Good News

Is. 61:1

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor, He has sent Me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound."

After Jesus' mission in Is. 53, this sounds so positive. Here He came to bring me good news, to bind my broken heart, to give me liberty from the power of sin. He comforts my mourning. He has transformed my ashes for oil of gladness giving me praise instead of a faint spirit. I am to be called an Oak of Righteousness, the planting of the Lord! Praise God! What good news! Why is all this happening? So that God may be glorified? How it is all happening? Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His great gift of grace. What a beautiful passage!

Father,

Help me to live daily in the power of this new life. Thank You for these great gifts!

Thirst Satisfied

Is. 55:1-2

"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without  money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy."

Such grace! I can come thirsting and be satisfied. I can buy wine, milk, and bread without price. God offers it to me freely, but sadly, many times I choose to work for what I think will satisfy only to find out that it doesn't satisfy in the least. The only thing that satisfies is what God offers freely. What He desires is for me to come hungry and thirsting, with nothing of mine own, dependent and seeking. 

The question that God asks has such pathos. Why does man spend money for something that is not spiritually nutritious? Why does man labor for that which only creates more emptiness? How deceptive sin is! It totally masks this free and great gift of God deceiving man into thinking what he does is somehow better. But God's words are true. "Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant..."

Father,

Keep me only eating from the riches of Your table. Thank you for such grace that you would give me life and satisfaction and require to bring nothing in return.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Is. 53

Is. 53:12

"I will divide Him a portion with the many, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors."

Jesus willingly poured out His soul to death for me. He bore my sin and the sin of the world, and now He makes intercession for me. Amazing redemption! When I think that God determined to wound His own Son so that He might redeem me, I am overcome. Not only was He wounded, but He was crushed until the last breath of life was gone from Him. What a human existence He had to endure! 

• He grew up like a young plant like a root out of dry ground. I think this might be the best part of His whole life.
• He had no form, majesty, or beauty to make Him desirable. He gave up His divine majesty for me.
• He was despised and rejected, sorrowful, and full of grief. I can't imagine how He felt knowing all this before He came to earth. No wonder He had to focus on the joy that was set before Him!
• He carried my griefs and sorrow and was afflicted by God, by His own Father. I think being smitten by His own Father must have been the worst thing since He and the Father were one. Part of His own essence was gone. He was surrounded by my evil blackness.
• His wounds and chastisement brought my peace and my healing. What a gift for me!
• Because I was a straying sheep, my sins were laid on Him.
• He never answered back when unjust oppression flooded His life. He was the Lamb to the slaughter. He was my sacrifice.
• His death was through oppression and judgment. His grace with the wicked and the rich. All of which was undeserved!
• Through all this there was no violence or deceit in His mouth. What an example of the Sermon on the Mount and of the way believers are to live. How needy I am for His grace to live for Him!
• It was God's will to crush Him and to make His soul the offering for guilt. My life must identify with this suffering. God's will for me must not be different than His will for His son.
• His anguish brought many to righteousness and forgiveness. I am one of them!
• His satisfaction came in knowing His sacrifice was sufficient. He will have a portion with the strong, He will have the joy that was set before Him. He will be the firstborn of many brethren. Amazingly, I am one of them!

God's plan for my salvation and the salvation of all men is something man would have never planned and can barely understand; in fact, if not for the grace of God would never understand. I thank God for His great grace and the gift of salvation, for His great sacrifice of His Son, and for His choosing me to receive and believe this glorious One.

Father,

Help me to keep Your gospel in my mind and heart. Help me to value this sacrifice and not take it for granted. Thank You, Jesus,  for a gift like no other.

In Jesus name,

Amen 

Refuge and Strength

Ps. 46:1

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

How powerful these words are in any situation, but when Judah was besieged by the Assyrians ( II Kings 18-19), these words took on a whole new life. Sennacherib's men were mocking the people and  God saying it was impossible for Hezekiah or God to protect them. Realistically, the brutal reputation of the Assyrians supported what they were saying. But Hezekiah did not take matters into his own hands or act out of fear, he went straight to the Lord, fell on his face, and poured out his heart. What did he say? Ps. 46 reveals his heart.

