I wake up knowing all that lies before me in my day. He awaits for me to let him speak into my heart what I will need to stay close to him, the source of life. If the blog is a blessing to you, would you share it with someone you know? I'm in Isaiah 49:19-26 today. Let God speak it to you, too. Go ahead, open your Bible and listen.
This statement is jumping off the page at me today . . .
Then you will say in your heart, 'Who bore me these [children]? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these [new blessings] up? I was left all alone, but these--where have they come from?'" (v. 21)
There is nothing quite like the surprise of new blessings, new life after a long, hard period of spiritual, emotional or relational drought. At some point in the endurance of pain, loneliness or loss we start to accept the present lows as the new norm of our lives. What has been torn from us seems insurmountable. We wonder how our lives could have come to this. It just doesn't fit the dreams we had. In those barren places, God seems so distant and mysterious. Our confusion about him is only equalled by our disappointment. And that's when our faith is really tested. Will we continue to trust him when it doesn't seem to be paying off? For many people the answer is no. For me, the answer has always been yes. But my worship comes with pain and questions that are rarely answered.
And then comes the day when suddenly a fresh wind begins to blow into my life. I look around and discover that the sun is piercing through the clouds. The flowers are blooming and sporting their brilliant colors. Amazing new blessings are springing up and surprising me with their arrival! They are so often things that I never could have foreseen or expected. And as I look back I am in wonder of how the rough path I'd been traveling has led me to such intriguing new possibilities. I'm thinking, "Where in the world did this come from?"
Then I remember, it came from you, God. You had it in mind all along. While I was doubting and questioning and disappointed with you, you were loving and empathizing and thinking of your good plans for me. When I listen more carefully, I hear you saying all along, "Be patient. Stay with me. This barren wildernesss will eventually grow into a breath-taking oasis." I find it hard to believe at the time, but then you always surprise me with more than I could have imagined. You are so awesome, God, and faithful to keep your promises!
Join the conversation! Please share your thoughts with us by commenting below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or just select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
This statement is jumping off the page at me today . . .
Then you will say in your heart, 'Who bore me these [children]? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these [new blessings] up? I was left all alone, but these--where have they come from?'" (v. 21)
There is nothing quite like the surprise of new blessings, new life after a long, hard period of spiritual, emotional or relational drought. At some point in the endurance of pain, loneliness or loss we start to accept the present lows as the new norm of our lives. What has been torn from us seems insurmountable. We wonder how our lives could have come to this. It just doesn't fit the dreams we had. In those barren places, God seems so distant and mysterious. Our confusion about him is only equalled by our disappointment. And that's when our faith is really tested. Will we continue to trust him when it doesn't seem to be paying off? For many people the answer is no. For me, the answer has always been yes. But my worship comes with pain and questions that are rarely answered.
And then comes the day when suddenly a fresh wind begins to blow into my life. I look around and discover that the sun is piercing through the clouds. The flowers are blooming and sporting their brilliant colors. Amazing new blessings are springing up and surprising me with their arrival! They are so often things that I never could have foreseen or expected. And as I look back I am in wonder of how the rough path I'd been traveling has led me to such intriguing new possibilities. I'm thinking, "Where in the world did this come from?"
Then I remember, it came from you, God. You had it in mind all along. While I was doubting and questioning and disappointed with you, you were loving and empathizing and thinking of your good plans for me. When I listen more carefully, I hear you saying all along, "Be patient. Stay with me. This barren wildernesss will eventually grow into a breath-taking oasis." I find it hard to believe at the time, but then you always surprise me with more than I could have imagined. You are so awesome, God, and faithful to keep your promises!
Join the conversation! Please share your thoughts with us by commenting below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or just select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
Monday, March 14, 2011
God's Tattoo
As the thunder rolls outside and rattles the panes in my window, I'm reflecting on the awesome power of God. Sometimes God thunders at me and his voice is deafening. But most often he speaks in a gentle whisper, quietly, beckoning me to take the time to stop and listen carefully. He wants me to seek his face and his voice. He delights in my pursuit like a man whose lover anticipates his every note, text message or call and hangs on his every word. So I'm listening today. I'm excited for you that you are listening too.
