Isaiah 38

Isaiah 38:5b I have heard your prayer and seen your tears.

Isaiah was terribly ill and was told he was dying, so he prayed to God and God promised to add life to Hezekiah’s time. I am a HUGE believer in prayer. Prayers aren’t always answered as they were here for Hezekiah with life. We have to remember what God’s plan is more important than our plan. If prayer doesn’t bring back someone from the brink of death or help them recover from an illness, it doesn’t mean God didn’t listen. It might mean the plans for that person were bigger than we can fathom. But it certainly doesn’t mean we should NEVER pray for someone in need of healing. 

Here lately, when someone has an elderly person in their life that is sick, and they are asking for prayers, I pray, “God, <this person> Is in need of your help today. If it is your will, please take the disease away from them. Help their bodies to heal. But if this is not your will, and they are to come home to you, please make it so they are at peace and without any pain. Because Thy will be done.” 

I have recently added reading the Catholic Mass’s readings daily at https://blessedisshe.net/devotions/ I subscribed and the come to my email each morning, along with a devotion. I pray the Rosary daily, and include a prayer for someone in each decade. https://www.praymorenovenas.com/ also sends Novenas to my email. The emails are done as soon as I wake up, before I look at anything else on my phone.  Then I have an alarm at 3 to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/pray-the-chaplet I started including all these prayer times in my life to purposely make myself stop, turn off other distractions, and give my time to God. It has helped me get through knots in my life, and reminds me that looking at social media because I’m bored is wasteful when I could be using that time in prayer. Especially when I used to get so down at bedtime realizing I hadn’t had time at all to pray that day. WRONG. I had plenty of time. I just chose to use it incorrectly.

Lord, thank you for reminding me that prayer is important. Thank you for the answered and unanswered (in the way I want) prayers. Your will is much better than I could ever fathom, Lord, and you know what the bigger picture of my life is. 

Humility (Isaiah 37)

Isaiah 37:1-2 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his garments, wrapped himself in sackcloth, and went into the temple of the Lord. He send Eliakim, the master of the palace, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, wrapped in sackcloth, to tell the prophet Isaiah...

In Isaiah 36, the commander of the Assyrian army was taunting the people of King Hezekiah's command, taunting the Lord, trying to convince them to allow the Assyrian army to lead them. He was trying to get them to doubt the Lord's strength and protection. When Hezekiah heard this, he humbled himself by tearing his clothes. Clothing at this time was a very valuable object. They didn't have manufacturing plants spewing out thousands of shirts at a time. Each was done by hand and took time, effort, and care to make, and because of the small amounts made, each were probably expensive. So people had a very limited wardrobe. So for one to tear their clothes, it shows just how truly distressed they were. Then, putting on sackcloth, think of the bags potatoes come in, it is showing just how low they are putting themselves. They are choosing to put on something not comfortable to show the pain they were in. 

Hezekiah did this to himself and his men to show their humility before the Lord. They wanted God to know how broken they felt that another country was belittling Him, and how afraid they were of this outside force that was trying to attack them. If they would have gone in the temple with their nice fabrics on, they would still be holding on to some worldly comfort. Instead, they were purposeful in the actions, showing that they have let go of comfort in hopes that God will bestow grace and mercy upon them. The king and high of his court humbled themselves before the Lord, showing their repentance, and asking for mercy. 

Humility is a virtue. It pops up quite often in the Bible. We too should be purposeful when asking God for forgiveness.  Yes he knows what we need, but if we won't show humility by removing our comforts before presenting ourselves to Him, and truly lay our hearts out before him, and ask him, he doesn't have to intervene. He is the maker of the Universe. He deserves our utmost respect and humility to show he we are truly devoted, truly sorry, and truly wanting his help. 

Lord, I pray for those who don't know you or who don't want to know you. You have given us so many chances to repent and ask for forgivness. I pray that the people will see in their hearts that you are their God and know what is best for them before it is too late. I thank you for all the times you have helped me back up after I have fallen. It is through you alone that I have made it. Praise be your name. 

Who is Leading Your Army? (Isaiah 36)

Isaiah 36:4b On what do you base this confidence of yours?

Isaiah 36:7 But if you say to me: “We rely on the Lord, our God,” is he not the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed?

