God of All (Isaiah 56)

 Isaiah 56:7b For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.

Isaiah was telling that God wanted all people of all nations to join together and serve him. Not just people in Israel, but everyone. At the time, the people of Israel thought they were the only ones God accepted, and here is he putting them straight. He specifically draws attention to foreigners and eunuchs, that if they hold obedience to the word, he will receive them. 

Back in the time of Moses, eunuchs were not allowed to be admitted into the community (Deut. 23:1) specifically because they could not procreate. There were also specific rules about people from certain places outside of the Israelites who could not join because of previous unkind things done to the Israelites. But here, God is saying that anyone who “observes the sabbaths and choose what pleases me” will be blessed by God. 

Our God is a god for all. He wants to be THE God for all those who choose to follow him. If people are willing to lay down their worldly beliefs and follow God’s law, no matter their background, God wants to welcome them into his own. And through Jesus’s death and resurrection, we have the ability to be forgiven for our past sins, no matter what they are, as long as we truly want to repent. And that, my friends, is proof that our God, the one God is awesome. 

His Ways are Better (Isaiah 55)

Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. 

God is very bluntly saying he does NOT think like we do. Neither does he act the way we do.  His thoughts and actions are on a much larger scale. God made us in hie image, but he did not create us exactly as himself. That shouldn’t keep us from seeking God, but instead should humble us into realizing we are not God. We do not get the all knowing power of God. We do not get to know what our future will hold. God gave us power in choice. We have the ability to make a choice between good and evil. With that power also comes consequences. 

I have gotten mad before when God didn’t do what I thought was best. For instance, when an ex fiancé walked away, and I promised God everything to get him back. Now as a wife and mother of three (not to the ex, but someone so much better), I am beginning to understand that God sees things so much better than I do. What I see as a forest fire, he sees as smoldering embers. I need to trust that he will always know what is best for me, and let him guide me. His ways are better for you too, so let him guide you.

Lord, thank you for keeping me humble when I get too haughty. Thank you for teaching me daily the ways to heaven. I praise your glorious name for your everlasting mercy and grace. 

His Love Never Leaves (Isaiah 54)

Isaiah 54:10 Though the mountains leave their place and the hills be shaken my love shall never leave you nor my covenant of peace be shaken, says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

As summer is here, and we are nearer to the coast, we are once again alert to the tropical season. I am fully aware of the destruction hurricanes can bring, as we lost our childhood home to hurricane Rita in 2005. My kids have watched a few documentaries in Katrina and Rita, and saw the awesome and terrifying power these storms can unleash. But through all the destruction, the greatest thing we learned is that God had not abandoned us. That is what I am using the television part to teach my kids. Even though the ground was flooded, and things were lost, as it says here in Isaiah 54, God’s love never left us. 

It is good to be prepared for bad weather, because it can occur all over at any time. But we shouldn’t be fearful of it. Prepare your house as you prepare you heart. Be ready for the storm as we ready ourselves for daily battle against the devil. And then we put our faith in God and remember things are just things. God will take care of us in the end, even if it is helping up pick up our shattered pieces. 

Lord you are an awesome God. Almighty and ever powerful. Thank you for never leaving me, though I have turned my back on you at times. Your love for me is unending, and I pray that my praise and work in your name is enough to deserve your love. Please watch over us this summer as we continue to adjust to our new life. Glory to you, Lord God of heaven and earth.

Draw People to Him (Isaiah 53)

Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. 

When I read this, I think back to watching The Passion movie. Every year, we read the story of Jesus’ Passion at Easter,  yet it wasn’t until I saw a movie depicting the abuse Jesus endured that it really stuck. Watching him endure the abuse for my offenses really brings to light God’s love for me. And now every Easter when we read the Passion section of the gospel aloud at Mass, it brings me to tears because I see the images in my mind. 

