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ISAIAH 49:25-26
But thus says the LORD:
“Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away,
And the prey of the terrible be delivered;
For I will contend with him who contends with you,
And I will save your children.
I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh,
And they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine.
All flesh shall know
That I, the LORD, am your Saviour,
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Verses 25 and 26 of Isaiah 49 were sent for us by a dear Spirit-filled friend, and like any word that The Holy Spirit speaks into a situation, it is an arrow that hits the very centre of its target…
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
HEBREWS 4:12
In many cases, a word shared (as this one was), is meant for a specific situation and need not be broadcast, although the import of these words can and should be made plain to all. Thus we will not tell of the reasons why these words from Isaiah were exactly what we needed to hear, but we will say why we all need to pay attention to The Lord when He speaks.
It can easily be inferred from the context that we were in a situation of contention — something we all find overwhelms us on occasion. It can be none of our doing — perhaps a misinterpretation of something said clumsily, or maybe a clash of points-of-view, or sadly something of malicious intent by another.
It is hard work to rectify a situation gone wrong. Hurt is caused and felt on both sides, driving division and exacerbating the problem. We can overcome any difficulty if there is willingness on both sides to resolve a problem, but often our efforts only make matters worse. Our situation was of that sort. No matter how we might try, the eventual outcome would not be good, unless..
Unless we look to our Lord and Saviour, who knows all things. He can perform what we cannot, precisely because He has the complete view, while we can see only in part. We know that when we are in a state of weakness, He is our strength, and these words from Isaiah 49 show us clearly that He is our strength, for He will step in and fight the battle when we are incapable of any such thing. We should seek Him first while He may be found instead of calling upon Him to remedy a situation gone awry.
There is an enormous reassurance in the knowing that our Lord is beside and within us fighting those battles for us. That is ‘The Comforter’, but armed and protective. It is ‘The Shepherd of The Sheep’ who does not want us to succumb to the enemy’s attack, but…
But there is another purpose that He has in this, for He desires that we come up higher and be overcomers in adversity. Remember Job? Father God allowed the devil to do as he pleased to Job, except take his life…
It can easily be inferred from the context that we were in a situation of contention — something we all find overwhelms us on occasion. It can be none of our doing — perhaps a misinterpretation of something said clumsily, or maybe a clash of points-of-view, or sadly something of malicious intent by another.
It is hard work to rectify a situation gone wrong. Hurt is caused and felt on both sides, driving division and exacerbating the problem. We can overcome any difficulty if there is willingness on both sides to resolve a problem, but often our efforts only make matters worse. Our situation was of that sort. No matter how we might try, the eventual outcome would not be good, unless..
Unless we look to our Lord and Saviour, who knows all things. He can perform what we cannot, precisely because He has the complete view, while we can see only in part. We know that when we are in a state of weakness, He is our strength, and these words from Isaiah 49 show us clearly that He is our strength, for He will step in and fight the battle when we are incapable of any such thing. We should seek Him first while He may be found instead of calling upon Him to remedy a situation gone awry.
There is an enormous reassurance in the knowing that our Lord is beside and within us fighting those battles for us. That is ‘The Comforter’, but armed and protective. It is ‘The Shepherd of The Sheep’ who does not want us to succumb to the enemy’s attack, but…
But there is another purpose that He has in this, for He desires that we come up higher and be overcomers in adversity. Remember Job? Father God allowed the devil to do as he pleased to Job, except take his life…
And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.”
JOB 1:12
Satan is allowed by God to do as he pleases, but he cannot harm the life that God has created; only we can exercise our free will to agree with Satan, or go with God. We see in Isaiah 49, verse 4, that the choice for God has been made, but that there is still struggle and suffering, and fears arise that God has abandoned His people. The Lord then speaks to make it clear that He will contend with him who contends with us.
This blessed assurance that He will faithfully contend — that is to say, stand fast, wrestle with, pit Himself against any who come against His anointed people — is affirming His guarantee, His covenant, His blood bond that I, the LORD, am your Saviour, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
This blessed assurance that He will faithfully contend — that is to say, stand fast, wrestle with, pit Himself against any who come against His anointed people — is affirming His guarantee, His covenant, His blood bond that I, the LORD, am your Saviour, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS…
Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness;
yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.
And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver,
for they are nothing.
For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake,
because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people.
Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you;
but I will teach you the good and the right way.
Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart;
for consider what great things He has done for you.
But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”
1 SAMUEL 12:20-25
YOUR FAITHFULNESS — Brian Doerksen
PRAYER REQUIRES WORK…
WE HAVE NOT the remotest conception of what is done by our prayers, nor have we the right to try and examine and understand it; all we know is that Jesus Christ laid all stress on prayer. "And greater works than these will he do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do.”
[from ‘Baffled To Fight Better’ by Oswald Chambers]
LISTEN TO THIS MEDITATION HERE…
COMING NEXT… #526 I WILL NOT LET YOU GO UNLESS YOU BLESS ME
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PSALM 16:5-8
O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.
I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
This line came up in our meeting a short while ago, and we were blessed by The Lord’s leading at that time, but that verse from Psalm 16 stayed with me. What are The lines and where are the pleasant places? We might say nowadays, “I am so lucky”, but somehow that does not carry the depth of appreciation and thanks inherent in ‘The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.’ Perhaps that is because luck has nothing to do with it, nor can it be described as good fortune.
Studying verse 5 reveals that we have three different words which can all be translated as ‘inheritance’, but that would sound awkward to our ears. The lines, which means something tightly wound (as a rope), but also bound by a pledge or promise, leads us to translate this as ‘inheritance’, and thus we see inheritance in three instances in one verse.
Some show these lines as boundary lines, but that can only be so as in being hedged about or shielded by the Lord. What these verses speak to me is Inheritance with a capital ‘I’. This is about where we are headed, where The Lord would have us be, both now and forevermore. Living in the inheritance of The Almighty. For we are to be both His desired inheritance, just as He and His life in us is ours. See that He is always before you and that you shall not be moved from the inheritance which is yours and mine as children of God.
About 25 or more years ago, a dear lady of our acquaintance and a member of the church at which we fellowshiped was diagnosed with cancer and did not have long to live. Despite appalling pain, she bravely struggled on, until The Lord took her home. Psalm 16 was a sustaining word from God for her even to the end. A colourful painting of nasturtiums by my father with a quotation from Psalm 16 was displayed in the church as a memorial to a faithful one in The Lord, but also as a testimony that our Lord carries us through to live in His everlasting inheritance, no matter what may befall.
Studying verse 5 reveals that we have three different words which can all be translated as ‘inheritance’, but that would sound awkward to our ears. The lines, which means something tightly wound (as a rope), but also bound by a pledge or promise, leads us to translate this as ‘inheritance’, and thus we see inheritance in three instances in one verse.
Some show these lines as boundary lines, but that can only be so as in being hedged about or shielded by the Lord. What these verses speak to me is Inheritance with a capital ‘I’. This is about where we are headed, where The Lord would have us be, both now and forevermore. Living in the inheritance of The Almighty. For we are to be both His desired inheritance, just as He and His life in us is ours. See that He is always before you and that you shall not be moved from the inheritance which is yours and mine as children of God.
About 25 or more years ago, a dear lady of our acquaintance and a member of the church at which we fellowshiped was diagnosed with cancer and did not have long to live. Despite appalling pain, she bravely struggled on, until The Lord took her home. Psalm 16 was a sustaining word from God for her even to the end. A colourful painting of nasturtiums by my father with a quotation from Psalm 16 was displayed in the church as a memorial to a faithful one in The Lord, but also as a testimony that our Lord carries us through to live in His everlasting inheritance, no matter what may befall.
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS…
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
EPHESIANS 1:3-6
O THE DEEP DEEP LOVE OF JESUS — Canticle Trio
AT YOUR RIGHT HAND ARE PLEASURES FOREVERMORE — Esther Mui
PRAYER REQUIRES WONDER…
OVER AND OVER again God has to teach us how to stand and endure, watching actively and wondering. It is always a wonder when God answers prayer. We hear people say, "We must not say it is wonderful that God answers prayer"; but it is wonderful. It is so wonderful that a great many people believe it impossible. Listen!
"Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do." Isn't that wonderful? It is so wonderful that I do not suppose more than half of us really believe it. "Everyone who asks receives." Isn't that wonderful? It is so wonderful that many of us have never even asked God to give us the Holy Spirit because we don't believe He will. "If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven." Isn't that wonderful? It is tremendously wonderful.
[from ‘If You Will Ask’ by Oswald Chambers]