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."

The Path

“He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Psalm23:3

Where this path will lead i do not know but as long as You guide me i know where it will lead. To the City where the streets are made of gold and i will finally see Your face. Until then i will seek Your hand and in Your presence find the strength to walk the path ahead.

Father, I am beginning to know how much I miss when I fail to talk to thee in prayer, and through prayer to recieve into my life the strength and the guidance which only thou canst give. Forgive me for the pride and the presumption that make me continue to struggle to manage my own affairs to the exhaustion of my body, the weariness of my mind, the trial of my faith.
Let not, I pray, any future forgetfulness of mine, or a false sense of self-sufficiency, any spiritual laziness, or doubt of thy faithfulness keep me from taking everything to thee in prayer.
And now, I thank thee that the fresh breath of heaven is even now blowing away the close, damp air of all my failure, of every doubt and fear. I ask thee for that soul tonic of prayer that shall reburnish my faith, brighten my hope, revive and rekindle my love. In thy name, I pray. Amen.
Peter Marshall

My Last Post...for 2008, That is

As i mentioned in my last post, December has been a very busy month. What i did not mention is the challenge i accepted early this month and the spiritual attack that has come with that acceptance.
It has always been my desire to encourage others and openly share my struggles in the hope of helping others as they struggle too. On December 7 i was offered that opportunity. I was asked to facilitate a women's step study at my church. After talking it over with my husband and praying over it i gave my answer-yes! Since then i have been filled with such an odd mixture of excitement, fear and doubt. On the one hand, i do believe God has prepared me for such a moment as this. On the other hand, i remember all my failures and see all the room for improvement in my life. So this must be in some small way, how Moses felt when God confronted him and told him he was the one chosen to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land and Jeremiah when he was called to be a prophet. Not that i compare myself to these men but i do understand the feelings of inadequacey.
Then i think of my role as teacher and how i am forever learning as i teach the children. I expect my role as facilitator to be the same. God is not calling me to be perfect and to have all the answers. What He is calling me to do is to reach out to these women, love them and help them recognize God as their source of strength to overcome. And yes, throughout this process i will be learning and relearning...probably even more than i did when i went through the program myself last year.
In the meantime, i will be praying for the women who will be joining me this year as well as my co-facilitator-whoever she may be. I don't know yet but God does and i know He has us all covered.
Now, as i close this last post for 2008, i would like to wish everyone a blessed New Year and thank your for reading!

How do I Pray?

How do i pray for my food addiction? Do i pray for deliverance or do i pray for strength to bear? Is this the "thorn in the flesh" that i will always struggle with? Addiction, fear and anxiety keep me in prayer but i'm afraid i am not heeding the answer to those prayers. I fear that i may have to hit rock bottom before i truly learn my lesson. The thought scares me. Now i feel myself sinking deeper and deeper, my head is barely above the water and i am gasping for air. The harder i fight the more i drift. If i scream, will anyone hear me? I doubt i have the strength to try anyway. I want to rest, my mind and body are weary, but if i do rest i'll surely sink and be forgotten in the abyss. Could You tell me God, how do i pray?