Today we're in Isaiah 49:8-18. Wow, is this ever a poignant message from God! You need to read it yourself. Take just a few minutes and soak it in. Try praying it back to God. Affirm what he's saying and thank him for it. Ask him about what you don't understand. Make it a dialogue. That's when Scripture comes to life!
For me, I'm first drawn to the images he paints of the kind of eternal life he wants to give me. He wants to care for me in such an amazingly tender way, and though life as it is now is often hard and sometimes painful, he's reminding me of the ultimate quality of life he will give me in the new heaven and new earth. But this is the phrase that jumps out at me...
Zion said: "The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me." Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. (v. 14-16)
I have felt those emotions--moments when God seemed to have walked away and left me. I know that you have, too. We can feel such deep soul anguish. Life can be so unfair. Prayers sometimes earnestly spoken with tears and fasting go ungranted. Where is God? Why has he rejected my pleas?
Through those dark moments God speaks. He whispers into my heart through this text and tells me the reality that I cannot see or presently feel. He tells me that even if my own mother, who gave me birth and who nursed me, should forget me or reject me, he never will. I am infinitely loved and treasured and constantly thought of by the God who has tatooed my name on the palm of his hand! This takes it to a whole different level. He doesn't just occasionally speak my name, he has it always in front of him, permanently engraved on his palm. I never leave his mind. I am part of him. I am his, and he is mine.
And it's not just me, but all of his people that he feels that way about. Zion represents not just the Jews but all people who have entered a covenant relationship with God by faith. He feels that way about you, too!
Join the conversation! Please share your thoughts with us by commenting below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or just select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
Today we're in Isaiah 49:8-18. Wow, is this ever a poignant message from God! You need to read it yourself. Take just a few minutes and soak it in. Try praying it back to God. Affirm what he's saying and thank him for it. Ask him about what you don't understand. Make it a dialogue. That's when Scripture comes to life!
For me, I'm first drawn to the images he paints of the kind of eternal life he wants to give me. He wants to care for me in such an amazingly tender way, and though life as it is now is often hard and sometimes painful, he's reminding me of the ultimate quality of life he will give me in the new heaven and new earth. But this is the phrase that jumps out at me...
Zion said: "The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me." Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. (v. 14-16)
I have felt those emotions--moments when God seemed to have walked away and left me. I know that you have, too. We can feel such deep soul anguish. Life can be so unfair. Prayers sometimes earnestly spoken with tears and fasting go ungranted. Where is God? Why has he rejected my pleas?
Through those dark moments God speaks. He whispers into my heart through this text and tells me the reality that I cannot see or presently feel. He tells me that even if my own mother, who gave me birth and who nursed me, should forget me or reject me, he never will. I am infinitely loved and treasured and constantly thought of by the God who has tatooed my name on the palm of his hand! This takes it to a whole different level. He doesn't just occasionally speak my name, he has it always in front of him, permanently engraved on his palm. I never leave his mind. I am part of him. I am his, and he is mine.
And it's not just me, but all of his people that he feels that way about. Zion represents not just the Jews but all people who have entered a covenant relationship with God by faith. He feels that way about you, too!
Join the conversation! Please share your thoughts with us by commenting below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or just select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Spoken Of
I'm longing for a word from God today. The relationship I have with him is what keeps me secure, alive and growing! I'm settling into Isaiah 49:1-7 this morning. Why don't you open your Bible and give God the opportunity to speak it into your heart? Pray first and open your heart to receive what he says. Write down what you are hearing. It's good to be able to go back and reflect later on things that God said to you previously. We have a way of forgetting! If you're interested in starting to journal, I recommend the Life Journal available at http://www.lifejournal.cc/.
God's word to me today is this:
Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. . . . He formed me in the womb to be his servant . . . for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD. . . (v. 1, 5)
My God, what a profound thought! Does the God of the universe actually speak my name? What does he say when he speaks my name? I would love to know. In the most sacred conversations between the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit my name is spoken! As they give charges to the angels my name is included. God speaks of me in a way that expresses how much I mean to him. He looks on me with honor and love and speaks my name with fatherly pride.
I wonder what conversations he has had about me? He's seen every moment of my life. Sometimes the conversation must have been full of concern, maybe even disappointment. At other times, the tone was perhaps laughter and delight, or the emotive exhortations of a coach. There were surely conversations with a note of sadness and others spoken with excitement and celebration. But I know that he always, always speaks my name with love. Maybe he's talking about me at this very moment, smiling at my discovery that I've been the topic of countless heavenly conversations. The stars have heard my name! It's almost too much to grasp.
