Category Archives: All Powerful / King of All

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Though God May Seem Distant, He Simply Waits for His Timing

Sometimes God may seem disengaged from our trials and challenges for a time. However, in His timing, He will come against the enemies of His people. He does so in a way that brings honor and glory to His name.

Take heart and be encouraged if you are in a situation where it feels like God is distant. He has not changed. He is still sovereign. You need only focus on your relationship with God and trust in Him. He will come in His timing.

Isaiah 18

Message to Ethiopia

1Alas, oh land of whirring wings
Which lies beyond the rivers of Cush,

      2Which sends envoys by the sea,
Even in papyrus vessels on the surface of the waters.
Go, swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth,
To a people feared far and wide,
A powerful and oppressive nation
Whose land the rivers divide.

      3All you inhabitants of the world and dwellers on earth,
As soon as a standard is raised on the mountains, you will see it,
And as soon as the trumpet is blown, you will hear it.

4For thus the LORD has told me,
“I will look from My dwelling place quietly
Like dazzling heat in the sunshine,
Like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”

      5For before the harvest, as soon as the bud blossoms
And the flower becomes a ripening grape,
Then He will cut off the sprigs with pruning knives
And remove and cut away the spreading branches.

      6They will be left together for mountain birds of prey,
And for the beasts of the earth;
And the birds of prey will spend the summer feeding on them,
And all the beasts of the earth will spend harvest time on them.

      7At that time a gift of homage will be brought to the LORD of hosts
From a people tall and smooth,
Even from a people feared far and wide,
A powerful and oppressive nation,
Whose land the rivers divide—
To the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, even Mount Zion.

God is always in control. God is always aware of our challenges and cares for us. In some cases, He is using tough situations to grow or shape us or draw us back near to Him. Trust in Him and focus on Him in any trials!

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for Your word. Thank You for the assurance that You will never leave nor forsake us. Thank You that we can trust in You even in difficult times! Thank You that You rescue us in Your timing to accomplish Your purposes, for we know that You love us. I pray this in the name of Yeshua. Amen. 

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Faith / Trusting God, Faithful, Father / Yahweh, Grace / Forgiveness, Hope, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Peace / Rest, Prophecy, Prophecy, Through Prophets, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Have You Ever Felt Overwhelmed?

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the challenges and perhaps enemies you feel are coming before you? I suspect Judah felt that way when Israel and Syria were aligned against them. However, Isaiah 17 reminds us that God is all-powerful. He is able to bring down your enemies before you and remove what obstacles you are facing. Put your faith in the LORD. Follow His ways. Be encouraged.

I think the Matthew Henry Concise commentary includes some good background on Isaiah 17 for those interested. I want to highlight a few sentences in particular to share.

“Happy are those who remember God as their salvation, and rely on his power and grace. The trouble of the believers, and the prosperity of their enemies, will be equally short; while the joy of the former, and the destruction of those that hate and spoil them, shall last for ever.”

Isaiah 17

Prophecy about Damascus

      1The oracle concerning Damascus.
“Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city
And will become a fallen ruin.

      2“The cities of Aroer are forsaken;
They will be for flocks to lie down in,
And there will be no one to frighten them.

      3“The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim,
And sovereignty from Damascus
And the remnant of Aram;
They will be like the glory of the sons of Israel,”
Declares the LORD of hosts.

      4Now in that day the glory of Jacob will fade,
And the fatness of his flesh will become lean.

      5It will be even like the reaper gathering the standing grain,
As his arm harvests the ears,
Or it will be like one gleaning ears of grain
In the valley of Rephaim.

      6Yet gleanings will be left in it like the shaking of an olive tree,
Two or three olives on the topmost bough,
Four or five on the branches of a fruitful tree,
Declares the LORD, the God of Israel.

      7In that day man will have regard for his Maker
And his eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel.

      8He will not have regard for the altars, the work of his hands,
Nor will he look to that which his fingers have made,
Even the Asherim and incense stands.