This is one of the battles Isaiah had been preaching to Judah about. Assyria came down and was trying to convince King Hezekiah to ally with Assyria and not Egypt, even saying they should not trust in the Lord for help. The commander of Assyria several times tried to goad the representatives of Hezekiah and Judah by mentioning them trusting in the Lord. He claims the Lord would be insulted because Hezekiah removed the high temples and altars, but those were illegal sanctuaries and Hezekiah removed them in the name of the Lord. 

The commander even claimed the Lord had told him to come down and destroy the land. He tried to tell the people not to listen to Hezekiah’s words of trusting in the Lord, and to trust in the Assyrian army instead. The Assyrians wanted to have claim over Judah, and not let Egypt take them. 

We have this same struggle in our lives today. Who do you trust when things begin to darken? Do you trust the people around you? The media? The things you have? In God alone, in good times and bad, is where our trust should be. He is on our side in every battle. We just have to call for his help. 

Lord you fight my every battles, and I praise your name. They don’t always end the way I would have wanted, but Lord, I know your will is always better. Thank you for loving me enough to continue to fight for me. 

Road to Heaven (Isaiah 35)

Isaiah 35:8, 9b-10 A highway will be there, called the holy way; no one unclean may pass over it, nor fools go straight on it... It is for those with a journey to make, and on the redeemed will work. Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee.

After hanging a few days of doom and gloom, it is joyous to hear these words. Even as I read the aloud, my heart lightened and filled with joy. We, the believers, are called to be strong and fear not. God will come with unburden us and save us. We will be set free from the chains of the world and go into everlasting glory. 

Now I am full aware that this may not be in my lifetime, not my children’s children’s lifetime. But is so good to know that the Lord has a plan set forth for those who believe. Yes there will be suffering before redemption, but God will redeem his people. He will clear a way for us to walk straight to him and there will be no more sorrow or mourning. 

Lord, I praise you for all the gifts you have bestowed upon me. I know that without you, without the Holy Spirit, without the Son, I would be nothing. It is through Jesus death and resurrection I am forgiven. It is through the Holy Spirit, I can praise you with my gifts. And it is through your love I am allowed to be here. Praise be to God, my father. 

Judgement (Isaiah 34)

Isaiah 34:2 The Lord is angry with all the nations and is wrathful against all their host; he has doomed them and given them over to slaughter. 

Isaiah does paint a very scary picture for what is coming at the final judgement. For those who choose to not believe, who choose to not follow God’s laws, who chose hate over love, they have much to fear.

“The mountains shall run with their blood...” (v3b)

“The Lord has a sword filled with blood, greasy with fat...” (v6)

Our God is a vengeful God. He wants all of us, and does not like to share. He will bring the earth to an end without a second thought. Isaiah has given plenty of warnings for the people to get their act together. We have have plenty of time to fix our hearts. So when it begins, we really have no right to be surprised. 

I’m not meaning to be disrespectful at all, but verse 4 stating, “the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll...” made me envision God rolling up the heavens, like a newspaper, to smack us. And boy would the world be deserving of it. 

But as the last line of Revelations says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.” For those who believe, with all their heart, that God is our Lord and Jesus is our Savior, there is nothing to fear. God’s grace will be on us.

Lord I thank you for the grace you bestow upon your believers. I pray for those who are in my life that do not know you or choose to not know you. I pray for their salvation so they may also join you in heaven. Amen

God Loves Us (Isaiah 33)

 Isaiah 33:2 O Lord, have pity on us, for you we wait. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of trouble.

After the Israelites had been brought low, after they realized their terrible mistake of doubting the Lord, after he nearly crushed the people, they saw their error in not trusting him. But they had to be brought down first. They had to be left to crumble in their own holes they made. The Lord couldn’t make them love Him, as he can’t make us. He wants us to with our own free will. Sometimes to find Him, we have to hit rock bottom first before we realize he was right there all along.

I had been engaged before my husband. I thought I was in love, and I might truly have been. This man and I were not living according to God’s teaching, though we tried to lead a group of people in His word. I didn’t realize just how far from God we really were. I clung on to this relationship with every strength I had, not trusting in God. This was all I knew. When that man ended it, I was devastated. I didn’t turn to God for safe keeping as I was not in the place I needed to be. I met my future husband, and we didn’t start on any better path than I had been before. And soon, another door slammed in my face. Not quite like before, but again I was devastated. Everything I had known and planned suddenly came to a halt. But this time, the Lord gave me a glimmer of hope. And I clung to that. And so slowly, I learned to turn to God to fill those voids in my life. And I can now see the err of my ways, but then it wasn’t possible for me to admit them. I hope to be able to use my wrong paths to help guide my children on how to seek and find God’s love instead of love of the world. 

