Category Archives: All Powerful / King of All

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Judgment on the Earth but the Remnant Still Rejoices

Many are concerned with a great variety of difficulties on the earth, such as pollution. They see in the carnal only, the physical. They do not see the spiritual. God shows us in Isaiah 24 that the earth is polluted by its inhabitants, not because they used too much plastic, but because they broke the covenant with God. The people have transgressed laws and violated statutes. People have turned what is good into evil and evil into good in their minds. It is this that defiles the earth. It is for this that the earth will be judged and those on it.

Be encouraged, though, as there will be a joyous remnant remaining. God will make a new heaven and a new earth. God will reign among His people again!

Isaiah 24

Judgment on the Earth

      1Behold, the LORD lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants. 2And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor. 3The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the LORD has spoken this word. 4The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away. 5The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. 6Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.

      7The new wine mourns,
The vine decays,
All the merry-hearted sigh.

      8The gaiety of tambourines ceases,
The noise of revelers stops,
The gaiety of the harp ceases.

      9They do not drink wine with song;
Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.

      10The city of chaos is broken down;
Every house is shut up so that none may enter.

      11There is an outcry in the streets concerning the wine;
All joy turns to gloom.
The gaiety of the earth is banished.

      12Desolation is left in the city
And the gate is battered to ruins.

      13For thus it will be in the midst of the earth among the peoples,
As the shaking of an olive tree,
As the gleanings when the grape harvest is over.

      14They raise their voices, they shout for joy;
They cry out from the west concerning the majesty of the LORD.

      15Therefore glorify the LORD in the east,
The name of the LORD, the God of Israel,
In the coastlands of the sea.

      16From the ends of the earth we hear songs, “Glory to the Righteous One,”
But I say, “Woe to me! Woe to me! Alas for me!
The treacherous deal treacherously,
And the treacherous deal very treacherously.”

      17Terror and pit and snare
Confront you, O inhabitant of the earth.

      18Then it will be that he who flees the report of disaster will fall into the pit,
And he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare;
For the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake.

      19The earth is broken asunder,
The earth is split through,
The earth is shaken violently.

      20The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard
And it totters like a shack,
For its transgression is heavy upon it,
And it will fall, never to rise again.

      21So it will happen in that day,
That the LORD will punish the host of heaven on high,
And the kings of the earth on earth.

      22They will be gathered together
Like prisoners in the dungeon,
And will be confined in prison;
And after many days they will be punished.

      23Then the moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed,
For the LORD of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
And His glory will be before His elders.

As believers, we can be encouraged that there is a remnant that survives and thrives with joy, even in hardship. Trust in God. Put your faith in Him. Rejoice and give thanks at all times.

I invite you to pray with me.

Father, thank You for protecting Your remnant and keeping us joyful! Thank You for the hope and faith that you will renew the earth and reign over us! Praise God who is worthy of all honor and glory. 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, Prophecy, Prophecy, Protector / Deliverer, Strong in Our Weakness, Through Prophets

God Is Stronger than Any Enemy You Face

As we continue to read Isaiah, we see the same theme continuing in chapters 20-21. God can humble even the mightiest of those who stand against His people.  In Isaiah’s time, it was nation-states. That may still be the case for some of us, depending on our home country. Many nations persecute followers of Yeshua aggressively or simply fail to protect them. In nations like the USA, many, including government and businesses have a tendency to persecute Christians. It may not be a threat to your life, but rather it may be an attack on your business.

Regardless of whoever may oppose you, be encouraged that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world! God is mighty and unmatched. He is sovereign and can humble anyone at the time of His choosing.

Isaiah 20

Prophecy about Egypt and Ethiopia

      1In the year that the commander came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashdod and captured it, 2at that time the LORD spoke through Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go and loosen the sackcloth from your hips and take your shoes off your feet.” And he did so, going naked and barefoot. 3And the LORD said, “Even as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot three years as a sign and token against Egypt and Cush, 4so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old, naked and barefoot with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. 5“Then they will be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their boast. 6“So the inhabitants of this coastland will say in that day, ‘Behold, such is our hope, where we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria; and we, how shall we escape?’”

Isaiah 21

God Commands That Babylon Be Taken

      1The oracle concerning the wilderness of the sea.
As windstorms in the Negev sweep on,
It comes from the wilderness, from a terrifying land.

      2A harsh vision has been shown to me;
The treacherous one still deals treacherously, and the destroyer still destroys.
Go up, Elam, lay siege, Media;
I have made an end of all the groaning she has caused.

      3For this reason my loins are full of anguish;
Pains have seized me like the pains of a woman in labor.
I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see.

      4My mind reels, horror overwhelms me;
The twilight I longed for has been turned for me into trembling.

      5They set the table, they spread out the cloth, they eat, they drink;
“Rise up, captains, oil the shields,”

6For thus the Lord says to me,
“Go, station the lookout, let him report what he sees.

      7“When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs,
A train of donkeys, a train of camels,
Let him pay close attention, very close attention.”