      9In that day their strong cities will be like forsaken places in the forest,
Or like branches which they abandoned before the sons of Israel;
And the land will be a desolation.

      10For you have forgotten the God of your salvation
And have not remembered the rock of your refuge.
Therefore you plant delightful plants
And set them with vine slips of a strange god.

      11In the day that you plant it you carefully fence it in,
And in the morning you bring your seed to blossom;
But the harvest will be a heap
In a day of sickliness and incurable pain.

      12Alas, the uproar of many peoples
Who roar like the roaring of the seas,
And the rumbling of nations
Who rush on like the rumbling of mighty waters!

      13The nations rumble on like the rumbling of many waters,
But He will rebuke them and they will flee far away,
And be chased like chaff in the mountains before the wind,
Or like whirling dust before a gale.

      14At evening time, behold, there is terror!
Before morning they are no more.
Such will be the portion of those who plunder us
And the lot of those who pillage us.

I want to close by coming back to the point highlighted above from the Matthew Henry Concise commentary.

“Happy are those who remember God as their salvation, and rely on his power and grace. The trouble of the believers, and the prosperity of their enemies, will be equally short; while the joy of the former, and the destruction of those that hate and spoil them, shall last for ever.”

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, help me to remember You are my salvation. Help me to rely on Your power and grace. The trouble of believers and the prosperity of our enemies will be equally short. Our joy as believers will last forever as we draw nearer to You.  Help us to find peace by casting our anxiety and worries upon You for You care for us. I pray this in the name of Yeshua, Amen. 

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Faith / Trusting God, Guide, Learning To Pray Effectively, Protector / Deliverer, Seeking God

Be Real in Your Relationship with the Father

The prayers of David in Psalms are truly worth dwelling on and praying in application to our lives today. He was indeed a man after God’s own heart, and we can learn from his relationship with YHWH. He had a genuine and open dialog with YHWH, which is perfect since YHWH knows everything already, including how we feel.  Let us not feel like we have to “fool” YHWH by putting on pretenses, but rather be real with him about what is going on in our lives. Ask him for help. Praise him. Thank him.

Psalm 141

An Evening Prayer for Sanctification and Protection.

A Psalm of David.

     1O LORD, I call upon You; hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to You!

      2May my prayer be counted as incense before You;
The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.

      3Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.

      4Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice deeds of wickedness
With men who do iniquity;
And do not let me eat of their delicacies.

      5Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me;
It is oil upon the head;
Do not let my head refuse it,
For still my prayer is against their wicked deeds.

      6Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock,
And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.

      7As when one plows and breaks open the earth,
Our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

      8For my eyes are toward You, O GOD, the Lord;
In You I take refuge; do not leave me defenseless.

      9Keep me from the jaws of the trap which they have set for me,
And from the snares of those who do iniquity.

      10Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
While I pass by safely.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Prophecy, Prophecy, Repenting from Sin, Strong in Our Weakness, Submitted / Servant, Through Prophets

God Can Deliver You from Any Circumstance

We can trust in our LORD. He has power over all nations and peoples. Even those whom He uses to discipline us by giving them victory over us, He can in His own timing bring low. He is in control at all times, whether we are on top of the mountain, or down in the valley. He is in control whether we walk in victory or defeat. This is not only true in regard to nations and armies as in Isaiah 14 where God is laying out the defeat planned for Israel’s enemies. It is also true for any difficulty or challenge that faces you.

There is no circumstance from which God cannot deliver you. If you struggle with anger or addictions or demonic activity or family strife or abuse… none are too difficult for God. In all things focus on your relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ. Come to Him humbly with repentant heart and with strong faith knowing nothing is beyond Him.

Isaiah 14

Israel’s Taunt

      1When the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and again choose Israel, and settle them in their own land, then strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2The peoples will take them along and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance in the land of the LORD as male servants and female servants; and they will take their captors captive and will rule over their oppressors.

      3And it will be in the day when the LORD gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved,

4that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say,
“How the oppressor has ceased,
And how fury has ceased!

      5“The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked,
The scepter of rulers

      6Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes,
Which subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution.