Through his suffering, our sins were forgiven. “By his stripes, we were healed.” Isaiah knew what would come. He prophesied the suffering of the Lord long before it would happen. He know the people would fall from God again and again. And sadly, even though we have the written stories, the world still, falls from God.  God used his only son to bring redemption to the world. He didn’t use a Hollywood actor (not that they had them back then), or someone as beautiful as Saul, David, or Joseph (all have descriptions of being handsome). He didn’t want people to be attracted to Jesus just because he looked good or was high fashion. He wanted their hearts to be turned because of the word. 

We have many places in the Bible where we are told we do NOT need to look extraordinary to help spread God’s word.  Remind yourself that you are just as worthy as anyone else to spread the gospel. We can’t be martyrs like Jesus, but we can use what God gifts has given us to draw people to him as Jesus did. 

1 Peter 3:3-4 Do not let your adorning be external the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

Proverbs 31:30-31 Charm is deceitful and beauty fades; but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised. Reward her for her work let her actions result in public praise.

I am Redeemed (Isaiah 52)

Isaiah 52:1-2 Awake awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; put on your glorious garments, O Jerusalem, holy city. No longer show the uncircumcised or the unclean enter you. Shake off the dust, ascend to the throne, Jerusalem; O captive daughter Zion!

God has fulfilled his promises. He cast judgement on Jerusalem, but that time is over. Jerusalem has been set free. The people can now take off their mourning clothes and put on their clothes of beauty and glory. 

God certainly has fulfilled his promises to us. He redeemed us without money, but the price was so much more great. He redeemed us with the blood of his son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Through that redemption, we are set free. So we can take of the chains of sin and put on our clothes of beauty. We shake off the dust and celebrate our redemption every day. We can can shout with joy, “our God is King,” and spread the good news. 

We need to make a commitment to separate ourselves from the things of the world that tempt us to separate from God. Most of them we don’t even realize are doing that, yet that is how the devil is working against us. Using books, social media, news, etc., to bring false hopes or desires into our heart. 

Lord, give me the strength to follow you away from the desires of the world. Help guard my heart against the temptations of the devil, so that I may always celebration my redemption through Jesus.

Allow the Joy (Isaiah 51)

 Isaiah 51:11 Those whom the Lord has ransomed shall return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee. 

God will defeat every enemy and remove every obstacle in our life. It may not be in a manner or speed we would prefer, but he will win the battle. And once it is done, we will have everlasting joy. This is a promise that can be fulfilled now and at our eternal rest. 

Sometimes the obstacles in our lives are put there by ourselves. We allow things to take over our lives, causing us to overbook our schedules, and then we are running around frustrated that we have no time to rest. But we did it to ourselves. We won’t have to enroll in every class, or put our kids in every sport/activity. We shouldn’t try to “keep up with the Jones’s,” if it means it is pulling us away from God’s word. If our busyness is causing us to be flustered, and rushed, and more angry with those around us, then the easiest way to fix it is to remove an obstacle. Don’t overstretch your abilities. Don’t add more chains by allowing anger to become acceptable just because you are too busy. Ask for help with carpooling, or just say no when someone asks for one more activity. Break the chains that are holding you.

There are so many more obstacles in life, but this was an easy one to think of because it’s summer, and kids activities are in full swing. 

Don’t let an over scheduled life interfere with the joy God has ready for you right now. Make yourself pause daily,  your hearts fully to him, and welcome him in. Don’t let anxiety take your joy. God has ransomed you. Enjoy the life he wants you to have. With him at the center, it will be full already. Allow the joy he is offering to take over.

Tired, Beaten, and Broken (Isaiah 50)

Isaiah 50:6 I give my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who tore out my beard; my face I did not hide from insults and spitting. 

Perseverance. Meaning persisting in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Jesus persevered in spreading God’s word despite knowing how people pushed against him. Despite the hate. Despite knowing how it would end. He willfully obeyed God all the way to his death for us. Again, he suffered, grew tired, was beaten, and broken FOR US. He did this for us even though he knew we may turn our backs. Even though he knew we may continue to push against his love. He continued on this path just because he loved us. 

