Day 204 of the 2nd Bible Study Journey - 23 July 2022 reflections
Day 204, 23 July 2022
1) Isaiah 48:12 - 52:12
Isaiah 48
The Lord's Call to Israel
12 (Isa 41:4; Rev 22:13) Listen to Me, O Jacob
and Israel, whom I called: I am He;
I am the First, and I am the Last.
13 (Isa 40:26; Ex 20:11) My hand also has laid the foundation of the earth,
and My right hand has spanned the heavens; when I call to them,
they stand up together.
14 (Isa 43:9; 13:4-5) Assemble, all of you, and listen.
Who among them has declared these things? The Lord has loved him;
he will do His pleasure on Babylon,
and His arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, even I, have spoken, and I have called him;
I have brought him, and his way will prosper.
16 (Isa 45:19) Come near to Me, hear this:
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
from the time that it was, there I am.
And now the Lord God has sent me and His Spirit.
17 (Ps 32:8; Isa 43:14) Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of
Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit,
who leads you in the way you should go.
18 (Dt 32:29; Isa 66:12) Oh, that you had listened to My commandments!
Then your peace would have been as a river
and your righteousness as the waves of the sea.
19 (Ge 22:17; Isa 10:22) Your descendants also would have been as the sand
and your offspring like grains of sand;
their name would not have been cut off
nor destroyed from before Me.
20 (Isa 52:9; Jer 50:8; 51:6) Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!
With a voice of singing declare, proclaim this,
utter it even to the ends of the earth;
say, "The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob."
21 (Ex 17:6; Nu 20:11) They did not thirst when He led them
through the deserts;
He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them;
He also split the rock,
and the waters gushed out.
22 (Isa 57:21) "There is no peace," says the Lord, "for the wicked."
[12] Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the
first, I also am the last.
[13] Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand
hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.
[14] All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared
these things? The LORD hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon,
and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.
[15] I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him,
and he shall make his way prosperous.
[16] Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from
the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD,
and his Spirit, hath sent me.
[17] Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the
LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way
that thou shouldest go.
[18] O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace
been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
[19] Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels
like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed
from before me.
[20] Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of
singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say
ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob.
[21] And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused
the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the
waters gushed out.
[22] There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.
Isaiah 49
The Servant of the Lord
1 (Jer 1:5; Isa 42:1-4) Listen to me, O coastlands,
and pay attention, you peoples from afar.
The Lord called me from the womb;
from the body of my mother He named me.
2 (Isa 11:4; Rev 1:16) He has made my mouth like a sharp sword;
in the shadow of His hand He has hidden me
and made me a select arrow;
in His quiver He has hidden me.
3 (Isa 44:23; Zec 3:8) He said to me, "You are My servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified."
4 (Isa 53:10-12; 65:23 Then I said, "I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity,
yet surely the justice due to me is with the Lord,
and my reward with my God."
5 (Mt 17:5; 28:18) Now says the Lord,
who formed me from the womb to be His servant,
to bring Jacob back to Him,
so that Israel might be gathered to Him
(yet I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,
and my God is my strength),
6 (Isa 42:6; Lk 2:32) He says,
"It is a light thing that you should be My servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also make you a light to the nations
so that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."
7 (Isa 52:15; 53:3) Thus says the Lord,
the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One,
to the despised one, to the one whom the nation abhors,
to the servant of rulers:
"Kings shall see and arise,
princes also shall worship,
because of the Lord who is faithful
and the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you."
The Restoration of Israel
8 (Isa 42:6; Ps 69:13; 2Co 6:2) Thus says the Lord:
In an acceptable time I have heard you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you;
and I will preserve you, and give you
as a covenant of the people,
to restore the earth,
to make them inherit the desolate heritages,
9 (Isa 42:7; 61:1) saying to the prisoners, "Go forth,"
to those who are in darkness, "Show yourselves."
They shall feed along the paths,
and their pastures shall be in all desolate heights;
10 (Rev 7:16-17) they shall not hunger nor thirst,
neither shall the heat nor sun strike them;
for He who has mercy on them shall lead them,
even by the springs of water He shall guide them.
11 (Isa 11:16; 62:10) I will make all My mountains a road,
and My highways shall be raised up.
12 (Isa 43:5-6) See, these shall come from afar;
and these will come from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Sinim.
13 (Isa 44:23; 51:3) Sing, O heavens!
And be joyful, O earth!
And break forth into singing, Omountains!
For the Lord has comforted His people
and will have mercy on His afflicted.
14 (Isa 40:27) But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me,
and the Lord has forgotten me."
15 (Isa 44:21) Can a woman forget her nursing child,
and have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget.
16 (SS 8:6; Hag 2:23) See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
your walls are continually before Me;
17 your builders hurry;
your destroyers and those who devastated you shall depart from you.
18 (Isa 49:12; 54:9) Lift up your eyes and look all around;
all these gather themselves together and come to you.
As I live, says the Lord,
you shall surely put on all of them as ornaments
and bind them on you as a bride does.
19 (Zec 10:10; Ps 56:1-2) For your waste and your desolate places,
and the land of your destruction,
shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants,
and those who swallowed you up shall be far away.
20 The children whom you shall have,
after you have lost the others,
shall say again in your ears,
"The place is too cramped for me;
make room for me that I may dwell here."
21 Then you shall say in your heart,
"Who bore these for me,
since I have lost my children and am barren,
a captive and a wanderer?
And who has brought these up?
I was left alone;
from where did these come?"
22 Thus says the Lord God:
See, I will lift up My hand to the nations
and set up My standard to the peoples;
and they shall bring your sons in their arms,
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders;
23 (Isa 60:3; 60:16) kings shall be your foster fathers
and their queens your nursing mothers;
they shall bow down to you with their faces toward the ground
and lick up the dust of your feet.
And you shall know that I am the Lord,
for those who wait for Me shall not be ashamed.
24 (Mt 12:29) Can the prey be taken from the mighty
or the captives of a tyrant be delivered?
25 (Jer 50:33-34) For thus says the Lord:
Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away,
and the prey of the tyrant shall be delivered;
for I will contend with him who contends with you,
and I will save your sons.
26 (Isa 9:20; Eze 39:7) I will feed those who oppress you
with their own flesh,
and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine.
And all flesh shall know
that I, the Lord, am your Savior
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
[1] Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD
hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made
mention of my name.
[2] And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand
hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
[3] And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be
glorified.
[4] Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for
nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work
with my God.
[5] And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be
glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.
[6] And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to
raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will
also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation
unto the end of the earth.
[7] Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him
whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of
rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of
the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose
thee.
[8] Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a
day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee
for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit
the desolate heritages;
[9] That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in
darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures
shall be in all high places.
[10] They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite
them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of
water shall he guide them.
[11] And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be
exalted.
[12] Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and
from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.
[13] Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing,
O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy
upon his afflicted.
[14] But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
[15] Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have
compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not
forget thee.
[16] Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are
continually before me.
[17] Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee
waste shall go forth of thee.
[18] Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves
together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely
clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a
bride doeth.
[19] For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction,
shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that
swallowed thee up shall be far away.