      7“The whole earth is at rest and is quiet;
They break forth into shouts of joy.

      8“Even the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.’

      9“Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come;
It arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth;
It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.

      10“They will all respond and say to you,
‘Even you have been made weak as we,
You have become like us.

      11‘Your pomp and the music of your harps
Have been brought down to Sheol;
Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you
And worms are your covering.’

      12“How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!

      13“But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.

      14‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’

      15“Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.

      16“Those who see you will gaze at you,
They will ponder over you, saying,
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who shook kingdoms,

      17Who made the world like a wilderness
And overthrew its cities,
Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’

      18“All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
Each in his own tomb.

      19“But you have been cast out of your tomb
Like a rejected branch,
Clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword,
Who go down to the stones of the pit
Like a trampled corpse.

      20“You will not be united with them in burial,
Because you have ruined your country,
You have slain your people.
May the offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever.

      21“Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter
Because of the iniquity of their fathers.
They must not arise and take possession of the earth
And fill the face of the world with cities.”

22“I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and survivors, offspring and posterity,” declares the LORD. 23“I will also make it a possession for the hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of hosts.

Judgment on Assyria

      24The LORD of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand, 25to break Assyria in My land, and I will trample him on My mountains. Then his yoke will be removed from them and his burden removed from their shoulder. 26“This is the plan devised against the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations. 27“For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”

      28In the year that King Ahaz died this oracle came:

Judgment on Philistia

29“Do not rejoice, O Philistia, all of you,
Because the rod that struck you is broken;
For from the serpent’s root a viper will come out,
And its fruit will be a flying serpent.

      30“Those who are most helpless will eat,
And the needy will lie down in security;
I will destroy your root with famine,
And it will kill off your survivors.

      31“Wail, O gate; cry, O city;
Melt away, O Philistia, all of you;
For smoke comes from the north,
And there is no straggler in his ranks.

      32“How then will one answer the messengers of the nation?
That the LORD has founded Zion,
And the afflicted of His people will seek refuge in it.”

Take heart and be encouraged. There is no nation that has power over God. There is no situation too hard for Him. He is in control. Trust in Him. Turn toward Him. Build your relationship with Him through prayer, worship, Bible study, and service to Him. Put your hope and faith in God no matter your circumstance.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for encouraging us through Your word. Thank You for reminding us that You and You alone are sovereign over all things. There is no circumstance too tough for You. I come to You now in humility and with a repentant heart. I want to draw near to You. (If you are facing difficult situations in your life, bring them before the LORD now. Be open and honest with Him. He already knows. Ask for His help and believe He will help. This includes being willing to change yourself and your choices.) I thank You, LORD, in faith that You will help me in my difficulties. I pray this in the name of Yeshua, our LORD and savior. Amen. 

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Justice / Judgment, Protector / Deliverer, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

God Is in Control Even in Hard Times

Isaiah 13 contains prophecies about Babylon. Isaiah is speaking from before the time when Babylon carried off God’s people into captivity. He does not specifically foretell the captivity, but he prophecies about Babylon facing judgment and being taken down by the Medes and Persians. Babylon was to be used by God to discipline His people, but their pride was not to be ignored. God already knew before He used them that He would also raise up the Medes and Persians to strike down the Babylonians and set His people free from captivity.

While some of these specific prophecies may seem unimportant on the surface to some today as “irrelevant”, I see several ways in which they are encouraging and relevant. When God brings judgment against His people or when we are in a difficult situation, He already knows how to deliver us, assuming we repent and turn to Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Even if we have done nothing wrong and are facing hard times, like Job, then we can still be encouraged that our Father already knows how and when He will deliver us.

This scripture also reminds us that God loves us. He will discipline those He loves. Do not think He is unwilling to use the godless to do so. He uses them for His own purposes. Sometimes they will appear to have victory for a while, and we may wonder why. However, God already knows how it will end.

Isaiah 13

Prophecies about Babylon

      1The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

      2Lift up a standard on the bare hill,
Raise your voice to them,
Wave the hand that they may enter the doors of the nobles.

