Have you ever asked the Lord the same question Job did here? Why are You even mindful of me Lord? Why do You even care for me? Can I really be of any use to You…considering that I’m just a weak, frail human being living in a house of clay that can be crushed more readily than a moth? (Job 4:19 & Job 22:2) The answer is a resounding Yes! That’s because God loves you, looks on you with mercy and favor, and shows His tremendous love for you when He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to save your soul.
Author: kezha1
A Christian mother, grandmother, and retired nurse living in Illinois. Called into a ministry of encouraging others to find their ultimate plan and purpose in life through Christ.
Romans 3:22 ” This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”
Faith is the instrument God gives us in order for us to receive His gift of salvation. This saving faith is the initial step we take when placing our trust and confidence in His Son, Jesus Christ. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Ephesians 2:11-12 ” Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called ‘uncircumcised’ by those who call themselves ‘the circumcised’ (that done in the body by the hands of men) – remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.”
These verses deal with the idea of exclusion and inclusion…of belonging or being unattached…of being an insider or an outsider. Gentiles, or unbelievers, lacked the covenantal physical sign of circumcision and thus were excluded. But then Jesus Christ came teaching the New Covenant concept of circumcision of the heart. Romans 2:29 tells us, “Circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.” So those of us once far away from God have been brought near through the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13)…so we who were once outsiders have now been reconciled and become members of God’s family.
Romans 8:17 ” Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.”
If this Pandemic has shown me anything, it’s that the Corona Virus is no respecter of borders, gender, age, social or financial status. The entire world has been suffering together…which make the Scripture today very special. For as we suffer together, we are suffering together with Christ also. And as we share in Christ’s sufferings, there springs hope…hope of future glory. II Corinthians 1:5 tells us, ” Just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” So as we suffer together, we can be encouraged that Jesus sees and understands our sufferings…and just as hope lives within us, we should then live in that hope…or as I Peter 4:13 says, ” But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.”
If it is God’s Will…
What we want and what God wants can sometimes be two completely different scenarios. We have plans…big plans, exciting plans…but suddenly they evaporate in front of our eyes and we’re miffed. That’s when that tiny conjunction “if” comes into play, for it pits our will against God’s Will. But if we can look at that word more like Paul did…trusting the Lord to do the very best in all situations for him, rather than bristling when things didn’t work out the way he wanted, we’d be much better off. Think about this…God’s Will is His divine purpose to will and to do His good pleasure…it’s His gracious disposition towards us to do what’s the very best for us. So why wouldn’t we want God’s Will first and foremost for our lives?
I Peter 2:10 ” Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
This thought of God’s expression of compassion towards us is first found in Hosea 2:23 and echoed in Romans 9:25-26, “I will call them ‘My people’ who are not My people; I will call her ‘My Loved One’ who is not My loved one.” The Lord has called His Bride – the Church – out of darkness into His wonderful light…calling the Church His Loved One. He has taken pity on our wretchedness and has showered us with undeserved mercy…simply because He loves and treasures us as His own. Thank You Lord for Your compassion!
Jeremiah 29:11 ” ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ “
This verse comes from a letter that Jeremiah wrote to his fellow Jews that had been carried into exile by the Babylonians. For even though much of his earlier prophecies had been that of judgment, this letter was full of great promise and hope for them. And so today on this very first day of 2021 I declare this verse into our lives. For if you’re like me, most of 2020 felt like being an exile myself…displaced and forced to be absent from everything I once considered normal. But God hasn’t changed, nor has He forgotten us or what He wants to accomplish through us. So today let’s all face this new year with renewed hope for the future.
Isaiah 51:16 ” I have put My Words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of My hand – I Who set the heavens in place, Who laid the foundations of the earth, and Who say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ “
Today, as we not only come to the end of Isaiah 51 but the year 2020, I think it’s no coincidence that we’re looking at this particular verse. It can only encourage and comfort us…for we know our God has all dominion, power, and authority over the Corona Virus. We also know that He is protecting and safeguarding us, our family and friends as we pray daily for them. Finally, we can take courage as we face the new year because God’s plan and purpose for us has not changed…He is still passing on divine revelation in order that more may be reached for Christ. So as God told Moses in Exodus 4:12, “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
Isaiah 51:15 ” For I am the Lord your God, Who churns up the sea so that its waves roar – the Lord Almighty is His name.”
In Exodus 14:21-22, we see God’s miracle of dividing the Red Sea in order that the Israelites might cross on dry land…a wall of water on either side of them as they walked. In the New Testament, we see Jesus speaking to the wind and waves to still them with a single command. This is the kind of awesome power God has…for the Lord Almighty is the mightiest Warrior, our all-powerful King, and Ruler over the entire universe. Isaiah 13:4 tells us, “…like nations massing together the Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war.” This year of COVID19 and the Pandemic, God is urging His people to a much higher calling, for He is gathering and organizing troops for battle from all across the nations in order to see His glory demonstrated to the weary world that desperately needs a Savior right now. The question is…are you available?
Isaiah 51:14 ” For where is the wrath of the oppressor? The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread.”
The figurative use of the Hebrew word for dungeon in this verse gives the imagery of a pit in which snares were laid for wild animals. And in some ways, we have all felt like we’ve been sitting in a pit this past year…isolated, alone, and afraid. But we can take heart that the Lord wants to pull us out of this gloomy place…”To open the eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” (Isaiah 42:7) For it’s the Lord’s compassion and mercy that says to the captives, “Come out,” and to those in darkness, “Be free!” (Isaiah 49:10) … that’s because God is in the liberating business…”Shattering the yoke of burden and the rod of the oppressor.” (Isaiah 9:4)
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