[20] The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other,
shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to
me that I may dwell.
[21] Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing
I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and
fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where
had they been?
[22] Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the
Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy
sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their
shoulders.
[23] And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing
mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and
lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for
they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
[24] Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
[25] But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken
away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend
with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
[26] And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they
shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh
shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One
of Jacob.
Isaiah 50
The Servant, Hope of Israel
1 (Jer 3:8; Dt 32:30; 2Ki 4:1) Thus says the Lord:
Where is the certificate of divorce
by which I sent your mother away?
Or to which of My creditors
did I sell you?
For your iniquities you were sold,
and for your transgressions your mother was sent away.
2 (Nu 11:23; Jos 3:16) Why, when I came, was there no man?
When I called, was there no one to answer?
Is My hand so short that it cannot redeem?
Or have I no power to deliver?
Indeed, at My rebuke I dry up the sea,
I make the rivers a wilderness;
Their fish stink because there is no water,
and die for thirst.
3 (Rev 6:12) I clothe the heavens with blackness,
and I make sackcloth their covering.
4 (Mt 11:28; Ex 4:11-12) The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned,
that I may know how to sustain him who is weary with a word;
He awakens me morning by morning;
He awakens my ear to listen as the learned.
5 (Jn 14:31; Heb 5:8) The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious,
nor did I turn back.
6 (Mt 26:67; Mk 15:19; 14:65) I gave my back to those who struck me,
and my cheeks to those who plucked out my beard;
I did not cover my face
from shame and spitting.
7 (Eze 3:8-9; Isa 42:1) For the Lord God will help me;
therefore, I shall not be disgraced;
therefore, I have set my face like a flint,
and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
8 (Isa 41:1; Ro 8:32-34) He who vindicates me is near;
who will contend with me?
Let us stand up to each other.
Who is my adversary?
Let him come near to me.
9 (Job 13:28; Isa 41:10) Certainly the Lord God will help me;
who is he who condemns me?
Indeed they all shall grow old as a garment;
the moth shall eat them up.
10 (Isa 9:2) Who among you fears the Lord,
who obeys the voice of His servant,
who walks in darkness
and has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the Lord,
and rely upon his God.
11 (Isa 8:22; Jn 9:39) But now, all you who kindle a fire,
who encompass yourselves with sparks:
Walk in the light of your fire
and among the sparks that you have ignited.
This you shall have from My hand:
You shall lie down in sorrow.
[1] Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement,
whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold
you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your
transgressions is your mother put away.
[2] Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none
to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no
power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a
wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for
thirst.
[3] I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.
[4] The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know
how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by
morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
[5] The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither
turned away back.
[6] I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off
the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
[7] For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded:
therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be
ashamed.
[8] He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand
together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.
[9] Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo,
they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.
[10] Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his
servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the
name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.
[11] Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with
sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have
kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.
Isaiah 51
The Eternal Salvation of Zion
1 (Isa 51:7; Ps 94:15; Ge 17:15-17) Listen to Me,
you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were hewn
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2 (Eze 33:24) Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for I called him alone,
and blessed him, and multiplied him.
3 (Isa 52:9; Ge 13:10) For the Lord shall comfort Zion,
He will comfort all her waste places;
He will make her wilderness like Eden,
and her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness shall be found in it,
thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
4 (Isa 2:3; 42:6) Listen to Me, O My people;
and give ear to Me, O My nation:
for a law shall proceed from Me,
and I will set My justice as a light of the peoples.
5 (Isa 46:13; 42:4) My righteousness is near,
My salvation has gone forth,
and My arms shall judge the peoples;
the coastlands shall wait for Me,
and for My arm they shall expectantly wait.
6 (Mt 24:35; Isa 34:4) Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look on the earth beneath.
For the heavens shall vanish away like smoke,
and the earth shall grow old like a garment,
and those who dwell in it shall die in like manner;
but My salvation shall be forever,
and My righteousness shall not be abolished.
7 (Ps 37:31; Mt 5:11) Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
the people in whose heart is My law;
do not fear the reproach of men
nor be afraid of their revilings.
8 (Isa 50:9; 51:6) For the moth shall eat them up like a garment,
and the worm shall eat them like wool;
but My righteousness shall be forever
and My salvation from generation to generation.
9 (Isa 27:1; Ps 74:13-14; Isa 52:1) Awake, awake, put on strength,
O arm of the Lord.
Awake as in the ancient days,
in the generations of old.
Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces
and wounded the dragon?
10 (Ex 14:21-22; 15:13 ) Was it not You who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep,
who made the depths of the sea a pathway
for the ransomed to pass over?
11 (Isa 35:10; Rev 7:17) Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return
and come with singing to Zion,
and everlasting joy shall be upon their head.
They shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
12 (Ps 118:6; Isa 2:22) I, even I, am He who comforts you.
Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who shall die,
and of the son of man who shall be made as grass,
13 (Ps 104:2; Isa 17:10) and forget the Lord your maker
who has stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth?
And have feared continually every day
because of the fury of the oppressor
as he makes ready to destroy?
Yet where is the fury of the oppressor?
14 (Isa 48:20; 52:2) The exile shall soon be freed,
and shall not die in the dungeon,
nor will his bread be lacking.
15 (Jer 31:35) But I am the Lord your God
who divided the sea whose waves roared;
the Lord of Hosts is His name.
16 (Isa 59:21; Dt 18:18) I have put My words in your mouth,
and I have covered you in the shadow of My hand
that I may plant the heavens,
and lay the foundations of the earth,
and say to Zion, "You are My people."
The Wrath of God Ceases
17 (Job 21:20; Isa 52:1) Awake, awake,
stand up, O Jerusalem,
you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord
the cup of His fury;
the cup of reeling
you have drained to the dregs.
18 (Ps 88:18; Isa 49:21) There is no one to guide her
among all the sons she has brought forth;
nor is there anyone to take hold of her hand
of all the sons that she has brought up.
19 (Isa 47:9; Am 7:2) These two things have befallen you;
who shall be mournful for you?
Desolation, and destruction, and famine, and sword-
how shall I comfort you?
20 (La 2:11-12) Your sons have fainted;
they lie at the head of all the streets
as an antelope in a net;
they are full of the fury of the Lord,
the rebuke of your God.
21 Therefore please hear this,
you afflicted who are drunk but not with wine.
22 (Isa 51:17; Jer 50:34) Thus says your Lord, the Lord,
and your God who pleads the cause of His people:
See, I have taken out of your hand
the cup of reeling,
even the dregs of the cup of My fury;
you will never drink it again.
23 (Jos 10:24; Zec 12:2) But I will put it into the hand of those
who afflict you,
who have said to you,
"Lie down that we may walk over you."
And you have laid your back as the ground
and as the street for those who walk on it.
[1] Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the
LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit
whence ye are digged.
[2] Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I
called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.
[3] For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places;
and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the
garden of
the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the
voice of melody.
[4] Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law
shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of
the people.
[5] My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms
shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall
they trust.
[6] Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for
the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a
garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my
salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
[7] Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart
is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their
revilings.