That breaks my heart. 

What kind of love that must be. To truly give oneself completely, including death on a cross. 

And I complain when I’m tired. I complain after long hours and days of packing and unpacking. I complain after needing a break from hearing “mom” 10,000 times. I grow tired and weary from putting on a happy face. From pretending to be ok all the time. When I feel I am at my limit, I do not persevere. I break and I give in. 

Lord, I long to be more like Jesus. I want to be more humble, and put others before myself. I want to continue along the road you have given me, even when I am tired and weary. I want to say, “yes,” like Mary did. I want to push on. I pray that you continue to be with me every day, just as you were the day before. Thank you for walking with me, Lord. 

When We Feel Forgotten (Isaiah 49)

Isaiah 49:1b The Lord called me from birth, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name. 

Isaiah 49:4 Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength, yet my reward is with the Lord, my recompense with God. 

There are times in life where we might feel unimportant. No matter how hard we seem to work at something, we may not feel it recognized. We may feel forgotten, unseen. Whether it is at work, at home, in the community, in the church, we can feel overlooked no matter what we have put into that job. 

God has never forgotten us. He knew us before he made us, then he called us from birth. We were his long before we were ourselves. And God sees everything. We should be doing everything for his glory and not for our own recognition. He sees how hard we are working at our job. He sees how much we put in as a mother. He knows what efforts we put back into our community. And he is with us as we volunteer for the church. We will get our rewards and our praise, friend. It may not be until we are at his door, but God’s compensation is greater than any monetary or thanks received on earth. 

Lord, I trust in you. On my good days and bad, I continue to trust in you. I pray that you help me continue to put my trust in you every single day. Though I feel unimportant in my days, I know you value everything I do, Lord. Thank you for the graces I have received and I will continue to praise you in my roles you have bestowed upon me. 

Are You Listening? (Isaiah 48)

Isaiah 48:18 If you would hearken to my commandments, your prosperity would be like a river, and your vindication like the waves of the sea

God was telling the Israelites that he had given them the future in his words. He had already told the of the trouble that would come through his prophets. But they refused to listen and still turned to other idols. Now he is again saying if they would just listen to his word, they would prosper.

How many times have I asked my children, “Are you listening?” When I ask them to do a chore, and yet they don’t hear me. Really they do,  it choose to pretend like they don’t because they want to do whatever they are doing. So many times I say, “It’s easier to hear me the first time and do what is asked, instead of getting in trouble for not listening.”

So many times as an adult, it also seems easier to do what we want instead of what is right. Or what we are called to do. And so we try to continue on our own and wonder why things aren’t going as planned. Or why it seems we end up in some kind of trouble. If we stop and listen to God’s word, or even ask for his help, we will see that he knows better and will make our plans grow. He did not let the Israelites thirst in dry land, and he will not have us thirst either. He offers us the water of everlasting life through Jesus. He wants us to never be thirsty again. We just need to listen to his word.

He Sees All (Isaiah 47)

Isaiah 47:10 Because you felt secure in your wickedness, and said, “No one sees me.”

This chapter is referring to Babylon, whose people thought they were above all else. They were a wicked people, trusting in sorcery and astrology instead of God. They acted as if none of their sins would harm them. Lo and behold, God will put the wicked down. 

Most children will try to hide their mistakes. They think if no one saw them, then they won’t get in trouble. Young believers and non believers are the same. They don’t understand that God is everywhere. If he knows every hair on our head, and knew us before we were even formed, certainly he knows when we lied or cheated or said something in gossip. 

God knows our prayers before we ask (Matthew 6:8) he just wants us to humble ourselves and ask. He knows what we will do today, tomorrow, and in the future (Psalm 139:16), but he allows us to make those choices. He knows what we do in public and private. Nothing is done in darkness. There is nothing we can hide. So when one purposefully makes an evil choice or chooses to live a lie, thinking they aren’t seen, they sever their relationship with God. 