      3I have commanded My consecrated ones,
I have even called My mighty warriors,
My proudly exulting ones,
To execute My anger.

      4A sound of tumult on the mountains,
Like that of many people!
A sound of the uproar of kingdoms,
Of nations gathered together!
The LORD of hosts is mustering the army for battle.

      5They are coming from a far country,
From the farthest horizons,
The LORD and His instruments of indignation,
To destroy the whole land.

Judgment on the Day of the LORD

6Wail, for the day of the LORD is near!
It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

      7Therefore all hands will fall limp,
And every man’s heart will melt.

      8They will be terrified,
Pains and anguish will take hold of them;
They will writhe like a woman in labor,
They will look at one another in astonishment,
Their faces aflame.

      9Behold, the day of the LORD is coming,
Cruel, with fury and burning anger,
To make the land a desolation;
And He will exterminate its sinners from it.

      10For the stars of heaven and their constellations
Will not flash forth their light;
The sun will be dark when it rises
And the moon will not shed its light.

      11Thus I will punish the world for its evil
And the wicked for their iniquity;
I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud
And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.

      12I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold
And mankind than the gold of Ophir.

      13Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
And the earth will be shaken from its place
At the fury of the LORD of hosts
In the day of His burning anger.

      14And it will be that like a hunted gazelle,
Or like sheep with none to gather them,
They will each turn to his own people,
And each one flee to his own land.

      15Anyone who is found will be thrust through,
And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.

      16Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces
Before their eyes;
Their houses will be plundered
And their wives ravished.

Babylon Will Fall to the Medes

17Behold, I am going to stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not value silver or take pleasure in gold.

      18And their bows will mow down the young men,
They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb,
Nor will their eye pity children.

      19And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

      20It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation;
Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there,
Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.

      21But desert creatures will lie down there,
And their houses will be full of owls;
Ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there.

      22Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers
And jackals in their luxurious palaces.
Her fateful time also will soon come
And her days will not be prolonged.

Be encouraged that God is never surprised. When He brings or allows difficulty for His people, He already knows how and when He will end it. In this way it is not unlike a parent disciplining a child. They may send the child to their room or ground them for a period of time, but they already know it will end. The child need only focus on obedience and humility, not how or when the situation will end.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for encouraging us through Your scripture. Thank You for loving us enough to keep directing us back to You. Help us to trust in You even during the hard times or when it seems like the godless have victory over Your people. You are worthy of praise and trust in all situations. Let us be encouraged to know that You are always in control!

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

All Powerful / King of All, Hope, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Peace / Rest, Prophecy, Through Prophets

Find Peace Today Reflecting on the Return of the King

Isaiah 11 refers to the 1,000-year rule of Yeshua on earth (also referenced in Revelation 20:4-6) after He comes a second time. God brings earth and its people back under His rule. It will be very much like the days of the Garden of Eden before sin entered through Adam and Eve. I find hope, joy and peace fill me when I seriously look forward to such a time. The more real I let it feel in my mind, the greater and more encouraging my experience. It is good to look ahead and understand where we will finish from time to time. It can help take away some of the stress of the current situation in the world.

Isaiah 11

Righteous Reign of the Branch

1Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

      2The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

      3And He will delight in the fear of the LORD,
And He will not judge by what His eyes see,
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;

      4But with righteousness He will judge the poor,
And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth;
And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.

      5Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins,
And faithfulness the belt about His waist.

      6And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,
And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little boy will lead them.

      7Also the cow and the bear will graze,
Their young will lie down together,
And the lion will eat straw like the ox.

      8The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra,
And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.

      9They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
As the waters cover the sea.

      10Then in that day
The nations will resort to the root of Jesse,
Who will stand as a signal for the peoples;
And His resting place will be glorious.

The Restored Remnant

11Then it will happen on that day that the Lord
Will again recover the second time with His hand
The remnant of His people, who will remain,
From Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath,
And from the islands of the sea.