[8] For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat
them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation
from generation to generation.
[9] Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the
ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut
Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
[10] Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep;
that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?
[11] Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing
unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain
gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
[12] I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest
be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made
as grass;
[13] And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the
heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually
every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to
destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?
[14] The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should
not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.
[15] But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared:
The LORD of hosts is his name.
[16] And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the
shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations
of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
[17] Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of
the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of
trembling, and wrung them out.
[18] There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought
forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that
she hath brought up.
[19] These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee?
desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I
comfort thee?
[20] Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a
wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy
God.
[21] Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with
wine:
[22] Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of
his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling,
even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:
[23] But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have
said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy
body
as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.
Isaiah 52
1 (Rev 21:27; Ne 11:1; Isa 51:17) Awake, awake!
Put on your strength, O Zion;
put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city.
For the uncircumcised and the unclean
will no longer enter you.
2 (Isa 51:14; 51:23) Shake yourself from the dust;
arise, O captive Jerusalem.
Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion.
3 (Isa 45:13; Ps 44:12) For thus says the Lord:
You were sold for nothing,
and you shall be redeemed without money.
4 (Ge 46:6) For thus says the Lord God:
My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there;
then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
5 (Ro 2:24) Now therefore, what do I have here, says the Lord,
seeing that My people have been taken away for nothing?
Those who rule over them make them wail,
says the Lord,
and My name is continually blasphemed
all day long.
6 Therefore, My people shall know My name;
therefore, they shall know in that day
that I am He who does speak:
Here I am.
7 (Isa 40:9; Na 1:15; Ps 93:1) How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who proclaims peace,
who brings good news of happiness,
who proclaims salvation,
who says to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"
8 (Isa 62:6; 1Co 13:12) Your watchmen lift up their voices;
they sing joyfully together;
for they shall see with their own eyes
when the Lord brings Zion back.
9 (Isa 51:3; 48:20) Break forth into joy, sing together,
you waste places of Jerusalem.
For the Lord has comforted His people;
He has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 (Isa 51:9; Lk 3:6) The Lord has bared His holy arm
in the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.
11 (Isa 48:20; 2Co 6:17) Depart, depart, go out from there,
touch no unclean thing;
go out of the midst of her; be clean,
you who bear the vessels of the Lord.
12 (Ex 12:33; Isa 58:8) For you shall not go out with haste
nor go by flight.
For the Lord will go before you,
and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
[1] Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful
garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more
come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
[2] Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose
thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
[3] For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye
shall be redeemed without money.
[4] For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into
Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
[5] Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken
away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD;
and my name continually every day is blasphemed.
[6] Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in
that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.
[7] How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good
tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that
publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
[8] Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they
sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.
[9] Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for
the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
[10] The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
[11] Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go
ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.
[12] For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will
go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.
2) Our Daily Bread for 23 July 2022
https://odb.org/CA/2022/07/23/called-to-grow
Entitled Called to Grow
2 Peter 1:3-9
The Christian's Call and Election
3 (1Th 2:12; 2Th 2:14) His divine power has given to us all things that
pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge
of Him who has called us by His own glory and excellence,
4 (Heb 12:10; 1Jn 3:2) by which He has given to us exceedingly great
and precious promises, so that through these things you might become
partakers of the divine nature
and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 (2Pe 3:18; Php 4:8) For this reason make every effort to add virtue
to your faith; and to your virtue, knowledge;
6 (Ac 24:25; 2Pe 1:3) and to your knowledge, self-control; and to your
self-control, patient endurance; and to your patient endurance, godliness;
7 (Ro 12:10; 1Co 13:1-8) and to your godliness, brotherly kindness;
and to your brotherly kindness, love.
8 (Jn 15:2; Col 3:16) For if these things reside in you and abound,
they ensure that you will neither be useless nor unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 (Eph 5:26; Heb 9:14) But the one who lacks these things is blind
and shortsighted because he has forgotten that he was cleansed
from his former sins.
[3] According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain
unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to
glory and virtue:
[4] Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by
these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust.
[5] And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to
virtue knowledge;
[6] And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience
godliness;
[7] And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
[8] For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall
neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[9] But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and
hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
The sea squirt is a strange creature. Found attached to rocks and shells, it
looks like a soft plastic tube waving with the current. Drawing its nutrients
from the passing water, it lives a passive life far removed from its once–
active youth.
The sea squirt starts life as a tadpole with a primitive spinal cord and brain
that helps it find food and avoid harm. As a juvenile, it spends its days
exploring the ocean, but something happens when it reaches adulthood. Settling
on its rock, it stops exploring and growing. In a macabre twist, it digests its
own brain.
Spineless, thoughtless, flowing passively with the current. The apostle Peter
encourages us not to follow the sea squirt’s fate. Since maturity for us means
taking on God's nature (2 Peter 1:4), you and I are called to grow-grow
mentally in our knowledge of Christ (3:18); spiritually in traits like
goodness, perseverance, and self-control (1:5-7); and practically by exploring
new ways to love, offer hospitality, and serve others through our gifts (1
Peter 4:7-11). Such growth, Peter says, will stop us from living
"ineffective and unproductive" lives (2 Peter 1:8).
This calling to grow is as vital for the seventy-year-old as it is for the
teenager. God's nature is as vast as the ocean. We've barely swum a few feet.
Explore His unending character, take new spiritual adventures.
Study, serve, take risks. Grow.
By: Sheridan Voysey
Reflect & Pray
What character trait do you feel God calling you to grow in?
What service opportunity is He leading you to try?
Father God, please help me to grow more like You each day.
Learn how to improve your walk with God.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 4 - The Blessings of Grace Day 7 God's Bulldozer - Luke 3:5-6
5 (Isa 40:4; 42:16) Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be brought low;
and the crooked shall be made straight
and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6 (Isa 40:5; 52:10) and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
5 Every valley shall be filled,
And every mountain and hill shall be brought low;
And the crooked shall be made straight,
And the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
When a new highway is being constructed, the roads crew work hard
in preparing for the new surface to be laid. Giant bulldozers cut through
the hillsides, moving earth, leveling, filling, evening the path out where
the roadway will run. When the work is first begun, if often looks like chaos:
and even after the highway begins to take shape, the land is still ugly,
scarred by the unsightly gashes cut through the landscape. Yet after
the work is completed and the grass and trees are replanted, we forget
the temporary upheaval and see only the
beauty of the land and the convenience of the new roadway.
In Luke 3:5-6, John the Baptist presents a prophecy of the coming of Christ,
a prophecy quoted from Isaiah 40:3-5 . The prophecy speaks of the preparation
of the world for the coming Messiah, but is also applies to the preparation
of the individual heart to receive him.
Sometimes, the Holy Spirit must do major work in our hearts to prepare us for
the coming of Christ into our live. Like a bulldozer, he brings down the
mountains of pride in our lives. He fill the empty places , corrects
the crooked, grades down the rough edges of our hearts.
Often this is not pleasant work. We prefer to maintain the rugged landscape
of Self, and we do not like the ugly scars that are left after the bulldozer
has done its job.