It makes me think, have I made mention of his name today? Who will I talk to about him?
Join the conversation! Please share your thoughts with us by commenting below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or just select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
God's word to me today is this:
Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. . . . He formed me in the womb to be his servant . . . for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD. . . (v. 1, 5)
My God, what a profound thought! Does the God of the universe actually speak my name? What does he say when he speaks my name? I would love to know. In the most sacred conversations between the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit my name is spoken! As they give charges to the angels my name is included. God speaks of me in a way that expresses how much I mean to him. He looks on me with honor and love and speaks my name with fatherly pride.
I wonder what conversations he has had about me? He's seen every moment of my life. Sometimes the conversation must have been full of concern, maybe even disappointment. At other times, the tone was perhaps laughter and delight, or the emotive exhortations of a coach. There were surely conversations with a note of sadness and others spoken with excitement and celebration. But I know that he always, always speaks my name with love. Maybe he's talking about me at this very moment, smiling at my discovery that I've been the topic of countless heavenly conversations. The stars have heard my name! It's almost too much to grasp.
It makes me think, have I made mention of his name today? Who will I talk to about him?
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Thursday, March 10, 2011
Peace Like a River
It's so life-giving to my spirit to hear from God and let him speak life into me. Today, I'm going to Isaiah 48:16-22. Take a moment to let yourself hear his words for yourself. Do you hear a word of conviction or encouragement? Let what he is saying settle in your heart. Don't rush on to what I write. First, listen for yourself.
The Spirit is emphasizing to me these phrases:
"I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you. . . . If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river. . . . There is no peace," says the LORD, "for the wicked." (v. 17-18, 22)
If there is one thing almost all people share in common, God, it's our difficulty being convinced that you know how to lead us to experience life at its best. When I sin it's because I think whatever it is will make my life better or happier. Why don't I trust your love and wisdom more? I know that you are for me, not against me. You teach me your ways not to keep me in line but to free me to live. I want my life to be full of peace, and only you can give it. Today, Father, I choose to go your way. Remind me that every temptation I will face is an opportunity to either say yes or no to having peace in my life. I choose peace.
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The Spirit is emphasizing to me these phrases:
"I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you. . . . If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river. . . . There is no peace," says the LORD, "for the wicked." (v. 17-18, 22)
If there is one thing almost all people share in common, God, it's our difficulty being convinced that you know how to lead us to experience life at its best. When I sin it's because I think whatever it is will make my life better or happier. Why don't I trust your love and wisdom more? I know that you are for me, not against me. You teach me your ways not to keep me in line but to free me to live. I want my life to be full of peace, and only you can give it. Today, Father, I choose to go your way. Remind me that every temptation I will face is an opportunity to either say yes or no to having peace in my life. I choose peace.
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Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Called to Succeed
Isn't this great? Isaiah's prophecies are such a profound revelation of the heart of our God! Today let's take some time to absorb chapter 48:1-15. It's a quick read so take your time and re-read it. There are some real nuggets here. What is God saying to you?
Several things are jumping out at me--how stubborn I can be, how frustrated God must get with me when I think I already know what I need to know without his input, the way he reveals new and hidden insights when I do listen, and again his awesome power to command all of nature much less the affairs of my life. I am especially thinking about this statement:
"I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I will bring him, and he will succeed in his mission." (v. 15)
God is speaking specifically of Cyrus, King of Persia, that he was going to use to put an end to Babylonian tyranny and free his people. But the principle goes much farther than him.
God calls me to partner with him in his mission, too. He calls all of his children to work together and use their gifts and serve to bring a taste of his Kingdom to this world. We all have a calling. I have a calling from God. Sometimes I've been very tentative about pursuing what I feel he is calling me to do. I fear that I will fail. I think I don't have what it takes. I'm sure there must be someone more qualified. But he's calling me. He has spoken.
His promise is that if I will just accept his calling he will make sure that I don't fail in my mission. Now, my preconceived ideas of what "success" will look like as I pursue my calling may not be the same as God's. That's were disappointment sometimes comes in. But God is telling me that when he calls me to a task and I put myself into it as a tool in his hand, he will ensure my success. I will acomplish precisely what he intends. And sometimes the mission he sends me on may just be to do something profound in me.