      12And He will lift up a standard for the nations
And assemble the banished ones of Israel,
And will gather the dispersed of Judah
From the four corners of the earth.

      13Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart,
And those who harass Judah will be cut off;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
And Judah will not harass Ephraim.

      14They will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines on the west;
Together they will plunder the sons of the east;
They will possess Edom and Moab,
And the sons of Ammon will be subject to them.

      15And the LORD will utterly destroy
The tongue of the Sea of Egypt;
And He will wave His hand over the River
With His scorching wind;
And He will strike it into seven streams
And make men walk over dry-shod.

      16And there will be a highway from Assyria
For the remnant of His people who will be left,
Just as there was for Israel
In the day that they came up out of the land of Egypt.

Take some time to imagine yourself in this place in the future, under Yeshua’s rule on the physical earth. Experience the peace and hope in your mind and soul. Let it refresh you as you remember that God is ultimately in control of all that is going on around us.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for showing us a glimpse into the hopeful future! Thank You for Your promise to gather us together again when You return. Thank You for blessing and showing favor upon Your remnant that we flourish even in difficult times. In the name of Yeshua, our Messiah, we pray. Amen. 

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Faithful, Holy / Set Apart, Protector / Deliverer, Seeking God, Strong in Our Weakness, Submitted / Servant

The LORD Is Sanctuary for the Believing Remnant

God always seems to sustain a righteous, believing remnant among His people. Even as the nation around them falls away from God, there are some who still seek Him and who still try to live according to His ways. The context in Isaiah is similar. The nation has fallen away from God. There is war. There is a believing remnant.

What is fascinating is that in verse 14 we see that God can at once be a sanctuary for His remnant and also a stone to strike or stumble over for the rest of the nation. There is reason to be encouraged and hopeful for the remnant. God will come. Wait for the LORD and eagerly seek Him.

Do not be drawn astray by the rest of the lost in your nation, even those who claim to follow the LORD. Seek the LORD and wait for Him. Hold fast to His instructions. Seek God and God alone for sanctuary.

Isaiah 8:9-22

A Believing Remnant

9“Be broken, O peoples, and be shattered;
And give ear, all remote places of the earth.
Gird yourselves, yet be shattered;
Gird yourselves, yet be shattered.

      10“Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted;
State a proposal, but it will not stand,
For God is with us.”

      11For thus the LORD spoke to me with mighty power and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying,

      12“You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’
In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy,
And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.

      13“It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy.
And He shall be your fear,
And He shall be your dread.

      14“Then He shall become a sanctuary;
But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over,
And a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

      15“Many will stumble over them,
Then they will fall and be broken;
They will even be snared and caught.”

      16Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. 17And I will wait for the LORD who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him. 18Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

      19When they say to you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,” should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. 21They will pass through the land hard-pressed and famished, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will be enraged and curse their king and their God as they face upward. 22Then they will look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be driven away into darkness.

I continue to be struck by how closely the book of Isaiah applies to our nation even today. Most of what was a godly nation are lost. Many claim God in name only. Those of us who find ourselves the seemingly small but faithful remnant, should not lose heart. Be encouraged. Seek the LORD earnestly and eagerly. Trust in His instructions while we wait and do not listen to the ways of the nation around us.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for hope and encouragement for Your faithful remnant. We eagerly seek You. Please turn the people’s hearts to You, many for the first time. Raise up the righteous to lead and have positions of authority throughout our nation in government, business, healthcare, education, and absolutely in Your church. Enlighten the minds of the people to understand and apply Your word and Your truth in our lives. In the name of Yeshua, our Messiah, we pray. Amen

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Discipline / Guidance From God, Faithful, Justice / Judgment, Loving / Kind, Protector / Deliverer

The LORD Can Bring Down Your Enemies

The LORD has the power to bring down your enemies. When we face trial and tribulation in this world, we are not alone.