Lord, I am sorry for doubting your power and control. I am so thankful you are in control, because this world gets overwhelming. Thank you for your everlasting grace and mercy to those who believe. 

Where is Your Heart? (Isaiah 32)

Isaiah 32:9 O complacent ladies, rise up and hear my voice, overconfident women give heed to my words.

God was calling to the women of the time to rise out of their self-satisfied ways and prepare for the righteous king. They lived with a false security, thinking nothing of potential harm. They allowed their desires of the flesh to control them. Had they been living with God in their hearts, there would have been no need to speak to them about getting their act together. 

As Christian women, we should be preparing the way for our children, teaching them how to live a Christian life by living it. We should be showing how to turn away from earthly desires and focusing on spiritual desires. We need to show them how to walk with the King. We cannot show how to do the right thing if we are living in the wrong. 

We can only live without fear if we have God and the Holy Spirit guiding our hearts. And they cannot guide our heart if there is other things filling it. 

Lord I pray you help me keep my heart open and pure for your guidance. That with the Holy Spirit, I can live in righteousness and peace. I cannot do it without you, Lord. 

Trust in God (Isaiah 31)

Isaiah 31:3 The Egyptians are men, not God, their horses are flesh, not spirit.

The Israelites kept turning to men to help them in their time of need.  Isaiah tried to get them to understand  that the Egyptians were men only, and not God. They thought using the power of the Egyptian army would help them in battle. They did not trust in a God’s word. Men die. Horses falter. God is forever. 

It’s easy to trust in money, a job, the stock market, a friend, a man’s word, etc. But all those things can change in the drop of a hat. God is the one who is alway by our side. He will help us fight our battles when we trust in him. Our God is forever. He is what has been, what is, and what always will be. It is so tempting to trust in the here and now when we can’t see what’s ahead. He knows you. He knows what you need more than you know yourself. Trust in him. 

Lord, I first turn to you in times of trouble. I give you my worries and fears so the devil doesn’t use them against me. Thank you for hearing me. Thank you for leading this battle. 

Bread of Life (Isaiah 30)

 Isaiah 30:20 The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst.

I am always in awe when we come across these prophecies in the Old Testament. Not that the New Testament and Jesus himself doesn’t end all questioning about the truth, but finding little nuggets of future truth in the Old writings, predating Jesus, helps to solidify that he was meant to come. That God indeed planned for his coming to earth years before it happened. 

In the book of John 4, he tells the woman at the well, “...whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I give will become in him a spring of water welling up to terns life.” And in chapter 6, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” We just celebrated Lent and Easter. We know Jesus IS the bread of life for us, because he told us so before he gave his life for us. 

God promised his people all these things years before Jesus came. They just had to believe and wait, knowing their future was in God’s hands if they did. Sometimes they did try to move ahead of ahead of God, seeking help from man, and it never ended well for them. We too must be patient for the promises God offers us. He knows what he is doing, he has been doing it for a millennia. 

Hypocrisy (Isaiah 29)

Isaiah 29:13 This people draws near with words only and honors me with their lips alone, though their hearts are from me, and their reverence for me has become routine observance of the precepts of men...

Have you never known someone who was friendly to you only to try to get close to you for a specific reason? I had a girl who tried to become friends with me, or at least acted friendly with me only to learn more about someone else. She tried to use me as a front to make herself look better to others, or because she was trying to get gossip about others. She was only ever friendly when she wanted something. 

Have you ever acted that way with God? Made yourself look and appear to be closer to him than you really are just so people think better about you? Jesus commented on the hypocrites in the temple that followed word alone, that did rituals out of obligation, but not out of love. We should follow God because we love him, because we want to be close to him. Not because we have to or because it makes us look better to someone else (or on paper). Don’t cheat yourself out of a wonderful relationship with our Lord. If you say you are close with him, then allow yourself to be close. Allow yourself to truly open up to his word and love. It will change your world.

Lord, I pray that people can see you through me, but I am not asking for them to see me. Only you Lord.

