Jeremiah 32-34, Nothing’s Impossible

 ““Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭32‬:‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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What a delight to remember that nothing is impossible for God.  So many things around me seem broken beyond repair but God is bigger than all of them!  The damage and destruction that people cause themselves are the raw material of Gods handiwork.

Lord, help me to believe that is true…restore my faith in Your purposes.  Lord would You be glorified by putting every piece in place and drawing each person back to close relationship with You!

Isaiah 54-58, True Rest

 ““If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.””

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭58‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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What a joy to delight in the Lord.  To follow Him in obedience and enjoy walking in His way.  It does require that we deny our own desires and walk in humility… Lord, help me to love Your commands and rest in Your promises, presence and protection!

Psalm 46,

 ““Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭46‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.46.10-11.ESV

Isaiah 40-43, Sin Eraser

 ““Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel! You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings, or honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, or wearied you with frankincense. You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.

 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭22‬-‭25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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God, I am so thankful that You are capable of removing my sin.  All the attempts at pleasing You are wasted and fruitless…because that is Your work.  Build my faith to trust that You are at work in removing my sin.

Isaiah 28-30, Needed Mercy

 “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭30‬:‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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What a fearful thing to have the wrath of God against you.  It is both terrifying and the brings a small bit of confidence that His Justice is perfect.

Lord, help me to listen to Your voice when you speak.  Help me obey Your commands and delight in following Your way.

Isaiah 19-22, Wrong Strength

 “He has taken away the covering of Judah. In that day you looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest, and you saw that the breaches of the city of David were many. You collected the waters of the lower pool, and you counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall. You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭22‬:‭8‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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The people of Jerusalem in this prophecy were excellent planners and strategists!  They made sacrifices and rightly prioritized their defenses and future survival…in other words they did all the right things!!! But they failed to seek Gods help…and for that one simple reason, they were destroyed.

Lord, how many times is that me?  Please help me to turn to You first!  In small decisions and trivial things so that I never miss out on Your help and guidance.  I know that You should always be the first line of action, rather than what I am tempted to do…accomplish everything I can think of, then ask God to bless my plan.  How foolish!?!

Isaiah 13-17, Humble Perspective

 “In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense. For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger,”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭17‬:‭7‬-‭8‬, ‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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No matter what we live for, there will be a day when we have clear minded understanding of who God is and we will bow before Him. All of our accomplishments will fade away and we will be left with the truth, nothing good I have done will have been of my strength, and anything impressive will be recognized as Gods work. Since that day will come for us all, help me to live like it is true today!