Isaiah 8:1-8

Damascus and Samaria Fall

      1Then the LORD said to me, “Take for yourself a large tablet and write on it in ordinary letters: Swift is the booty, speedy is the prey. 2“And I will take to Myself faithful witnesses for testimony, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.” 3So I approached the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. Then the LORD said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz; 4for before the boy knows how to cry out ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”

      5Again the LORD spoke to me further, saying,

      6“Inasmuch as these people have rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah
And rejoice in Rezin and the son of Remaliah;

      7“Now therefore, behold, the Lord is about to bring on them the strong and abundant waters of the Euphrates,
Even the king of Assyria and all his glory;
And it will rise up over all its channels and go over all its banks.

      8“Then it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass through,
It will reach even to the neck;
And the spread of its wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.

As we face difficulty and trials, remember that our LORD is in control. He can bring low our enemies before us. He can deliver and protect us. Let this thought be a comfort and encouragement to you. However, we should also remember, as in this case recorded in Isaiah, that if we rebel and move away from God and His ways He may bring the enemies against us to discipline us and get our attention. Thus, it is important that we focus on our relationship with God and be willing to pivot and change if the Holy Spirit gives us a nudge that we have changes to make.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank you for Holy Spirit to guide us. Thank You for reminding us that You are in control, even of our enemies. Your mighty hand rules over everything. We can take comfort in that, even if we are receiving discipline. In all things we can thank You and praise You. In the name of Yeshua we pray. Amen. 

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, All Powerful / King of All, Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Justice / Judgment, Protector / Deliverer, Repenting from Sin, Teachable, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Victory Does Not Always Come Quickly or Without Challenges

In our last reading, we focused in on the first 9 verses of Isaiah 7. Today we zoom out the focus a bit and take in the whole of chapter 7 to see what message it may reveal to us.

It starts with a war against Jerusalem. God speaks through Isaiah a message of encouragement to the king of Judah, Ahaz. Though the enemies are feared, God says in verse 4 to remain calm and do not fear. Picking up in verse 9, we see emphasis that if he does not believe, then he will not last. This certainly gives a hint that there are some hard times coming for Jerusalem. In fact, as we read the rest of the chapter, we get just that message.

How many times in our own lives do we feel like we face something overwhelming? We should seek God first. Trust in what He tells us. If He tells us that we will have victory and not to fear, but to remain faithful, that that indeed is what we need to focus on in our situation, just like Ahaz and Jerusalem. Just because God gives us victory does not mean it will be easy or quick. Sometimes we must be prepared to wait faithfully for it.

Isaiah 7

War against Jerusalem

      1Now it came about in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not conquer it. 2When it was reported to the house of David, saying, “The Arameans have camped in Ephraim,” his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.

      3Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller’s field, 4and say to him, ‘Take care and be calm, have no fear and do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs of smoldering firebrands, on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah. 5‘Because Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned evil against you, saying, 6“Let us go up against Judah and terrorize it, and make for ourselves a breach in its walls and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” 7thus says the Lord GOD: “It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass. 8“For the head of Aram is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin (now within another 65 years Ephraim will be shattered, so that it is no longer a people), 9and the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you will not believe, you surely shall not last.”’”

The Child Immanuel

      10Then the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11“Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!” 13Then he said, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well? 14“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. 15“He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. 16“For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

Trials to Come for Judah

      17“The LORD will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house such days as have never come since the day that Ephraim separated from Judah, the king of Assyria.”

      18In that day the LORD will whistle for the fly that is in the remotest part of the rivers of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19They will all come and settle on the steep ravines, on the ledges of the cliffs, on all the thorn bushes and on all the watering places.

      20In that day the Lord will shave with a razor, hired from regions beyond the Euphrates (that is, with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.

      21Now in that day a man may keep alive a heifer and a pair of sheep; 22and because of the abundance of the milk produced he will eat curds, for everyone that is left within the land will eat curds and honey.

      23And it will come about in that day, that every place where there used to be a thousand vines, valued at a thousand shekels of silver, will become briars and thorns. 24People will come there with bows and arrows because all the land will be briars and thorns. 25As for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns; but they will become a place for pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample.