But if we submit to the Spirit's "Construction work" in us, the way will be
paved for the Lord to enter into our lives, and others will see in us,
the way be paved for the Lord to enter into our lives, and other will see
in us the glory and salvation of our God.
Application
a) What "construction work" has to Holy Spirit done in me?
b) What restoration has taken place because of that work?
c) How do today's verses help me put in perspective the work
God still want to do in me?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
1 Cor 13:3
3 If I give all my goods to feed the poor,
and if I give my body to be burned,
and have not love, it profits me nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity,
it profiteth me nothing.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
God's Inexhaustible Strength
Ps 18:30-34
30 As for God, His way has integrity;
the word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all those who take refuge in Him.
31 For who is God except the Lord?
Or who is a rock besides our God?
32 It is God who clothes me with strength,
and gives my way integrity.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and causes me to stand on my high places.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
30 As for God, his way is perfect:
The word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
31 For who is God save the LORD?
Or who is a rock save our God?
32 It is God that girdeth me with strength,
And maketh my way perfect.
33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet,
And setteth me upon my high places.
34 He teacheth my hands to war,
So that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2022 edition?)
Where do Muslims live?
Canada is a land of immigrants. And Muslims are coming in increasing numbers
to our shores. Where do they live? How can we pray for these areas? Use this as
your more effectively for Muslims in Canada.
Data for those population figures is extrapolated for the 2011 National
Household Survey and population growth projections by Pew Forum. These have
also been adjusted by +40% as reliable sources state that on 60% of Muslims
self-identify on government surveys and forms. These estimates are still on
the conservative end of the spectrum. Percentages represent that of the total
Canadian population, not provincial
BC - 136493 - 7.5%
AB - 195240 - 11%
SK - 17279 - 1%
MB - 21349 - 1.2%
ON - 1001542 - 55%
QC - 418946 - 23%
NB - 4543 - 0.003%
NS - 14629 - 0.1%
PEI - 1127 - 0.0006%
NFLD - 2065 - 0.001%
Yukon - 69 - 0.00004%
NWT - 473 - 0.0003%
NU - 86 - 0.00005%
Adding further
30 days of prayer for the Muslim World 24 April to 23 May 2020
Under the Keep Praying page
When the new moon is sighted it marks the beginning of t he new Islamic month
and Eid al-Fitr, the "Festival of Breaking the Fast", will start! After 30 days
of fasting, the Eid celebration at the end of Ramadan is a joyful time that
usually lasts about 3 days. Muslims will buy new clothes, exchange gifts and,
of course, enjoy special foods. In Muslim-majority nations, the streets may be
decorated and festivals will be held.
For many Muslims, Eid-al-Fitr begins with communal prayers at daybreak and the
distribution of money (zakat) to the poor, which is one of the 5 pillars of
Islam.
You can greet Muslim friends during this time by saying "Eid Mubarak",
which means Blessed Eid!"
Ramadan is over for this year, but you can continue to pray for Muslims you
know, and Muslims around the world:
- Despite the unsettling developments in our world today that involve actions
in the name of Islam, there is at the same time a largely untold story about
unprecedented movement to Christ among Muslims. There have been more such
movements of thousands or more new disciples among Muslims in the last three
decades or so than in all the previous history of Christian Muslim
relationships! Pray for this momentum to continue.
Acts 2:12-17 : 17 "In the last days it shall be," says God,
"that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.
18 Even on My menservants and maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in heaven above and signs on the earth below:
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness,
and the moon into blood, before that great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
21 And whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."[a]
Footnotes
Acts 2:21 Joel 2:28-32.
- Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective
discipleship movements among Muslim people.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to inspire you to have god's heart for
Muslims, to see them as He does, and to be the light that then to Jesus.
Matthew 5:14-15 : 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a
hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do men light a candle and put it under
a basket, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the
house."
Ideas for prayer
- Pray for opportunities to show the love of Christ to Muslims around you
- Pray for, and offer generous hospitality to, those you know who are serving
Christ among Muslim people -
Romans 12:13 "contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality."
- When you gather with fellow believers, remember to pray for Muslims
throughout the year and encourage them to also participate in 30 Days!
And
Thank you for praying through the
5 Days of Prayer for Sikhs.
"My name is Kam. I'm 29 years of age, and I grew up Sikh. As a teenager,
I struggled with depression, brokenness, and addiction to
cannabis. I didn't know how to stop or how to get help.
Then a friend invited me to church. As I spent time with Christians
and heard the message of the Gospel, I experienced the
love of Jesus Christ, and it was like nothing I'd known before.
One night I had a dream where I saw Him - a figure surrounded by
light who I knew was Jesus, the light of the world.
As I began to understand the gospel message, I encountered a reassuring and
confident solution to the problem of sin. I knew that I needed a solution
to my sin problem, and I gave my life to Christ.
Slowly, God began to heal my broken heart and my addiction.
Nine years have passed, and I am a devoted husband and a father
to two beautiful boys. I grow deeper in love with Jesus each day.
I ask you to continue praying with me, and others around the world, for Sikhs.
God is the only one who can draw people to Himself. He works in and through
the prayers of His people. I want Sikhs to know the freedom
and healing that is only available through Jesus Christ."
13 (Ro 14:17; 12:12) Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy
and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope,
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
[13] Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that
ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
ROMANS 15:13
My paternal side is of Muslim heritage and will offer this section to further
call for Muslim converts to Christian and any other converts to Christianity
(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, ...) .
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
Day 23 of the Month
a) Pray for the genuine conversion and successful rehabilitation of those
who have committed crimes.
b) Pray for spiritual and functional unity in the Body of Christ
across Canada.
(
John 13:34-35
34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another,
even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another."
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another;
as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another.
Rom 12:10
10 Be devoted to one another with brotherly love; prefer one another in honour
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love;
in honour preferring one another;
Heb 10:24
24 And let us consider how to spur one another to love and to good works.
24 and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
1 Peter 3:8
8 Finally, be all of one mind, be loving toward one another, be gracious,
and be kind.
8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another,
love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
1 John 3:23
23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name
of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another as He commanded us.
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name
of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
)
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord and pray to Lord to be thankful for His plan of Salvation.
Pray to the Lord: "Father God, please help me to grow more like You each day."
Pray to the Lord and pray to the Lord to complete the construction work in
you.
Pray to the Lord and pray to be charitable in your life.
Pray to the Lord and praise Him for being your shield.
Pray for Muslims in Canada to know Jesus as Saviour.
Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective
discipleship movements among Muslim people.
- Pray for opportunities to show the love of Christ to Muslims around you
- Pray for, and offer generous hospitality to, those you know who are serving
Christ among Muslim people -
Romans 12:13 "contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality."
- When you gather with fellow believers, remember to pray for Muslims
throughout the year and encourage them to also participate in 30 Days!
Pray for the genuine conversion and successful rehabilitation of those
who have committed crimes.
Pray for spiritual and functional unity in the Body of Christ
across Canada.
Pray for wisdom on how to reach Comorians with the Gospel .
Pray to the Lord that to know the Holy Spirit.
and Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.