Father, you have spoken. You have spoken to me. You have called me. You have given me a mission. Forgive my self-doubt and moments of discouragement or hesitation. The last thing I want to be is a failure. So I will gladly do what you have called me to do knowing that you will make me a success--at least a success in your eyes, the only eyes that ultimately matter. Thank you so much, God!
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Several things are jumping out at me--how stubborn I can be, how frustrated God must get with me when I think I already know what I need to know without his input, the way he reveals new and hidden insights when I do listen, and again his awesome power to command all of nature much less the affairs of my life. I am especially thinking about this statement:
"I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I will bring him, and he will succeed in his mission." (v. 15)
God is speaking specifically of Cyrus, King of Persia, that he was going to use to put an end to Babylonian tyranny and free his people. But the principle goes much farther than him.
God calls me to partner with him in his mission, too. He calls all of his children to work together and use their gifts and serve to bring a taste of his Kingdom to this world. We all have a calling. I have a calling from God. Sometimes I've been very tentative about pursuing what I feel he is calling me to do. I fear that I will fail. I think I don't have what it takes. I'm sure there must be someone more qualified. But he's calling me. He has spoken.
His promise is that if I will just accept his calling he will make sure that I don't fail in my mission. Now, my preconceived ideas of what "success" will look like as I pursue my calling may not be the same as God's. That's were disappointment sometimes comes in. But God is telling me that when he calls me to a task and I put myself into it as a tool in his hand, he will ensure my success. I will acomplish precisely what he intends. And sometimes the mission he sends me on may just be to do something profound in me.
Father, you have spoken. You have spoken to me. You have called me. You have given me a mission. Forgive my self-doubt and moments of discouragement or hesitation. The last thing I want to be is a failure. So I will gladly do what you have called me to do knowing that you will make me a success--at least a success in your eyes, the only eyes that ultimately matter. Thank you so much, God!
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Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Knowledge Trap
Wow, God is so good! Have you noticed? Are you aware of how blessed you are? Thank him for it!
Today's reading isn't warm and fuzzy like yesterday's, but we don't always need warm and fuzzy. By the way, great comments yesterday, and a powerful testimony! Thank you. Today we're listening to God speak in Isaiah 47. God had disciplined his people by raising up the Babylonians to conquer and scatter them. Now he addresses the Babylonians. . . Give it a read. Now a second time. What can you hear or gain here?
Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, "I am, and there is none besides me." (v. 10)
Wisdom and knowledge are usually qualities that are praised in Scripture, so this warning is surprising at first. Wisdom and knowledge can have a dark, insidious side. They can turn you arrogant. They can make you exclusive and superior in your own estimation. You can begin to think that you have nothing to learn or be corrected on by others. You can lose the quality of humility and teachability and a healthy recognition that you don't have it all figured out.
I need others. My circle of fellowship needs the enriching experience of learning from others. If wisdom and knowledge teach us anything, it is that very reality. Denominations have a way of having this attitude that "we alone have it right, and we're the only accurate expression of the Christian faith." Sounds a lot like, "I am, and there is none besides me."
The pursuit of God must always be carefully and humbly taken. While knowledge informs our pursuit of God, it is not the real goal. A humble, loving, grace-filled character that resembles the heart of Jesus is the goal. Anytime it is taking us another direction towards pride and devaluing others, it is a misleading kind of knowledge.
God, keep me humble, teachable and open to the value of those unlike me. Amen.
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Today's reading isn't warm and fuzzy like yesterday's, but we don't always need warm and fuzzy. By the way, great comments yesterday, and a powerful testimony! Thank you. Today we're listening to God speak in Isaiah 47. God had disciplined his people by raising up the Babylonians to conquer and scatter them. Now he addresses the Babylonians. . . Give it a read. Now a second time. What can you hear or gain here?
Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, "I am, and there is none besides me." (v. 10)
Wisdom and knowledge are usually qualities that are praised in Scripture, so this warning is surprising at first. Wisdom and knowledge can have a dark, insidious side. They can turn you arrogant. They can make you exclusive and superior in your own estimation. You can begin to think that you have nothing to learn or be corrected on by others. You can lose the quality of humility and teachability and a healthy recognition that you don't have it all figured out.