• He would not fear though a huge disaster was looming. v. 1
• He knew God was in the midst of Jerusalem and because of that she could not be moved. v. 5
• He knew God would help in the morning, and that He was their fortress. v. 5,7
• God did answer. He made the war cease without Judah throwing one spear. He broke their bows, shattered their spears, and burned their chariots. The angel of the Lord brought desolation for the Assyrians killing 185,000 of them. In the morning they all were dead. Sennacherib went home and when he was worshipping his false god, his sons killed him. How powerful were Sennacherib's threats now? v. 8-9
• Hezekiah needed to be still before God and see Him work. God needed nothing from Hezekiah but a quiet, waiting spirit. v. 10
• God was exalted among the nations and in the earth. v. 10
• The God of Jacob was their fortress.v.11

What a great victory that day! How important was it for Hezekiah to be waiting before the Lord and not out fighting the Lord's battles in his own strength! What a lesson!

Father,

Keep me ever on my face before You, waiting and believing. Root out my penchant for action and transform it into stillness. I know You will be exalted. You are God!

In Jesus name,

Amen

Even to Old Age

Is. 44:4

"Even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and I will save."

God's power and care continue throughout my entire life. For after all, what is my old age and gray hair in light of eternity? Since God is timeless, what does gray hair even mean to Him? He has promised in Ps. 92 that "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him." Apparently, old age in God's realm means fruitfulness. His purpose for me has nothing to do with my age. It has to do with my planting. Am I planted in the house of the Lord? Am I flourishing like the palm tree as I withstand the trials of life? Am I declaring His uprightness and His righteousness? It is in this planting that I can bear fruit and declare Him to those He has placed in my life.

Sadly, as people age, diseases attack their bodies making life cumbersome and painful. When that happens  the focus of life can change from declaring the Lord to just withstanding the pain and suffering of aging. But what does God say? Even though the pain is there, focus on Me. I will carry You. I will bear you up in my arms of love. God made and designed me so He certainly knows my aging process. So whatever it is, I can trust in Him and focus on Him as I declare His righteousness and uprightness. 

 "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose'...I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass, I have purposed, and I will do it." How can I doubt the word of such a God? If He promises to carry me and bear me up, He will!  What He says will come to pass!

Father,

Keep my eyes focused on You and not on the pain of aging. Help me to declare You with all the breath that I have. Teach me to rest in Your words and let Your will be accomplished in my life,

In Jesus name,

Amen

Sovereign God

Isaiah 40

Who is God?

"His glory shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

When He speaks, all will see and know.

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God sill stand forever."

His Word is everlasting, unfading, and strong standing.

"He will tend His flock like a sheperd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young."

He is our tender shepherd who gently leads us.

"All nations are as nothing before Him, they are accounted by Him as less than nothing and emptiness."

Man is insignificant, less than nothing, and full of nothing.

"He sits above the circle of the earth and stretches out the heaven like a curtain and spreads them like a tent to dwell in."

He is Creator, powerful in order.

"The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable."

He is the eternal Creator of all who never tires and can not be understood. I must only trust. 

"They who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings, like eagles, they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

God is the source of all strength. I must only wait.

What a powerful and glorious God I serve! My heart is full of thanks and praise!

Father,

Help me always to remember who You are. Teach me to wait on You and trust Your understanding as the guide for my life. 

In Jesus name,

Amen

Security in My Days

Is.39: 8

"'Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, "The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good." For he thought, "There will be peace and security in my days."'

God had done great things through Hezekiah, and Hezekiah had honored God. But in his later years after God had given him 15 more years of health, he seemed to have lost his edge. Men, envoys, from Babylon came to see Hezekiah on the pretext of his illness. Hezekiah showed them all his treasure houses; in fact, all that he had. Later, Isaiah came to him, questioned him about the men, and pronounced the word of the Lord. All that was in Hezekiah's house would be taken away to Babylon even Hezekiah's own sons. Sadly,  they would be made eunuchs. After hearing this, he should have been chagrined. These were his own sons and his only way to preserve the throne, but what was his attitude? He said it was good as long as he had peace in his day! What kind of a poor father and leader is this? What a lesson about selfishness!

Father,

Keep my heart tender toward You so that my decisions are Yours. Crucify my selfishness and keep me thinking of You and others. Help me lean on You.

In Jesus  name,

Amen