Remember from the earlier chapters of Isaiah, that God’s people had rebelled and were far from Him. This war and these tough times were brought as a result of that, perhaps to cleanse and refine them and bring about a repentance among the people. They needed a shakeup to return to the LORD. This is not a cruel God but rather a Father helping to steer His children back to the right path. Maybe a good lesson for us would be take care that we are not so hard hearted that God needs to be this direct with us when we need correction in our lives! Let us seek and expect the Spirit to guide us and be responsive with a lighter touch from the LORD.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please strengthen our faith in times of challenge and hardship. Help us to seek and find You. Help us to grow and remain strong in our faith, even facing tough circumstances. It is little test of faith when all is going well. All praise and honor to You, O Lord my God. You are all powerful and all knowing. You know what is best for us as Your people and can bring it about, even if it is uncomfortable for us. If we need discipline to get back in right relationship with You, then please bring that as You see fit. We want to walk in Your ways and in Your presence.  In the name of Yeshua, our Messiah, we pray. Amen. 

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy / Set Apart, Righteous, Through Prophets, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

In the Last Days… God’s Universal Reign

Isaiah 2 gives us a prophetic sneak peek at the last days. The house of the LORD will be established and raised above all else.  All nations will stream to it. Many will seek the LORD and His ways. The law will come forth from Zion. He will judge over the nations. Nations will turn away from war forever. Man will be humbled, and God alone will be exalted. Those that do not submit to Him will hide from His terror and majesty. What a joyous day for those that call Him LORD!

Isaiah 2

God’s Universal Reign

      1The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

      2Now it will come about that
In the last days
The mountain of the house of the LORD
Will be established as the chief of the mountains,
And will be raised above the hills;
And all the nations will stream to it.

      3And many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us concerning His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go forth from Zion
And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

      4And He will judge between the nations,
And will render decisions for many peoples;
And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.

      5Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

      6For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob,
Because they are filled with influences from the east,
And they are soothsayers like the Philistines,
And they strike bargains with the children of foreigners.

      7Their land has also been filled with silver and gold
And there is no end to their treasures;
Their land has also been filled with horses
And there is no end to their chariots.

      8Their land has also been filled with idols;
They worship the work of their hands,
That which their fingers have made.

      9So the common man has been humbled
And the man of importance has been abased,
But do not forgive them.

      10Enter the rock and hide in the dust
From the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty.

      11The proud look of man will be abased
And the loftiness of man will be humbled,
And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

A Day of Reckoning Coming

12For the LORD of hosts will have a day of reckoning
Against everyone who is proud and lofty
And against everyone who is lifted up,
That he may be abased.

      13And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up,
Against all the oaks of Bashan,

      14Against all the lofty mountains,
Against all the hills that are lifted up,

      15Against every high tower,
Against every fortified wall,

      16Against all the ships of Tarshish
And against all the beautiful craft.

      17The pride of man will be humbled
And the loftiness of men will be abased;
And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,

      18But the idols will completely vanish.

      19Men will go into caves of the rocks
And into holes of the ground
Before the terror of the LORD
And the splendor of His majesty,
When He arises to make the earth tremble.

      20In that day men will cast away to the moles and the bats
Their idols of silver and their idols of gold,
Which they made for themselves to worship,

      21In order to go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs
Before the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty,
When He arises to make the earth tremble.

      22Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils;
For why should he be esteemed?

Prayerfully reflect on the scripture. Do not dismiss it. Consider the contrast to what we see today. Imagine the LORD reigning over all the nations in righteousness. Imagine no need for war. Imagine those that are against God are the ones who must hide. Let us give thanks to God for this hope-inspiring vision of the future. There is also much we can conclude from this vision. If the law will come forth when the LORD reigns in the end times, how can we logically assume that it is irrelevant today? or just take pieces and parts of it that we are interested in following because that is what our church or pastor says to do. We must embrace all of God’s word and seek to understand how to apply it!

Let us also see how Isaiah’s vision puts emphasis on the evil of idols and blending with influences from other nations and cultures that are separate from God. We are to be set apart!

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.