I need others. My circle of fellowship needs the enriching experience of learning from others. If wisdom and knowledge teach us anything, it is that very reality. Denominations have a way of having this attitude that "we alone have it right, and we're the only accurate expression of the Christian faith." Sounds a lot like, "I am, and there is none besides me."
The pursuit of God must always be carefully and humbly taken. While knowledge informs our pursuit of God, it is not the real goal. A humble, loving, grace-filled character that resembles the heart of Jesus is the goal. Anytime it is taking us another direction towards pride and devaluing others, it is a misleading kind of knowledge.
God, keep me humble, teachable and open to the value of those unlike me. Amen.
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Monday, March 7, 2011
Carry Me
I hope you celebrated God's goodness in worship through the weekend! It's Monday and we really need some encouragement from God to get motivated for a good week ahead. Today I'm reading Isaiah 46. It's just 13 verses so let's read the whole thing. By the way, just so you know, Bel and Nebo were false gods of Babylon.
This is what I am needing to hear most today:
"Listen to me, . . . you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." (v. 3-4)
Sometimes I reflect on my life, thinking of things I did and challenges I went through, and I know that it was God who saw me through it all. I love this picture of God holding me, carrying me. I'd like to think I'm an adult and I can walk on my own, but no, it's been God carrying me along. My life could have gone such a different direction. I could have been ruined by my mistakes. I could have given up through the pain of watching my precious wife suffer through death by cancer. The reason I wasn't and didn't is that God had me in his arms and wouldn't put me down. He held me close to his heart and assured me that it would be alright.
As I look ahead to the future--the rest of this Monday, the week ahead, the next five years and beyond I will cling to this promise that God will still be carrying me, providing all that I need. Like a little boy in his Father's arms, I don't have to worry about a thing. Thank you, Father, for this tender image of your love for me. I'm so glad that your arms never get tired.
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This is what I am needing to hear most today:
"Listen to me, . . . you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." (v. 3-4)
Sometimes I reflect on my life, thinking of things I did and challenges I went through, and I know that it was God who saw me through it all. I love this picture of God holding me, carrying me. I'd like to think I'm an adult and I can walk on my own, but no, it's been God carrying me along. My life could have gone such a different direction. I could have been ruined by my mistakes. I could have given up through the pain of watching my precious wife suffer through death by cancer. The reason I wasn't and didn't is that God had me in his arms and wouldn't put me down. He held me close to his heart and assured me that it would be alright.
As I look ahead to the future--the rest of this Monday, the week ahead, the next five years and beyond I will cling to this promise that God will still be carrying me, providing all that I need. Like a little boy in his Father's arms, I don't have to worry about a thing. Thank you, Father, for this tender image of your love for me. I'm so glad that your arms never get tired.
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Friday, March 4, 2011
My Quarrel With God
Thanks for helping spread the word about the blog! The Scripture I'm soaking in on this Friday is Isaiah 45:8-25. A conversation with God doesn't get much more personal than here in Isaiah. Go back and read it again, more carefully. Is God speaking to you? I hear hims saying . . .
Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd on the ground. (v. 9)
I haven't always been sure, God, that you were getting things right in my life. I wasn't sure if you really got the picture of what was fair, what made sense. But I realize I have no more right to question you than a pottery jar does its maker. Even less a broken piece (a potsherd). It's kind of silly to think of a jagged piece of pottery lying in the sand yelling at the potter, "Look what you've done!" You made me and the universe. You are Sovereign, the Ruler over what you have made, just like I'm in charge of anything I create.
Sometimes the ways God sees things and what he allows don't make sense to me. As Isaiah says in response, "Truly you are a God who hides himself" (v. 15). At least it seems that way at times. His ways and plans are often mysterious and it exasperates me that I can't see what he's up to. But instead of quarreling with him I will remind myself that he is God and I am not.
It occurs to me that when I challenge him, what I'm really wondering is whether I'm not actually fairer and more compassionate than him. That's the real burning question. And when I think about it I can see how ludicrous that is. Is it really humans that are so fair and compassionate? Would I permit my son to suffer and die for the sake of people who have ignored, offended and mocked me?