Thankfully, Jesus’s death and resurrection gives us grace. We can come back to God and ask for forgiveness. Don’t continue your way in the dark. Jesus is the light. 

Just Breathe (Isaiah 46)

Isaiah 46:9 I am God, there is no other; I am God, there is none like me. 

It is so easy to walk through life and forget things. Our minds become so busy and focused on other matters, that some things just slip our mind. Where did I leave my keys? Where did I put my phone down? Where did I leave the other sock? What was I just thinking about? 

This same is true with our thoughts of God. We get so caught up in our day, we forget to stop and give Him praise and glory. First thing in the morning, regardless of how much you overslept, regardless of how little you slept, just breathe and thank Him for allowing you to wake up. We don’t honestly know when our last morning will be. During the day, on your commute, when that car slams his breaks, or almost hits you, just breathe and thank God that He was with you. In the evening, when you are overwhelmed and all the kids are yelling, and there is food on the floor, and dinner was burnt, just breathe and praise God. Praise him that you have a family to tend to. Praise him that you have a home to tend to. Praise him that you have food in your belly. 

There are plenty of times to give God thanks during the day. There is no other God like him, so we should find ways to say thank you more often. Turn away from our man made idols (work, money, TV, social media, etc), and give praise to God for day. Truly open your heart and listen for his word. Then be the light for others to find Him. 

Trust the Potter (Isaiah 45)

Isaiah 45:9 Woe to him who contends with his Maker... Dare the clay say to its modeler, “what are you doing?” Or, “what you are making has no hands?”

Who are we to challenge what God has created? God knows what is best for us, and he created us specifically for certain roles. Who are we to argue with the Creator? Instead of trying to change ourselves to fit the world, we need to change ourselves to be images of Jesus. God made each of us unique. I have a preteen, and I know the issues of beauty and appearance will come up. I have already been teaching her that God made her the way she is for a reason. She is smaller than most kids her age, and it is a struggle now and then. But she is learning to accept herself. 

We need to be confident in our God given bodies, and stop trying to change how we look to please others, We need to use the gifts God has given us to show his word and light to others. We are here on this earth to mirror Jesus and his works. God molded us into the right form. He is molding us each and every day. Trust in His choice. 

Too busy? (Isaiah 44)

It feels like it’s been forever since Isaiah 43,  it I think it’s just because we have been so busy with moving. We are done and sort of settled in our house in Hattiesburg. I am glad to get back into this study.

Isaiah 44:6 Thus says the Lord, Israel’s King and redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; there is no other a good but me.

This chapter focuses on idol makers. The Lord is asking who is like him. Who could compare to his mighty power? The people know his power, yet something shakes their belief, and they begin to make things they can see to worship. They carve idols out of wood they also use for making dinner. They put no love into the idols they have made, because those idols are nothing. Yet they continue to make them.

We make many idols today, and may not even realize it. I am not talking about the figurines of Jesus or Mary in Christian homes. Those are not idols, as we do not worship the plastic or glass figure. We give praise to our God and God alone. Those figurines are merely a mediator in our prayer to God. I’m talking about the things we put in front of God. We make excuses daily, for example, not having enough time to pray. In the 24 hours of the day, we make and allow idols to take over our time and convince us we don’t even have one minute to praise God. When we need to scroll social media instead of praying, we have made an idol. When we need to finish that novel instead of praying, we have made an idol. When we don’t have time to play with our family because we are too busy with work, we have created an idol. And that is false.  

Think through your day. Are there times you use as excuses, needing a break from work or other business? What is the first thing you do? If it’s not prayer, maybe you need to reconsider your time. I have had to this very same thing. And it is a choice to make time for God first. Remember, God took time to create the universe. And in all his constant busy work, he paused to make you.