Foundation problems? (Isaiah 28)

Isaiah 28:16 Therefore, this says the Lord God: See, I am laying a stone in Zion, a stone that has been tested. A precious cornerstone as a sure foundation; he who puts his faith in it shall not be shaken.

This me reminds me of a song I learned when I was young, in our summer religion camp.

“Peter built the church on the rock of our faith; his banner over me is love.”

That ‘rock of our faith’ is Jesus. The church was built on our faith that Jesus is the Savior, the son of God and God is our father, almighty, all-knowing, ever present. The very center of our being should always be focused on God, just as the very center of church is focused on Jesus and his death for us. 

I have friends whose houses are starting to show signs of foundation problems. They are noticing some cracks in the walls. Cracks in basements or bottoms of the walls are because of water pressure impacts. Other issues of foundation problems are sinking or upheaval foundation, doors that stick or don’t open properly, gaps around window frames, sagging floors, a damp crawl space, or even cabinets separating from the walls. 

If you think about it, each one of these actual foundation problems can be used figuratively in our lives. If we don’t have a good foundation in our life, we will begin to see cracks caused by external pressure. Parts of our lives will seem to start to sink. We will come upon things that are hard to get through or we can’t seem to get out of because we are stuck. We will start to feel the calls of those consumed by the world, trying to fill our heads with empty promises. We will just start to feel in a slump, like our world is beginning to fall apart. 

Being in the world, it is easy to let ourselves get consumed by the world. It is easy to start having good days, and forget who gave them to us. The world is full of empty promises and lies. Nothing can hold us steady like our solid foundation from which we were built. Nothing in the world is permanent. We all wither away at some point. The greater question, instead of “does this make me happy now,” should be, “does this make God happy?” Because he is the one in control of our eternal destination. With our mind focused on Jesus, with keeping Jesus as our one, true foundation, our future will be built strong and firm. 

Lord, thank you for giving us your son to build your church on. Thank you for always calling us back home. Thank you for the freedom we here in America have to worship you freely. Thank you for all our blessings. Amen.

On That Day (Isaiah 27)

 Isaiah 27:1, 2, 12 & 13 all being with “On that day,” and we are reminded of the judgement of the Lord against Satan and all evil. The Lord will punish [Satan] with his sword. He will glean the people as farmers glean grain from a field, taking only the good and leaving the bad to rot. And a great trumpet will blow to call all the lost sheep home. 

On that day, it will be wonderful. But until that day, we must know and keep the Lord first in our lives. We don’t know when that day will be, so we must stand firm against evil and it’s scheming every single day until then. And I have a feeling as that day does get closer, Satan will get a lot trickier with his lies, trying to get us to believe the sins we are in aren’t so bad. He will try to get us to turn to the world’s beliefs instead of the church’s. And those are two VERY different set of beliefs. 

If we continue daily to put on our armor against Satan and the desires of the flesh, we will always be one step closer. We will be ready when God calls. And though the final judgement may not happen in our lifetime, it is our duty to prepare ourselves and prepare our children. 

Lord, thank you for wanting to create me. I am here for a reason. You make no mistakes. You have a design for me. Lord, your will be done, for I am your servant. Thank you for the blessings you have bestowed upon my family and myself. I pray you are always by my side as I face the world. Amen.  

What do you trust? (Isaiah 26)

 Isaiah 26:4 Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal Rock.

As we go through life, there will be ups and downs. In those times, what we choose to trust, what we choose to follow will make a big difference in the outcome of the situation. A big example is professional sports players, who get these ridiculously huge contracts. They are a great player and think they will be able to make this money forever. So they spend it on extravagant houses, cars, etc. They put their trust in themselves, their ability, their money. Then something happens, and they are unable to play anymore. Or even before that, they realize they have spent all their money, or for whatever other reason they try to sell that extravagant house and can't. They are not bankrupt. Had they put their trust in the Lord first, maybe they wouldn't have been brought down, tumbled to the ground. 

In our everyday lives, we also need to be aware of where we put our trust. God is the only one who can truly fill every want we have and every desire. He is the only who can fill all those empty crevices in our life, where we keep trying to do new things to fill a void. Trusting in God will lay out the path to eternal happiness.

Lord I will place you first in my thoughts and in my life. I trust in the path you have me on, that it will not falter, but even if I stumble, you will be there to catch me. 