Remember eternity starts now -
Pray for the direction you take to the Ever lasting loving God.
1) Isaiah 48:12 - 52:12
Isaiah 48
The Lord's Call to Israel
12 (Isa 41:4; Rev 22:13) Listen to Me, O Jacob
and Israel, whom I called: I am He;
I am the First, and I am the Last.
13 (Isa 40:26; Ex 20:11) My hand also has laid the foundation of the earth,
and My right hand has spanned the heavens; when I call to them,
they stand up together.
14 (Isa 43:9; 13:4-5) Assemble, all of you, and listen.
Who among them has declared these things? The Lord has loved him;
he will do His pleasure on Babylon,
and His arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, even I, have spoken, and I have called him;
I have brought him, and his way will prosper.
16 (Isa 45:19) Come near to Me, hear this:
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
from the time that it was, there I am.
And now the Lord God has sent me and His Spirit.
17 (Ps 32:8; Isa 43:14) Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of
Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit,
who leads you in the way you should go.
18 (Dt 32:29; Isa 66:12) Oh, that you had listened to My commandments!
Then your peace would have been as a river
and your righteousness as the waves of the sea.
19 (Ge 22:17; Isa 10:22) Your descendants also would have been as the sand
and your offspring like grains of sand;
their name would not have been cut off
nor destroyed from before Me.
20 (Isa 52:9; Jer 50:8; 51:6) Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!
With a voice of singing declare, proclaim this,
utter it even to the ends of the earth;
say, "The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob."
21 (Ex 17:6; Nu 20:11) They did not thirst when He led them
through the deserts;
He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them;
He also split the rock,
and the waters gushed out.
22 (Isa 57:21) "There is no peace," says the Lord, "for the wicked."
[12] Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the
first, I also am the last.
[13] Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand
hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.
[14] All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared
these things? The LORD hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon,
and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.
[15] I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him,
and he shall make his way prosperous.
[16] Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from
the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD,
and his Spirit, hath sent me.
[17] Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the
LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way
that thou shouldest go.
[18] O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace
been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
[19] Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels
like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed
from before me.
[20] Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of
singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say
ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob.
[21] And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused
the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the
waters gushed out.
[22] There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.
Isaiah 49
The Servant of the Lord
1 (Jer 1:5; Isa 42:1-4) Listen to me, O coastlands,
and pay attention, you peoples from afar.
The Lord called me from the womb;
from the body of my mother He named me.
2 (Isa 11:4; Rev 1:16) He has made my mouth like a sharp sword;
in the shadow of His hand He has hidden me
and made me a select arrow;
in His quiver He has hidden me.
3 (Isa 44:23; Zec 3:8) He said to me, "You are My servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified."
4 (Isa 53:10-12; 65:23 Then I said, "I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity,
yet surely the justice due to me is with the Lord,
and my reward with my God."
5 (Mt 17:5; 28:18) Now says the Lord,
who formed me from the womb to be His servant,
to bring Jacob back to Him,
so that Israel might be gathered to Him
(yet I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,
and my God is my strength),
6 (Isa 42:6; Lk 2:32) He says,
"It is a light thing that you should be My servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also make you a light to the nations
so that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."
7 (Isa 52:15; 53:3) Thus says the Lord,
the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One,
to the despised one, to the one whom the nation abhors,
to the servant of rulers:
"Kings shall see and arise,
princes also shall worship,
because of the Lord who is faithful
and the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you."
The Restoration of Israel
8 (Isa 42:6; Ps 69:13; 2Co 6:2) Thus says the Lord:
In an acceptable time I have heard you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you;
and I will preserve you, and give you
as a covenant of the people,
to restore the earth,
to make them inherit the desolate heritages,
9 (Isa 42:7; 61:1) saying to the prisoners, "Go forth,"
to those who are in darkness, "Show yourselves."
They shall feed along the paths,
and their pastures shall be in all desolate heights;
10 (Rev 7:16-17) they shall not hunger nor thirst,
neither shall the heat nor sun strike them;
for He who has mercy on them shall lead them,
even by the springs of water He shall guide them.
11 (Isa 11:16; 62:10) I will make all My mountains a road,
and My highways shall be raised up.
12 (Isa 43:5-6) See, these shall come from afar;
and these will come from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Sinim.
13 (Isa 44:23; 51:3) Sing, O heavens!
And be joyful, O earth!
And break forth into singing, Omountains!
For the Lord has comforted His people
and will have mercy on His afflicted.
14 (Isa 40:27) But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me,
and the Lord has forgotten me."
15 (Isa 44:21) Can a woman forget her nursing child,
and have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget.
16 (SS 8:6; Hag 2:23) See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
your walls are continually before Me;
17 your builders hurry;
your destroyers and those who devastated you shall depart from you.
18 (Isa 49:12; 54:9) Lift up your eyes and look all around;
all these gather themselves together and come to you.
As I live, says the Lord,
you shall surely put on all of them as ornaments
and bind them on you as a bride does.
19 (Zec 10:10; Ps 56:1-2) For your waste and your desolate places,
and the land of your destruction,
shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants,
and those who swallowed you up shall be far away.
20 The children whom you shall have,
after you have lost the others,
shall say again in your ears,
"The place is too cramped for me;
make room for me that I may dwell here."
21 Then you shall say in your heart,
"Who bore these for me,
since I have lost my children and am barren,
a captive and a wanderer?
And who has brought these up?
I was left alone;
from where did these come?"
22 Thus says the Lord God:
See, I will lift up My hand to the nations
and set up My standard to the peoples;
and they shall bring your sons in their arms,
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders;
23 (Isa 60:3; 60:16) kings shall be your foster fathers
and their queens your nursing mothers;
they shall bow down to you with their faces toward the ground
and lick up the dust of your feet.
And you shall know that I am the Lord,
for those who wait for Me shall not be ashamed.
24 (Mt 12:29) Can the prey be taken from the mighty
or the captives of a tyrant be delivered?
25 (Jer 50:33-34) For thus says the Lord:
Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away,
and the prey of the tyrant shall be delivered;
for I will contend with him who contends with you,
and I will save your sons.
26 (Isa 9:20; Eze 39:7) I will feed those who oppress you
with their own flesh,
and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine.
And all flesh shall know
that I, the Lord, am your Savior
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
[1] Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD
hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made
mention of my name.
[2] And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand
hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
[3] And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be
glorified.
[4] Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for
nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work
with my God.
[5] And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be
glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.
[6] And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to
raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will
also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation
unto the end of the earth.
[7] Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him
whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of
rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of
the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose
thee.
[8] Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a
day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee
for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit
the desolate heritages;
[9] That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in
darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures
shall be in all high places.
[10] They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite
them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of
water shall he guide them.
[11] And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be
exalted.
[12] Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and
from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.
[13] Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing,
O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy
upon his afflicted.
[14] But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
[15] Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have
compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not
forget thee.
[16] Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are
continually before me.
[17] Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee
waste shall go forth of thee.
[18] Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves
together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely
clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a
bride doeth.
[19] For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction,
shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that
swallowed thee up shall be far away.
