Isaiah 40:21-31

As i had mentioned earlier, Rachel and i have been trying to decide on another passage of Scripture to pore over and memorize in the next few days. I was leaning toward something in Isaiah but hadn't said anything to Rachel yet. So when she suggested Isaiah 40:21-31 i knew it was meant to be.

Isaiah always has been one of my most favorite books of the Bible. Like Psalms, Isaiah is filled with so much wisdom and imagery. It is a book i would love to study more closely and know better. That is one of the many neat things about the Bible, every book offers so much and if we will only take the time to read a little at a time we are all the better for it.

Where the past two passages we have learned recently were 6 verses a piece, this passage from Isaiah is 11 verses-almost twice as long as previous passages! It may take me twice as long but that is okay. It is time well spent and it is always so fascinating to see how God uses it and illustrates it in my life.

And now i give you, Isaiah 30:21-31:

"Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

Has it not been told you from the beginning?

Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,

And its inhabitant are like grasshoppers,

Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,

And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

He brings princes to nothing;

He makes the judges of the earth useless.

Scarcely shall they be planted,

Scarcely shall they be sown,

Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth,

When He will also blow on them,

And they will wither,

And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.

'To whom then will you liken Me,

Or to whom shall I be equal?' says the Holy One.

Lift your eyes on high,

And see who has created these things,

Who brings out their host by number;

He calls them by name,

By the greatness of His might

And the strength of His power;

Not one is missing.

Why do you say, O Jacob,

And speak, O Israel:

'My way is hidden from the Lord,

The Creator of the ends of the earth,

Neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the weak,

And to those who give have no might He increases strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary ,

And the young men shall utterly fall,

But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up on wings like eagles,

They shall run away and not be weary,

They shall walk away and not faint."

Arise, Shine

“Arise,shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1

Thank You,God,for guiding me to this Scripture. As soon as i read it i knew it was what i needed to hear. God, You gave me my love of writing, art and other forms of expression and for awhile i really did enjoy writing and drawing whenever and on whatever i could. That was mostly as a child. As i got older i started looking at others and measuring myself against them. After that nothing i ever did was good enough in my eyes. Then fear set in so that even when i wanted to write or draw i wouldn’t because i had convinced myself i couldn’t do it-at least not the way i thought it should be done. Now i look back, all these years later, and i am filled with regret. Because of my regret i find myself trying to force creativity and that is just as bad as stifling it. I also still struggle with my crazy self-expectations. The trash can is filled with art that did not meet those expectations. Notebooks are filled with papers that contain words i have written but won’t share because they don’t sound “right” to me. These words from Isaiah really speak to me today because they remind me it is all it is all about You and not me. You give me what i need to rise and it is Your light that makes me shine. It is for Your glory that i am to write and create. Your hands guide the pen and pencil or whatever medium You desire. You are inspiration! This is what i have forgotten and i thank You, Father, for reminding me. Help me to remember.