S) "3 Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.
4 Say to those with anxious heart,
'Take courage, fear not.
Behold, your God will come with vengeance;
The recompense of God will come,
But He will save you.'"
Isaiah 35:3-4 (NASB)
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read Isaiah 35
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read Isaiah 35
O) The heart of this chapter is the character God and His love for His people. In this, we see an instruction here that cannot be taken for granted. Even among God's own people, there are those who still need to hear testimony about the goodness of their God. Even with the amazing history of God's grace, redemption, provision, and healing, we see over and over that there were people of Israel who struggled to believe. This is different that those who were simply rebellious against God. For rebels against God, there were still plenty of warnings. But here, these verses are not a warning that the exhausted, feeble, and anxious should turn away from disbelief, as if they were obstinate. This encouragement is for those who want to believe, who have been fighting, who have been struggling, who have been holding on to whatever shreds of hope they can.
A) Sometimes life gets very tough. For myself, I think a lot of that came in my youth and young adulthood. There were times when all the world seemed stacked against me. But through it all, God consistently had His hand over me. If I wasn't sheltered in some way, He also seemed to have messengers for me throughout my life, in my most difficult times. It's hard to describe, but in a string of events that are nothing less than pure grace and divine intervention, I have always had the faith to believe that God is still for me and hope is still in front of me. There were certainly times that were harder than others, but I don't think I ever lost sight of hope. However, I have also seen people lose hope in God by droves. I have seen people whose lives are in shambles, who know God and have seen His goodness, who somehow forget who He is and what He has done. In these dire circumstances, this is where I should step in and be a mouthpiece of God's love, truth, and hope. Marriages on the brink of divorce, kids who are running amuck, unemployment, lost loved ones... these are very real struggles that people face, including Christians. In such dark times, the thing that differentiates a Christian from a non-Christian, is that the Christian can cling to a hope, that is secured by promises, that are given by a faithful One, who is sovereign over all creation. But, sometimes it's hard to remember to hope when the promises are forgotten. It's hard to remember the promises when we aren't in communion with the faithful One. It's hard to commune with Him when creation itself seems to be against us. That's where other Christians must enter, where I must enter. I need to be willing, available, and discerning. I must be prepared by keeping hope firmly in focus in my own life. I must be in the Word daily, reading and remembering the faithful promises of God, and being in communion with God, to remember the One who promised and what He promised. So often, I think of a verse like 1 Peter 3:15, and I think of the atheist who is facing a hard time. I need to remember that, sometimes, Christians need to hear the gospel, too.
P) Father, the grace that has been in my life, even from my youth until now, it humbles me. I am especially humbled, when I think of others who have real crises of faith in the face of their own hardships. When I remember how faithfully You have always been with me, and how many people have spoken hope into my life in the midst of my own struggles, I am eager to play the same role in the lives of others. God, let me be prepared to share hope, peace, and love with others. Let me be especially aware of my brothers and sisters in Christ, who are struggling to believe. Let me see those who are holding on with their last strength, clinging to hope however they can. Let me be an encouragement to them and strengthen them, not based on my own wisdom or skills, but with my testimony of Your goodness. Let me be a hopeful reminder to them of Your promises, Your faithfulness, and Your sovereignty. Please bless those who have played this part in my life, Lord. Let me be obedient to Your instruction to lift up my brothers and sisters, starting within my own home, and certainly within my life group and local church. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
A) Sometimes life gets very tough. For myself, I think a lot of that came in my youth and young adulthood. There were times when all the world seemed stacked against me. But through it all, God consistently had His hand over me. If I wasn't sheltered in some way, He also seemed to have messengers for me throughout my life, in my most difficult times. It's hard to describe, but in a string of events that are nothing less than pure grace and divine intervention, I have always had the faith to believe that God is still for me and hope is still in front of me. There were certainly times that were harder than others, but I don't think I ever lost sight of hope. However, I have also seen people lose hope in God by droves. I have seen people whose lives are in shambles, who know God and have seen His goodness, who somehow forget who He is and what He has done. In these dire circumstances, this is where I should step in and be a mouthpiece of God's love, truth, and hope. Marriages on the brink of divorce, kids who are running amuck, unemployment, lost loved ones... these are very real struggles that people face, including Christians. In such dark times, the thing that differentiates a Christian from a non-Christian, is that the Christian can cling to a hope, that is secured by promises, that are given by a faithful One, who is sovereign over all creation. But, sometimes it's hard to remember to hope when the promises are forgotten. It's hard to remember the promises when we aren't in communion with the faithful One. It's hard to commune with Him when creation itself seems to be against us. That's where other Christians must enter, where I must enter. I need to be willing, available, and discerning. I must be prepared by keeping hope firmly in focus in my own life. I must be in the Word daily, reading and remembering the faithful promises of God, and being in communion with God, to remember the One who promised and what He promised. So often, I think of a verse like 1 Peter 3:15, and I think of the atheist who is facing a hard time. I need to remember that, sometimes, Christians need to hear the gospel, too.
P) Father, the grace that has been in my life, even from my youth until now, it humbles me. I am especially humbled, when I think of others who have real crises of faith in the face of their own hardships. When I remember how faithfully You have always been with me, and how many people have spoken hope into my life in the midst of my own struggles, I am eager to play the same role in the lives of others. God, let me be prepared to share hope, peace, and love with others. Let me be especially aware of my brothers and sisters in Christ, who are struggling to believe. Let me see those who are holding on with their last strength, clinging to hope however they can. Let me be an encouragement to them and strengthen them, not based on my own wisdom or skills, but with my testimony of Your goodness. Let me be a hopeful reminder to them of Your promises, Your faithfulness, and Your sovereignty. Please bless those who have played this part in my life, Lord. Let me be obedient to Your instruction to lift up my brothers and sisters, starting within my own home, and certainly within my life group and local church. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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