[20] The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other,
shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to
me that I may dwell.
[21] Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing
I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and
fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where
had they been?
[22] Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the
Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy
sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their
shoulders.
[23] And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing
mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and
lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for
they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
[24] Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
[25] But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken
away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend
with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
[26] And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they
shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh
shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One
of Jacob.
Isaiah 50
The Servant, Hope of Israel
1 (Jer 3:8; Dt 32:30; 2Ki 4:1) Thus says the Lord:
Where is the certificate of divorce
by which I sent your mother away?
Or to which of My creditors
did I sell you?
For your iniquities you were sold,
and for your transgressions your mother was sent away.
2 (Nu 11:23; Jos 3:16) Why, when I came, was there no man?
When I called, was there no one to answer?
Is My hand so short that it cannot redeem?
Or have I no power to deliver?
Indeed, at My rebuke I dry up the sea,
I make the rivers a wilderness;
Their fish stink because there is no water,
and die for thirst.
3 (Rev 6:12) I clothe the heavens with blackness,
and I make sackcloth their covering.
4 (Mt 11:28; Ex 4:11-12) The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned,
that I may know how to sustain him who is weary with a word;
He awakens me morning by morning;
He awakens my ear to listen as the learned.
5 (Jn 14:31; Heb 5:8) The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious,
nor did I turn back.
6 (Mt 26:67; Mk 15:19; 14:65) I gave my back to those who struck me,
and my cheeks to those who plucked out my beard;
I did not cover my face
from shame and spitting.
7 (Eze 3:8-9; Isa 42:1) For the Lord God will help me;
therefore, I shall not be disgraced;
therefore, I have set my face like a flint,
and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
8 (Isa 41:1; Ro 8:32-34) He who vindicates me is near;
who will contend with me?
Let us stand up to each other.
Who is my adversary?
Let him come near to me.
9 (Job 13:28; Isa 41:10) Certainly the Lord God will help me;
who is he who condemns me?
Indeed they all shall grow old as a garment;
the moth shall eat them up.
10 (Isa 9:2) Who among you fears the Lord,
who obeys the voice of His servant,
who walks in darkness
and has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the Lord,
and rely upon his God.
11 (Isa 8:22; Jn 9:39) But now, all you who kindle a fire,
who encompass yourselves with sparks:
Walk in the light of your fire
and among the sparks that you have ignited.
This you shall have from My hand:
You shall lie down in sorrow.
[1] Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement,
whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold
you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your
transgressions is your mother put away.
[2] Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none
to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no
power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a
wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for
thirst.
[3] I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.
[4] The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know
how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by
morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
[5] The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither
turned away back.
[6] I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off
the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
[7] For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded:
therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be
ashamed.
[8] He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand
together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.
[9] Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo,
they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.
[10] Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his
servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the
name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.
[11] Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with
sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have
kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.
Isaiah 51
The Eternal Salvation of Zion
1 (Isa 51:7; Ps 94:15; Ge 17:15-17) Listen to Me,
you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were hewn
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2 (Eze 33:24) Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for I called him alone,
and blessed him, and multiplied him.
3 (Isa 52:9; Ge 13:10) For the Lord shall comfort Zion,
He will comfort all her waste places;
He will make her wilderness like Eden,
and her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness shall be found in it,
thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
4 (Isa 2:3; 42:6) Listen to Me, O My people;
and give ear to Me, O My nation:
for a law shall proceed from Me,
and I will set My justice as a light of the peoples.
5 (Isa 46:13; 42:4) My righteousness is near,
My salvation has gone forth,
and My arms shall judge the peoples;
the coastlands shall wait for Me,
and for My arm they shall expectantly wait.
6 (Mt 24:35; Isa 34:4) Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look on the earth beneath.
For the heavens shall vanish away like smoke,
and the earth shall grow old like a garment,
and those who dwell in it shall die in like manner;
but My salvation shall be forever,
and My righteousness shall not be abolished.
7 (Ps 37:31; Mt 5:11) Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
the people in whose heart is My law;
do not fear the reproach of men
nor be afraid of their revilings.
8 (Isa 50:9; 51:6) For the moth shall eat them up like a garment,
and the worm shall eat them like wool;
but My righteousness shall be forever
and My salvation from generation to generation.
9 (Isa 27:1; Ps 74:13-14; Isa 52:1) Awake, awake, put on strength,
O arm of the Lord.
Awake as in the ancient days,
in the generations of old.
Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces
and wounded the dragon?
10 (Ex 14:21-22; 15:13 ) Was it not You who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep,
who made the depths of the sea a pathway
for the ransomed to pass over?
11 (Isa 35:10; Rev 7:17) Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return
and come with singing to Zion,
and everlasting joy shall be upon their head.
They shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
12 (Ps 118:6; Isa 2:22) I, even I, am He who comforts you.
Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who shall die,
and of the son of man who shall be made as grass,
13 (Ps 104:2; Isa 17:10) and forget the Lord your maker
who has stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth?
And have feared continually every day
because of the fury of the oppressor
as he makes ready to destroy?
Yet where is the fury of the oppressor?
14 (Isa 48:20; 52:2) The exile shall soon be freed,
and shall not die in the dungeon,
nor will his bread be lacking.
15 (Jer 31:35) But I am the Lord your God
who divided the sea whose waves roared;
the Lord of Hosts is His name.
16 (Isa 59:21; Dt 18:18) I have put My words in your mouth,
and I have covered you in the shadow of My hand
that I may plant the heavens,
and lay the foundations of the earth,
and say to Zion, "You are My people."
The Wrath of God Ceases
17 (Job 21:20; Isa 52:1) Awake, awake,
stand up, O Jerusalem,
you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord
the cup of His fury;
the cup of reeling
you have drained to the dregs.
18 (Ps 88:18; Isa 49:21) There is no one to guide her
among all the sons she has brought forth;
nor is there anyone to take hold of her hand
of all the sons that she has brought up.
19 (Isa 47:9; Am 7:2) These two things have befallen you;
who shall be mournful for you?
Desolation, and destruction, and famine, and sword-
how shall I comfort you?
20 (La 2:11-12) Your sons have fainted;
they lie at the head of all the streets
as an antelope in a net;
they are full of the fury of the Lord,
the rebuke of your God.
21 Therefore please hear this,
you afflicted who are drunk but not with wine.
22 (Isa 51:17; Jer 50:34) Thus says your Lord, the Lord,
and your God who pleads the cause of His people:
See, I have taken out of your hand
the cup of reeling,
even the dregs of the cup of My fury;
you will never drink it again.
23 (Jos 10:24; Zec 12:2) But I will put it into the hand of those
who afflict you,
who have said to you,
"Lie down that we may walk over you."
And you have laid your back as the ground
and as the street for those who walk on it.
[1] Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the
LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit
whence ye are digged.
[2] Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I
called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.
[3] For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places;
and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the
garden of
the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the
voice of melody.
[4] Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law
shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of
the people.
[5] My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms
shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall
they trust.
[6] Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for
the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a
garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my
salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
[7] Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart
is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their
revilings.
[8] For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat
them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation
from generation to generation.