8Then the lookout called,
“O Lord, I stand continually by day on the watchtower,
And I am stationed every night at my guard post.

      9“Now behold, here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs.”
And one said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon;
And all the images of her gods are shattered on the ground.”

      10O my threshed people, and my afflicted of the threshing floor!
What I have heard from the LORD of hosts,
The God of Israel, I make known to you.

Oracles about Edom and Arabia

      11The oracle concerning Edom.
One keeps calling to me from Seir,
“Watchman, how far gone is the night?
Watchman, how far gone is the night?”

      12The watchman says,
“Morning comes but also night.
If you would inquire, inquire;
Come back again.”

      13The oracle about Arabia.
In the thickets of Arabia you must spend the night,
O caravans of Dedanites.

      14Bring water for the thirsty,
O inhabitants of the land of Tema,
Meet the fugitive with bread.

      15For they have fled from the swords,
From the drawn sword, and from the bent bow
And from the press of battle.

      16For thus the Lord said to me, “In a year, as a hired man would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will terminate; 17and the remainder of the number of bowmen, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few; for the LORD God of Israel has spoken.”

Regardless of what or who you face. Be encouraged and put your hope and faith in God! He is a loving Father. He does not make mistakes. We can often grow stronger through trials.

Romans 8:28

28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, You are worthy of all praise! There is none like you! Help us to put our trust in You and You alone. Thank You that we are invited to be in a relationship with You through Yeshua. Thank You for Your grace, mercy, and forgiveness toward us. Thank You for being our shield and or refuge! In Yeshua’s name, I pray. Amen. 

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.

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The LORD Has Power to Destroy and Restore

The LORD has the power to destroy or restore. His power and authority are absolute and unrivaled. If you are facing difficult enemies or situations, be encouraged. If you line up your life with God through Yeshua, You will do well. He is an ever-present helper.  He will not leave us or forsake us!

However, if you are not pursuing God, take warning. Those who do not have an intimate relationship with Him may not find His help and further may find some correction coming their way.

As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!

Isaiah 19

Message to Egypt

      1The oracle concerning Egypt.
Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt;
The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence,
And the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.

      2“So I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians;
And they will each fight against his brother and each against his neighbor,
City against city and kingdom against kingdom.

      3“Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them;
And I will confound their strategy,
So that they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead
And to mediums and spiritists.

      4“Moreover, I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel master,
And a mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord GOD of hosts.

      5The waters from the sea will dry up,
And the river will be parched and dry.

      6The canals will emit a stench,
The streams of Egypt will thin out and dry up;
The reeds and rushes will rot away.

      7The bulrushes by the Nile, by the edge of the Nile
And all the sown fields by the Nile
Will become dry, be driven away, and be no more.

      8And the fishermen will lament,
And all those who cast a line into the Nile will mourn,
And those who spread nets on the waters will pine away.

      9Moreover, the manufacturers of linen made from combed flax
And the weavers of white cloth will be utterly dejected.

      10And the pillars of Egypt will be crushed;
All the hired laborers will be grieved in soul.

      11The princes of Zoan are mere fools;
The advice of Pharaoh’s wisest advisers has become stupid.
How can you men say to Pharaoh,
“I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings”?

      12Well then, where are your wise men?
Please let them tell you,
And let them understand what the LORD of hosts
Has purposed against Egypt.

      13The princes of Zoan have acted foolishly,
The princes of Memphis are deluded;
Those who are the cornerstone of her tribes
Have led Egypt astray.

      14The LORD has mixed within her a spirit of distortion;
They have led Egypt astray in all that it does,
As a drunken man staggers in his vomit.

      15There will be no work for Egypt
Which its head or tail, its palm branch or bulrush, may do.

      16In that day the Egyptians will become like women, and they will tremble and be in dread because of the waving of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which He is going to wave over them. 17The land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt; everyone to whom it is mentioned will be in dread of it, because of the purpose of the LORD of hosts which He is purposing against them.

      18In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and swearing allegiance to the LORD of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction.

      19In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD near its border. 20It will become a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the LORD because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will deliver them. 21Thus the LORD will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day. They will even worship with sacrifice and offering, and will make a vow to the LORD and perform it. 22The LORD will strike Egypt, striking but healing; so they will return to the LORD, and He will respond to them and will heal them.

      23In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.

      24In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

As we close, take time to consider your relationship with God. Are you receiving hope from an intimate relationship that keeps growing closer to Him? Do you feel distant from Him, as if you are not making Him a priority in your life? Do you see the growth in your relationship with Him or is it stagnant?  Ask God to give you insight.

Commit to seeking the LORD more consistently and passionately in your life and then make a plan to do so. Start today!

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for encouraging us and warning us in Your word. Help us not to rationalize our behaviors and attitudes, but truly challenge them so that we can continue to change and draw nearer to You. Thank You for helping us when we are struggling or overwhelmed! You are an ever-present hope for those who believe.  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, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Prophecy, Prophecy, Seeking God, Strong in Our Weakness, Through Prophets, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

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.

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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.