“I will go before you
and will level the mountains;
I will break down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.
I will give you the treasures of darkness,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD,
the God of Israel,
who summons you by name.
For the sake of Jacob my servant,
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
though you have not acknowledged me,
so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting
men may know there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other.”
Isaiah 45:2-5
~~~
Check out all the things God will do for us—break down gates, cut through iron, bestow titles of honor—sounds great right? Mmm, not so much. At least, not when we see the verses that say “though you have not acknowledged me.” Makes you feel kinda guilty, especially when you know you’ve been mad at God or ignoring him for some reason. That’s what hit me the hardest when I read this, because I know I’ve been doing that the last few weeks. Yet the passage is still comforting, because even though we fail, God still loves us and will still honor us when we turn our hearts back to him. But, it’s not for our glory—it’s for His. He does it so that you may know that he is God. Our thoughts and actions do not define who he is. He is above us, beyond us. Oh, but how he loves us :)
~~~
Life Less Ordinary for the week of November 16, 2008
We are tired.
Am I right? Aren’t we at the point of the semester where everything is due at the same time, tests are looming on the horizon, and club activities threaten to pull us apart? We have to get our homework done. We have to study for the next exam. We have to be at a certain place at a certain time. And somewhere in there, we have to eat, sleep, and shower, and do it all in record time because everything else demands our attention.
The end result is that we skimp on taking care of ourselves, our friends, and our walk with God. We try, but no matter how hard we do, it seems we only have crumbs to give when all is said and done.
I plead with you now to take some time out and rest. I wrote about this before towards the beginning of the year, but it bears repeating for a good reason: we need it. I know you have a 10 page paper due. I know you have an exam on Thursday. I know you have a presentation you haven’t prepared for yet. I know you have to work tonight. I know you have rehearsals. But God knows too. And he wants to spend time with you and refresh you. Don’t worry—he will give you the strength to do what you need to do.
~~~
Oh LORD, be gracious to us;
we long for you.
Be our strength every morning,
Our salvation in time of distress.
“I am the LORD your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you,
Do not fear, I will help you.
Even to your old age and gray hairs,
I am he, I am he who will
sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you
and I will rescue you.”
From Isaiah 33:2, 41:13, and 46:4
~~~
Am I right? Aren’t we at the point of the semester where everything is due at the same time, tests are looming on the horizon, and club activities threaten to pull us apart? We have to get our homework done. We have to study for the next exam. We have to be at a certain place at a certain time. And somewhere in there, we have to eat, sleep, and shower, and do it all in record time because everything else demands our attention.
The end result is that we skimp on taking care of ourselves, our friends, and our walk with God. We try, but no matter how hard we do, it seems we only have crumbs to give when all is said and done.
I plead with you now to take some time out and rest. I wrote about this before towards the beginning of the year, but it bears repeating for a good reason: we need it. I know you have a 10 page paper due. I know you have an exam on Thursday. I know you have a presentation you haven’t prepared for yet. I know you have to work tonight. I know you have rehearsals. But God knows too. And he wants to spend time with you and refresh you. Don’t worry—he will give you the strength to do what you need to do.
~~~
Oh LORD, be gracious to us;
we long for you.
Be our strength every morning,
Our salvation in time of distress.
“I am the LORD your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you,
Do not fear, I will help you.
Even to your old age and gray hairs,
I am he, I am he who will
sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you
and I will rescue you.”
From Isaiah 33:2, 41:13, and 46:4
~~~
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