No, as God goes on to say, "There is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior. . . . They will say of me, 'In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.'" (v. 21, 24). God I will trust your goodness, your rightness, above my own . . . even when I don't understand.
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Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd on the ground. (v. 9)
I haven't always been sure, God, that you were getting things right in my life. I wasn't sure if you really got the picture of what was fair, what made sense. But I realize I have no more right to question you than a pottery jar does its maker. Even less a broken piece (a potsherd). It's kind of silly to think of a jagged piece of pottery lying in the sand yelling at the potter, "Look what you've done!" You made me and the universe. You are Sovereign, the Ruler over what you have made, just like I'm in charge of anything I create.
Sometimes the ways God sees things and what he allows don't make sense to me. As Isaiah says in response, "Truly you are a God who hides himself" (v. 15). At least it seems that way at times. His ways and plans are often mysterious and it exasperates me that I can't see what he's up to. But instead of quarreling with him I will remind myself that he is God and I am not.
It occurs to me that when I challenge him, what I'm really wondering is whether I'm not actually fairer and more compassionate than him. That's the real burning question. And when I think about it I can see how ludicrous that is. Is it really humans that are so fair and compassionate? Would I permit my son to suffer and die for the sake of people who have ignored, offended and mocked me?
No, as God goes on to say, "There is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior. . . . They will say of me, 'In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.'" (v. 21, 24). God I will trust your goodness, your rightness, above my own . . . even when I don't understand.
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Thursday, March 3, 2011
God Bless That Jerk
I'm glad you're getting a blessing from my blog! If you haven't already, please click on the "Follow This Blog" button so that I can have an idea of how many people are using it. Thank you! Also, we had some really meaningful comments on recent posts that I hope you got to read. I suggest subscribing to the comments as well as the posts so that you can see what others are saying and join in the conversation. (See below.)
Today, let's read Isaiah 45:1-7. For just a little intriguing background, you need to know that Cyrus was the King of Persia who would eventually subdue the Babylonian Empire (that conquered Israel) and free the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild. At the time of Isaiah's prophecy he had not even been born and wouldn't be for over a century, yet he is even called by name. Do you hear something here that you can apply to your life?
I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. . . . I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. (v. 4-6)
Sometimes I wonder why many people who have no use for God prosper so much. Here they are going their own sinful way and yet they live in the limelight. It's a nagging question that is partly answered here. God shows his goodness and blesses even unbelievers so that (1) they might one day pause and recognize the God who gave them all they have, and (2) so that he can use them to accomplish his plans and purposes, which involve funneling blessing down onto his faithful people in some way. God's graciousness is just plain scandalous. He lavishes blessing on the least deserving people. In the end, if they never acknowledge him, they will have a lot to answer for.
I will pray that God richly bless my unbelieving friends and neighbors so they might one day wake up and realize how good God has been to them and be saved.
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Today, let's read Isaiah 45:1-7. For just a little intriguing background, you need to know that Cyrus was the King of Persia who would eventually subdue the Babylonian Empire (that conquered Israel) and free the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild. At the time of Isaiah's prophecy he had not even been born and wouldn't be for over a century, yet he is even called by name. Do you hear something here that you can apply to your life?
I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. . . . I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. (v. 4-6)
Sometimes I wonder why many people who have no use for God prosper so much. Here they are going their own sinful way and yet they live in the limelight. It's a nagging question that is partly answered here. God shows his goodness and blesses even unbelievers so that (1) they might one day pause and recognize the God who gave them all they have, and (2) so that he can use them to accomplish his plans and purposes, which involve funneling blessing down onto his faithful people in some way. God's graciousness is just plain scandalous. He lavishes blessing on the least deserving people. In the end, if they never acknowledge him, they will have a lot to answer for.
I will pray that God richly bless my unbelieving friends and neighbors so they might one day wake up and realize how good God has been to them and be saved.
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011
A God Party
Ready for a word from God? Good! Let's read Isaiah 44:9-23. When you read about idols here don't just think of the kind that you'd see in an Indiana Jones movie. The Bible says that greed is idolatry. America has more idols than the whole continent of Africa. What are you hearing from God in these verses?
I hear the foolishness of centering my life around anything man-made or that is less than the Creator of all things. I like a lot of things--football, electronics, water sports, my house, movies, good food, stylish clothes, browsing the web on my phone--and I enjoy them! But I don't want to live my life for them. I don't want my pursuit of those things to be the driving focus of my life. That would be a sad waste of a life.