[9] Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the
ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut
Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
[10] Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep;
that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?
[11] Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing
unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain
gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
[12] I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest
be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made
as grass;
[13] And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the
heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually
every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to
destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?
[14] The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should
not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.
[15] But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared:
The LORD of hosts is his name.
[16] And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the
shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations
of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
[17] Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of
the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of
trembling, and wrung them out.
[18] There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought
forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that
she hath brought up.
[19] These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee?
desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I
comfort thee?
[20] Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a
wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy
God.
[21] Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with
wine:
[22] Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of
his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling,
even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:
[23] But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have
said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy
body
as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.
Isaiah 52
1 (Rev 21:27; Ne 11:1; Isa 51:17) Awake, awake!
Put on your strength, O Zion;
put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city.
For the uncircumcised and the unclean
will no longer enter you.
2 (Isa 51:14; 51:23) Shake yourself from the dust;
arise, O captive Jerusalem.
Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion.
3 (Isa 45:13; Ps 44:12) For thus says the Lord:
You were sold for nothing,
and you shall be redeemed without money.
4 (Ge 46:6) For thus says the Lord God:
My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there;
then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
5 (Ro 2:24) Now therefore, what do I have here, says the Lord,
seeing that My people have been taken away for nothing?
Those who rule over them make them wail,
says the Lord,
and My name is continually blasphemed
all day long.
6 Therefore, My people shall know My name;
therefore, they shall know in that day
that I am He who does speak:
Here I am.
7 (Isa 40:9; Na 1:15; Ps 93:1) How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who proclaims peace,
who brings good news of happiness,
who proclaims salvation,
who says to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"
8 (Isa 62:6; 1Co 13:12) Your watchmen lift up their voices;
they sing joyfully together;
for they shall see with their own eyes
when the Lord brings Zion back.
9 (Isa 51:3; 48:20) Break forth into joy, sing together,
you waste places of Jerusalem.
For the Lord has comforted His people;
He has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 (Isa 51:9; Lk 3:6) The Lord has bared His holy arm
in the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.
11 (Isa 48:20; 2Co 6:17) Depart, depart, go out from there,
touch no unclean thing;
go out of the midst of her; be clean,
you who bear the vessels of the Lord.
12 (Ex 12:33; Isa 58:8) For you shall not go out with haste
nor go by flight.
For the Lord will go before you,
and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
[1] Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful
garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more
come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
[2] Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose
thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
[3] For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye
shall be redeemed without money.
[4] For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into
Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
[5] Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken
away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD;
and my name continually every day is blasphemed.
[6] Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in
that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.
[7] How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good
tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that
publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
[8] Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they
sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.
[9] Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for
the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
[10] The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
[11] Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go
ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.
[12] For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will
go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.
2) Our Daily Bread for 23 July 2022
https://odb.org/CA/2022/07/23/called-to-grow
Entitled Called to Grow
2 Peter 1:3-9
The Christian's Call and Election
3 (1Th 2:12; 2Th 2:14) His divine power has given to us all things that
pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge
of Him who has called us by His own glory and excellence,
4 (Heb 12:10; 1Jn 3:2) by which He has given to us exceedingly great
and precious promises, so that through these things you might become
partakers of the divine nature
and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 (2Pe 3:18; Php 4:8) For this reason make every effort to add virtue
to your faith; and to your virtue, knowledge;
6 (Ac 24:25; 2Pe 1:3) and to your knowledge, self-control; and to your
self-control, patient endurance; and to your patient endurance, godliness;
7 (Ro 12:10; 1Co 13:1-8) and to your godliness, brotherly kindness;
and to your brotherly kindness, love.
8 (Jn 15:2; Col 3:16) For if these things reside in you and abound,
they ensure that you will neither be useless nor unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 (Eph 5:26; Heb 9:14) But the one who lacks these things is blind
and shortsighted because he has forgotten that he was cleansed
from his former sins.
[3] According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain
unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to
glory and virtue:
[4] Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by
these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust.
[5] And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to
virtue knowledge;
[6] And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience
godliness;
[7] And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
[8] For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall
neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[9] But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and
hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
The sea squirt is a strange creature. Found attached to rocks and shells, it
looks like a soft plastic tube waving with the current. Drawing its nutrients
from the passing water, it lives a passive life far removed from its once–
active youth.
The sea squirt starts life as a tadpole with a primitive spinal cord and brain
that helps it find food and avoid harm. As a juvenile, it spends its days
exploring the ocean, but something happens when it reaches adulthood. Settling
on its rock, it stops exploring and growing. In a macabre twist, it digests its
own brain.
Spineless, thoughtless, flowing passively with the current. The apostle Peter
encourages us not to follow the sea squirt’s fate. Since maturity for us means
taking on God's nature (2 Peter 1:4), you and I are called to grow-grow
mentally in our knowledge of Christ (3:18); spiritually in traits like
goodness, perseverance, and self-control (1:5-7); and practically by exploring
new ways to love, offer hospitality, and serve others through our gifts (1
Peter 4:7-11). Such growth, Peter says, will stop us from living
"ineffective and unproductive" lives (2 Peter 1:8).
This calling to grow is as vital for the seventy-year-old as it is for the
teenager. God's nature is as vast as the ocean. We've barely swum a few feet.
Explore His unending character, take new spiritual adventures.
Study, serve, take risks. Grow.
By: Sheridan Voysey
Reflect & Pray
What character trait do you feel God calling you to grow in?
What service opportunity is He leading you to try?
Father God, please help me to grow more like You each day.
Learn how to improve your walk with God.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 4 - The Blessings of Grace Day 7 God's Bulldozer - Luke 3:5-6
5 (Isa 40:4; 42:16) Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be brought low;
and the crooked shall be made straight
and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6 (Isa 40:5; 52:10) and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
5 Every valley shall be filled,
And every mountain and hill shall be brought low;
And the crooked shall be made straight,
And the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
When a new highway is being constructed, the roads crew work hard
in preparing for the new surface to be laid. Giant bulldozers cut through
the hillsides, moving earth, leveling, filling, evening the path out where
the roadway will run. When the work is first begun, if often looks like chaos:
and even after the highway begins to take shape, the land is still ugly,
scarred by the unsightly gashes cut through the landscape. Yet after
the work is completed and the grass and trees are replanted, we forget
the temporary upheaval and see only the
beauty of the land and the convenience of the new roadway.
In Luke 3:5-6, John the Baptist presents a prophecy of the coming of Christ,
a prophecy quoted from Isaiah 40:3-5 . The prophecy speaks of the preparation
of the world for the coming Messiah, but is also applies to the preparation
of the individual heart to receive him.
Sometimes, the Holy Spirit must do major work in our hearts to prepare us for
the coming of Christ into our live. Like a bulldozer, he brings down the
mountains of pride in our lives. He fill the empty places , corrects
the crooked, grades down the rough edges of our hearts.
Often this is not pleasant work. We prefer to maintain the rugged landscape
of Self, and we do not like the ugly scars that are left after the bulldozer
has done its job.
