Isaiah 31-35

We hear more about the Kingdom of Righteousness with our Savior in charge in Isaiah 31-35.

The LORD is our king, our everything.  That's right where God wants to be in our lives.

You know yesterday as we read Isaiah 26-30, I mentioned this fear that kept creeping in, my own insecurities, as God reveals His judgement on all people.  I even wondered what that says about my own faith.

I didn't have an answer yesterday, and I left it at that.

And then today, I read this assurance...

Strengthen the feeble hands,

  steady the knees that give way;

say to those with fearful hearts,

  "Be strong, do not fear;

   your God will come,

   he will come with vengeance;

   with divine retribution

   he will come to save you."

Isaiah 35: 3-4

Our gracious and compassionate God who is overflowing with love for us hears us. He knows us, and He comes to us with the words we need to hear and know.

A prayer for today-

Dear God,

I thank You for knowing me from the inside out and for blessing me the words I need to hear.  

I give my fears and insecurities to You, Lord.

You are my Lord and Savior, my everything.  Your grace is more than enough for life.

______________________ is on my heart today.  Be with ______________________ in the days to come.  

I also pray for my family, my community, my state, this nation, and all of the countries in the world because we need You more than anything else.  

Lord, be gracious to us.  We long for you.  Be our strength every morning, and our salvation (Isaiah 33:2).

You are our eternal Rock and our Redeemer.  

In the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit I pray,

Amen   

Blessings,

*This post is part of A Mind-Maker-Upper's Everyday Reading Project.  Click here to read more.

2 Kings 21-23

Here we go again, on a roller coaster of faith with God's people in Judah now that King Hezekiah is dead and buried (2 Kings 21-23).  His son, King Manasseh, seems to fly on a long downhill slope as he leads the people to lots of evil in God's eyes.  When he's gone, his son, King Amon, follows suit in the same direction.  The consequences of their choices are far reaching, affecting generations to come.  It's so sad.  And then, we meet Amon's son, King Josiah, who gets things right again for God.  He finds the book of God's Law, and that makes all the difference as Josiah is determined to renew God's covenant with His people.  Ahhh, we can breathe in some life-giving air.  I feel like holding on tight to my faith as I read.  But before I can truly catch my breath, we're back to evil kings with Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim.  Like I said, today's reading is a roller coaster of faith!

I am shaking my head.  These leaders just don't realize what they are doing to themselves and to those who are watching and following them.  Their choices and examples, with the exception of King Josiah, are devastating.  It's as if God's people have forgotten who they are.  They are God's precious children.  They belong to Him.  He is their Father, their King, their only true Savior.  And yet, no matter how chaotic their lives become, they forget to stop and hit their knees so they can look up to Him.  He's the only One who can fix things.

I have to tell you.  I have been there, so caught up and busy in my own roller coaster of this earthly life that I have failed to turn to the author and giver of my new and eternal life.

That's where King Josiah was in our reading, too, when he found the Book of Law from the time of Moses. 

Reading God's Word grounds Josiah.  It changes his perspective on his place and purpose in the world, for the better.  It also transforms his heart, and empowers him to do what is right, not for himself, but for the God who made him and saves him.  

Josiah's story is a testament to the power of God's Living Word.  Like Hezekiah, Josiah "cleans house" for God and puts everything in its place, before Him.

25 Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.

2 Kings 23-25

And the good news for us today, is that Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith, died for our sins.  So, it's never too late to turn our lives around or redirect ourselves when we become lost.  We can all do it by turning everything over to God!  And when we do, God promises us new-life, both now and for eternity.  

A prayer for today-

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your Living Holy Word.  Unleash the Holy Spirit within me as I read and transform me.  Fill me with new-life.  Ground me in Your place and purpose for me.

I want to understand Your Word for my life, please Father.

In the name of Jesus, my Lord and Savior, I pray,

Amen

Grace and peace of Christ,

*This post is part of A Mind-Maker-Upper's Everyday Reading Project.  Click here to read more.