But there's something else I hear that is really what speaks to my heart today:
I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath! Burst into song . . . (v. 22-23)
What I hear is the joy and celebration that God wants to fill my life with because of his grace and forgiveness for the many ways I stumble and fall short. Repenting of things I need to change and seeking God's forgiveness and power to go his way instead is an exhilarating feeling. I know I'm forgiven. I know he has cleared the skies of my life and chased away the clouds and I celebrate taking in the warm sunshine of his love! And it's good to let myself feel it--to sing, to shout, to dance, to laugh! Don't hold back. It's time for a God party! And I can have one all by myself and I can have another one later with my Growth Group.
God, you are so good! You are awesome, and I thank you for your goodness to me! I celebrate today in your salvation of my life and my future! Nothing can bring me down. Nothing will steal my joy because I won't let it! I'm trading in my sorrow for the joy of the Lord!
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I hear the foolishness of centering my life around anything man-made or that is less than the Creator of all things. I like a lot of things--football, electronics, water sports, my house, movies, good food, stylish clothes, browsing the web on my phone--and I enjoy them! But I don't want to live my life for them. I don't want my pursuit of those things to be the driving focus of my life. That would be a sad waste of a life.
But there's something else I hear that is really what speaks to my heart today:
I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath! Burst into song . . . (v. 22-23)
What I hear is the joy and celebration that God wants to fill my life with because of his grace and forgiveness for the many ways I stumble and fall short. Repenting of things I need to change and seeking God's forgiveness and power to go his way instead is an exhilarating feeling. I know I'm forgiven. I know he has cleared the skies of my life and chased away the clouds and I celebrate taking in the warm sunshine of his love! And it's good to let myself feel it--to sing, to shout, to dance, to laugh! Don't hold back. It's time for a God party! And I can have one all by myself and I can have another one later with my Growth Group.
God, you are so good! You are awesome, and I thank you for your goodness to me! I celebrate today in your salvation of my life and my future! Nothing can bring me down. Nothing will steal my joy because I won't let it! I'm trading in my sorrow for the joy of the Lord!
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Tuesday, March 1, 2011
My Rock
To get and stay close to God you don't necessarily need to read large chunks of Scripture at a time. It's better to take a small piece of Scripture and really absorb it and meditate on it. Listen to what it is saying. Think about how it applies to your life. Journaling what you are hearing takes it to another level. Then pray about it. It's a way of developing a real conversation with God that impacts your life.
Today, we're in Isaiah 44:1-8. Give it a read and take it in 2-3 times. Here's what is jumping out at me today:
You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one. (Isaiah 44:8)
One of the prevalent word pictures by which you have revealed yourself, God, is the Rock. What does that say about you? You are permanent and totally dependable, unlike anything else in life. You are the only secure and certain foundation I can build my life on. You have been the foundation of my marriage that kept our love strong and growing. You have been the Rock on which I've built my relationship with my children. Your wisdom has brought stability to my finances. Your grace has given me a solid place to stand in confidence that you accept me. When my circumstances are leaving me feeling lost or insecure, you are the one I can find stability in. God, you are the one I trust. You are my Rock, my fortress. As long as I'm attached to you nothing else can move me or set me adrift in life.
Today, my Rock, I will take my stand on you. Amen.
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Today, we're in Isaiah 44:1-8. Give it a read and take it in 2-3 times. Here's what is jumping out at me today:
You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one. (Isaiah 44:8)
One of the prevalent word pictures by which you have revealed yourself, God, is the Rock. What does that say about you? You are permanent and totally dependable, unlike anything else in life. You are the only secure and certain foundation I can build my life on. You have been the foundation of my marriage that kept our love strong and growing. You have been the Rock on which I've built my relationship with my children. Your wisdom has brought stability to my finances. Your grace has given me a solid place to stand in confidence that you accept me. When my circumstances are leaving me feeling lost or insecure, you are the one I can find stability in. God, you are the one I trust. You are my Rock, my fortress. As long as I'm attached to you nothing else can move me or set me adrift in life.
Today, my Rock, I will take my stand on you. Amen.
Join the conversation! Please share your thoughts with us by commenting below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or just select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
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