But if we submit to the Spirit's "Construction work" in us, the way will be
paved for the Lord to enter into our lives, and others will see in us,
the way be paved for the Lord to enter into our lives, and other will see
in us the glory and salvation of our God.
Application
a) What "construction work" has to Holy Spirit done in me?
b) What restoration has taken place because of that work?
c) How do today's verses help me put in perspective the work
God still want to do in me?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
1 Cor 13:3
3 If I give all my goods to feed the poor,
and if I give my body to be burned,
and have not love, it profits me nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity,
it profiteth me nothing.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
God's Inexhaustible Strength
Ps 18:30-34
30 As for God, His way has integrity;
the word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all those who take refuge in Him.
31 For who is God except the Lord?
Or who is a rock besides our God?
32 It is God who clothes me with strength,
and gives my way integrity.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and causes me to stand on my high places.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
30 As for God, his way is perfect:
The word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
31 For who is God save the LORD?
Or who is a rock save our God?
32 It is God that girdeth me with strength,
And maketh my way perfect.
33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet,
And setteth me upon my high places.
34 He teacheth my hands to war,
So that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2022 edition?)
Where do Muslims live?
Canada is a land of immigrants. And Muslims are coming in increasing numbers
to our shores. Where do they live? How can we pray for these areas? Use this as
your more effectively for Muslims in Canada.
Data for those population figures is extrapolated for the 2011 National
Household Survey and population growth projections by Pew Forum. These have
also been adjusted by +40% as reliable sources state that on 60% of Muslims
self-identify on government surveys and forms. These estimates are still on
the conservative end of the spectrum. Percentages represent that of the total
Canadian population, not provincial
BC - 136493 - 7.5%
AB - 195240 - 11%
SK - 17279 - 1%
MB - 21349 - 1.2%
ON - 1001542 - 55%
QC - 418946 - 23%
NB - 4543 - 0.003%
NS - 14629 - 0.1%
PEI - 1127 - 0.0006%
NFLD - 2065 - 0.001%
Yukon - 69 - 0.00004%
NWT - 473 - 0.0003%
NU - 86 - 0.00005%
Adding further
30 days of prayer for the Muslim World 24 April to 23 May 2020
Under the Keep Praying page
When the new moon is sighted it marks the beginning of t he new Islamic month
and Eid al-Fitr, the "Festival of Breaking the Fast", will start! After 30 days
of fasting, the Eid celebration at the end of Ramadan is a joyful time that
usually lasts about 3 days. Muslims will buy new clothes, exchange gifts and,
of course, enjoy special foods. In Muslim-majority nations, the streets may be
decorated and festivals will be held.
For many Muslims, Eid-al-Fitr begins with communal prayers at daybreak and the
distribution of money (zakat) to the poor, which is one of the 5 pillars of
Islam.
You can greet Muslim friends during this time by saying "Eid Mubarak",
which means Blessed Eid!"
Ramadan is over for this year, but you can continue to pray for Muslims you
know, and Muslims around the world:
- Despite the unsettling developments in our world today that involve actions
in the name of Islam, there is at the same time a largely untold story about
unprecedented movement to Christ among Muslims. There have been more such
movements of thousands or more new disciples among Muslims in the last three
decades or so than in all the previous history of Christian Muslim
relationships! Pray for this momentum to continue.
Acts 2:12-17 : 17 "In the last days it shall be," says God,
"that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.
18 Even on My menservants and maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in heaven above and signs on the earth below:
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness,
and the moon into blood, before that great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
21 And whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."[a]
Footnotes
Acts 2:21 Joel 2:28-32.
- Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective
discipleship movements among Muslim people.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to inspire you to have god's heart for
Muslims, to see them as He does, and to be the light that then to Jesus.
Matthew 5:14-15 : 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a
hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do men light a candle and put it under
a basket, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the
house."
Ideas for prayer
- Pray for opportunities to show the love of Christ to Muslims around you
- Pray for, and offer generous hospitality to, those you know who are serving
Christ among Muslim people -
Romans 12:13 "contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality."
- When you gather with fellow believers, remember to pray for Muslims
throughout the year and encourage them to also participate in 30 Days!
And
Thank you for praying through the
5 Days of Prayer for Sikhs.
"My name is Kam. I'm 29 years of age, and I grew up Sikh. As a teenager,
I struggled with depression, brokenness, and addiction to
cannabis. I didn't know how to stop or how to get help.
Then a friend invited me to church. As I spent time with Christians
and heard the message of the Gospel, I experienced the
love of Jesus Christ, and it was like nothing I'd known before.
One night I had a dream where I saw Him - a figure surrounded by
light who I knew was Jesus, the light of the world.
As I began to understand the gospel message, I encountered a reassuring and
confident solution to the problem of sin. I knew that I needed a solution
to my sin problem, and I gave my life to Christ.
Slowly, God began to heal my broken heart and my addiction.
Nine years have passed, and I am a devoted husband and a father
to two beautiful boys. I grow deeper in love with Jesus each day.
I ask you to continue praying with me, and others around the world, for Sikhs.
God is the only one who can draw people to Himself. He works in and through
the prayers of His people. I want Sikhs to know the freedom
and healing that is only available through Jesus Christ."
13 (Ro 14:17; 12:12) Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy
and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope,
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
[13] Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that
ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
ROMANS 15:13
My paternal side is of Muslim heritage and will offer this section to further
call for Muslim converts to Christian and any other converts to Christianity
(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, ...) .
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
Day 23 of the Month
a) Pray for the genuine conversion and successful rehabilitation of those
who have committed crimes.
b) Pray for spiritual and functional unity in the Body of Christ
across Canada.
(
John 13:34-35
34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another,
even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another."
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another;
as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another.
Rom 12:10
10 Be devoted to one another with brotherly love; prefer one another in honour
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love;
in honour preferring one another;
Heb 10:24
24 And let us consider how to spur one another to love and to good works.
24 and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
1 Peter 3:8
8 Finally, be all of one mind, be loving toward one another, be gracious,
and be kind.
8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another,
love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
1 John 3:23
23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name
of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another as He commanded us.
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name
of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
)
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord and pray to Lord to be thankful for His plan of Salvation.
Pray to the Lord: "Father God, please help me to grow more like You each day."
Pray to the Lord and pray to the Lord to complete the construction work in
you.
Pray to the Lord and pray to be charitable in your life.
Pray to the Lord and praise Him for being your shield.
Pray for Muslims in Canada to know Jesus as Saviour.
Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective
discipleship movements among Muslim people.
- Pray for opportunities to show the love of Christ to Muslims around you
- Pray for, and offer generous hospitality to, those you know who are serving
Christ among Muslim people -
Romans 12:13 "contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality."
- When you gather with fellow believers, remember to pray for Muslims
throughout the year and encourage them to also participate in 30 Days!
Pray for the genuine conversion and successful rehabilitation of those
who have committed crimes.
Pray for spiritual and functional unity in the Body of Christ
across Canada.
Pray for wisdom on how to reach Comorians with the Gospel .
Pray to the Lord that to know the Holy Spirit.
and Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.
Remember eternity starts now -
Pray for the direction you take to the Ever lasting loving God.
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