He Brings Joy (Isaiah 25)

 Isaiah 25:1b For you have fulfilled your wonderful plans of old, faithful and true.
            25:4 For you are a refuge to the poor, a refuse to the needy in distress.
            25:9b This is the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!

Inasmuch as Chapter 24 predicted the destruction of the evil world, Chapter 25 tells about the goodness of our God towards those who love him. He will fulfill his promises, both of destruction and of resurrection. We can look to our God as a refuge when we are in distress, as a sanctuary when we are broken. He has promised to save us, and he always follows through with his promises. 

We must trust his plan for our life. We must acknowledge that it won't alway go according to "our plan," but God's plan is infinitely better. He sees the bigger picture, where as we only see a speck in front of us. Even when it gets hard and it looks dark ahead, we must trust in God's goodness and continue to praise his name. 

It's funny if you think about times in your past that something wonderful happened, and now looking back, you can see God's hand in it. At the time, though you may have been second guessing your decision or how things were playing out. Whether it was a wonderfully unexpected surprise, or peace after loss, if you look hard enough, you will recognize God was in fact by your side throughout it all. He never leaves us. It is us who choose not to see him there. 

Lord, I continue to praise you in all your glory. Thank you for all that you have opened for us in our new chapter of life. Thank you for closing the doors that needed to be closed. Thank you for being with us. I praise your name. Amen. 

Devastation (Isaiah 24)

Isaiah 24:3-5 The earth it utterly laid waste, utterly stripped, for the Lord has decreed this thing. The earth mourns and fades, the world languishes and fades; both heaven and earth languish. The earth is polluted because of its inhabitants, who have transgressed laws, violated statutes, broken the ancient covenant. 

Isaiah is foretelling the final judgement, the Great Tribulation, so the people understand their ways will only lead them to destruction. He paints a pretty gloomy picture in this chapter, "earth is polluted," "wine mourns, vine languishes," "broken down is the city of chaos," "all joy has disappeared," "nothing remains but ruin." Verse 19 gives a visualization of what will be felt that day, "The earth will burst asunder, the earth will be shaken apart, the earth will be convulsed." No one will be immune from God's judgement, so God will likely take those who are redeemed away before the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21-22). 

What will happen will be the fault of man. God has given us so many chances. He has written his words in stone. He has given us prophets. He blessed us by giving us his only son, who death was to save the world from sin. Yet the world kept in their ways, and is continued to be stricken with darkness and evil. If we keep allowing our children to hear themes of "Just do it," "Find your own road," "we are outside the mold," etc. how do we expect them to armor themselves to fight for God's truth? The world is constantly trying to making God's laws lighter and easier, trying to change them to make our choices and desires more comfortable. 

It is never too late to change our ways. We have just celebrated Jesus's resurrection at Easter. We should rise each morning, thanking God for his blessing of a new day, and asking for him and St. Michael the Archangel to defend us in our daily battles. God so wants us to love and trust his will. We need to open our eyes and our hearts to Him and realize He will have the final word. 

Lent 2021

 We have concluded another Lent season and are celebrating the Easter season! This Lent season was very full for us this year. We all made our sacrifices, though not as good as would have liked. This year, the kids and I made a sacrifice crown (instead of just doing beans in a jar for each sacrifice). They really enjoyed it and looked for ways to be able to remove a thorn from the crown. I used a salt dough to make ours instead of playdoh.

During Holy Week, we had our own washing of the feet, Last Supper and Passion Friday meals. We also watched the Great Adventure Stories The Easter Story, and the kids had a much better idea with the visual of Jesus's Passion. My youngest kept making great comments about how she had heard that in Mass the last week. I found all these ideas on catholicicing.org

For Easter, we did color eggs and I explained how eggs are a symbol of new life, just as Jesus's resurrection was. We did an egg "pocking" with those eggs, where you tap the ends of two eggs together and see whose egg doesn't crack. All eggs were turned into egg salad sandwiches. LOL We made some resurrection rolls and cookies for Easter morning. It was such a great week and I loved watching my kids grown in faith.

In the middle of Lent, during our kids Spring break, the kids and I drove down to Louisiana so I could drop the kids at my parents for a few days while Shawn and I (he flew into Lafayette) could drive over to Hattiesburg and look at houses there. We did come away with a contract on a beautiful house, that I have been praying over every day since. I know God is watching over us and will continue to take care of us throughout this entire moving chapter.