Read the Bible in a Year (09AUG19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, August 9’s Bible reading is Isaiah 54-58.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, August 10’s Bible reading is Isaiah 59-63. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

ISAIAH MOMENT – (09AUG19) “ ‘Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 54:1). Israel and Judah were going to be taken into captivity, but the Lord was giving them hope because one day, they would be free of their captors, and would be able to sing His praises once again. They would be like a barren woman who had never had a child because all that they had would have been taken away from them when they went into captivity. They would have lost their land, belongings, their homes, and all that made them a nation, which God had given to them when they left Egypt. Nevertheless, there would be hope on the horizon. When God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, not only was that a promise for the physical, but it was a spiritual blessing as well, for those who would be accepted into the body of Christ in the future. There was going to be a day when both Jews and Gentiles would be heirs of Abraham. God would not distinguish one from the other, and this would enlarge the house of Israel, so that she would have more children who would be called the Children of God. The Bible says, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized in Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).

Just as Israel needed to go through a season of being barren so that the Lord could get their attention, He sometimes does the same thing with us. If it had not been for Israel going through captivity, they would have never learned from the error of their ways, and we are oftentimes the same way with God. The Lord tries to get our attention, but many have failed to heed to His call. Therefore, He allows for those who reject Him to go through a season of distress at times to draw us back to Him. The season does not last forever for those who submit humbly to His discipline. The Lord aims to restore, and just as He restored Israel, He will do the same for you. The Bible says, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent” (Revelation 3:19). Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (09AUG19) Have you ever been seeking God for answers regarding certain decisions in your life and felt led to fast to obtain answers from Him? Fasting combined with prayer is like putting your prayer on steroids. It boosts your prayer to let the Lord know that you are humbly coming before Him to seek His face for the plans that He has for your life, and or the lives of others. All throughout Israel’s history, when they needed help from God, they would pray and fast for Him to deliver them such as in the case of Queen Esther. Yet, there were times when Israel prayed and fasted, but did not receive any answers. Why was this? This is what the Lord had to say: “For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them…. Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high” (Isaiah 58:2, 3b-4). God was not pleased with Israel when they behaved in such a manner, while expecting for their prayers to be answered.

When we go to God in prayer and with fasting, we are to ensure that we have a clear conscious so that our prayers will not be hindered. The Lord loves for us to present all kinds of petitions in front of Him, but He wants us to do what is right before Him. The Bible says, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). Jesus told the crowd to make sure that they had everything right even with others, so that their gifts would be accepted by Him. Now, it may not always be possible to reconcile with those who abuse and/or refuse to change their evil ways towards you. In this case, you pray to the Lord to help you forgive that individual, and He will hear from Heaven because He knows and sees the struggles that we face. We are to do our part in ensuring that our hearts are right with God, so that when we seek His face, He will not reject the petitions that we have placed in front of Him. When we fast and pray, we are to do so unto the Lord in such a manner that He will be moved to respond on our behalf. Fasting is in vain when one’s heart is not right with God and there is unconfessed sin in our lives. Let’s be sure to repent, turn from our wicked ways, and treat one another with love, so that the Lord will not have reason to turn His face from us. Something to ponder….

ISAIAH MOMENT – (09AUG19) “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost” (Isaiah 55:1). Israel had a long history of rebellion, so Isaiah had been chosen to be the Lord’s mouthpiece to call them back to Him. The Lord wanted Israel to understand that there was no other God who could love and supply their needs like He could. Their foreign gods were useless and could not answer nor grant their prayers, but the Lord was good to His faithful and kept covenant with those who honored Him. He invited them to come to Him so that He could quench their thirst and feed their souls. The Bible says, Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). The Lord wanted Israel to repent and turn back to Him, but their stubbornness did not cause them to do so in order to advert their punishment of captivity. They rejected Him, and though He would not force their allegiance, they learned that God was the only One who could deliver them.

The Lord is still calling for people to come to Him today. He does not wish for anyone to be lost and has done all He could to ensure that sinners can be saved. The Lord desires that we feast and meditate upon Him both day and night. His love for us is unyielding and we can find all that we will ever need in the Lord. Many people are searching for material things to fill their spiritual void, but the Lord is looking beyond that here and now, and desires that we have a future with Him in glory. Things obtained on earth are only temporary, but the things of God are eternal. Something to ponder….