Inspired by . . . A Season in Scripture VI

Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. (Isa 7:14-15)

Isaiah 7:14 is probably the best-known prophecy concerning the birth of the Messiah. Yet what feeds my soul this morning are the preceding verses. What the "therefore" is there for.

Here in Isaiah chapter seven, we find King Ahaz and the city of Jerusalem besieged. Scripture tells us, "the king and people shook like forest trees shaking in the wind."

Now before you feel too sorry for King Ahaz the backstory here, given to us in 2 Ch 28:5, is that they were in this situation because of their sin. They had forsaken the Lord their God and God, in His sovereignty, had given them over to their enemies. 

King Ahaz was a wicked man. Yet he was of the house of David and as such, an heir to the Promise.

So here it is in the preceding verses of Isaiah seven that we see not only the foretelling of God's grace and mercy to mankind but we witness His grace and mercy to one, wicked, individual. 

God sends the prophet Isaiah to encourage King Ahaz. He tells him that those who have laid siege to Jerusalem will never rule. He tells the quaking king, "Have firm faith, or you will fail to stand firm."

This is God's mercy on King Ahaz and the kingdom of Judah.

But God doesn't stop there. God also extends grace to the king. 

Remember, King Ahaz had forsaken God. Instead of serving and trusting in the Lord, he worships idols and other gods. He relies on the strength of man to help him rather than the Lord. God knows this. He knows Ahaz has no faith to believe in the prophecy.

So God goes beyond mercy and graciously offers King Ahaz confirmation of the prophecy by a sign of the king's choosing. How does the King respond?

He rudely refuses God's offer! He would rather persist in his unbelief that be beholden to God.

God reveals His plan to save all of mankind to a faithless, rebellious king in the midst of a besieged city.  Seems a bit odd, doesn't it? A bit pathetic maybe? What's the point?

God. God is the point. God's character, the truth of Who He IS.

This is what speaks to my soul this morning.

His immeasurable grace and mercy. His sovereignty over all.

It is revealed in this passage of scripture as He looks down from heaven on His city, Jerusalem. Besieged because of sin.

It is revealed 700 years later as He looks down from heaven on a lowly manger in Bethlehem.

It is revealed today as He looks down from heaven and continues to extend His grace to a world still besieged by sin, content to persist in their unbelief.

It will be revealed one day soon when He comes down from heaven to rule and reign in Glory.

Let us sit quietly, savoring these truths and cherishing Him as we wait.

Shalom,

The entire series:
A Season in Scripture I
A Season in Scripture II
A Season in Scripture III 
A Season in Scripture IV
A Season in Scripture V

Sharing inspiration here:
Testimony Tuesday, #TellHisStory,
Faith On Fire, Grace & Truth,
Inspire Me Monday, RaRa Link Up, Intentional Tuesday,
#WordswithWinter, Titus 2 Tuesday, Thoughtful Thursdays,
Encourage Me Monday, Wholehearted Wednesday,
Women with Intention Wednesdays, Word Filled Wednesday,
#GiveMeGrace, Sitting Among Friends, #Glimpsesofhisbeauty
Counting My Blessings, Grace Moments, Heart Encouragement
#DanceWithJesus

Inspired by . . . the dance of the cross

I love the romantic expression of this verse. It's given me a lightness to my steps this week as I've pondered the words and the deeper meaning.

In my spirit, my arms lift and my knees bend into the graceful stance of a ballerina. The words dance. Mercy and truth embrace, then glide away from each other. They return as righteousness and peace . . . and kiss.

The dancers fade.  The cross remains.

This is the dance of the cross.

God's mercy, withholding from us what we deserve, embraces Truth: Jesus Christ.

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (Joh 14:6)

Christ is our righteousness. For we have none of our own.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23)

God accepts Jesus' righteousness as our own and as a result, we have peace with Him. [click to tweet]

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being but to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit. (1Pet 3:18)

This is the dance of the cross.

It is both a proclamation and an invitation.

Won't you join the dance?

Shalom,

The image above and many others are available for your free use. Find it here at Scripture Pictures

Sharing inspiration here:
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Faith On Fire, Grace & Truth,
Inspire Me Monday, RaRa Link Up, Intentional Tuesday,
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Women with Intention Wednesdays, Word Filled Wednesday,
#GiveMeGrace, Sitting Among Friends, #Glimpsesofhisbeauty
Counting My Blessings, Grace Moments, Heart Encouragement
#DanceWithJesus

Inspired by . . . threads of His mercy 

I've been reading through the book of Kings this week, and I'm struck by the enormity of mercy that God has shown His people.

Remember Ahab? The king who married Jezebel. The king of who it is said in v. 25 of 1 Kings 25:

Never was there a man who sold himself to do what is wrong in the Lord's eyes as Ahab did, and all at the prompting of Jezebel his wife.

Ahab was the worst of the worst. Yet when Ahab heard the word of the Lord from the prophet Elijah, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. What was the Lord's response?

"Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has thus humbled himself, I shall not bring disaster on his house in his own lifetime, but in that of his son."

God poured out His mercy on Ahab, deferring His wrath to the next generation (which, incidentally, was no less guilty). In fact, you can read in 2 Kings 22-23 about King Josiah's reform and of all the shrines and idols that he tore down, dating back to the time of King Solomon. Israel's sin was great indeed.

Yet, time and again we read accounts of God's great mercy toward His people.

Christ's sacrifice didn't do away with our need for God's mercy. There are still consequences to our sin. God still pours out His mercy on His people. I can see the threads of His mercy in my own life, just as I'm sure you can see them in yours.

In today's world I think we are in danger of two things:

Believing that our sin is not that bad, (or worse, believing that we do not sin at all) or
believing that our sin is more than what God will forgive.

Both are lies of the enemy.

The standard we are to hold ourselves to is not our neighbor, or the miscreants we see on TV. The standard is Jesus Christ, Who knew no sin. None. Zero. Zilch.

On our best day we are in need of God's grace.

One person may be a relatively decent sinner and another may be a flagrant sinner, but both are sinners, and God’s law admits no degree of failure. ~ Bridges, Jerry. The Discipline of Grace

On our worst day we are in need of God's grace, and God's mercy.

And on both days we have it, when we repent, humble ourselves before God and accept the gift He has provided; the sacrifice of His Son.

To believe that our sin is more than God will forgive is flat unbelief. God says, "Ask and it will be given you." He doesn't qualify the asking. Take Him at His word.

For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God, which He gave to us in such large measure! (Eph 1:7-8)

Do you look in the mirror and see the truth of your sinful state? Do you look in the mirror and see a soul worthy of God's love and adoration?

Both are required to receive His mercy and grace. Anything less is believing a lie. 

May you receive the truth of the Gospel today. 

For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son,
so that everyone who believes in Him may not die
but have eternal life. (Joh 3:16)

Blessings,

Sharing inspiration here:

Small Wonders, Testimony Tuesday, #TellHisStory,

Thought Provoking Thursday, Grace & Truth, Let Us Walk Worthy,

Inspire Me Monday, RaRa Link Up, Intentional Tuesday,

#WordswithWinter, Titus 2 Tuesday, Thoughtful Thursdays,

Encourage Me Monday, Wholehearted Wednesday,

Women with Intention Wednesdays, Word Filled Wednesday,

#GiveMeGrace, Sitting Among Friends

Inspired by . . . Psalm 130

A Song of Ascents. Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If You, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. (Psa 130:1-8)

I chuckle every time I drive by this sign that my Dreamer put up on our property.  I'm sure you've probably seen similar signs in front of apartment complexes in your area. 

The idea is to entice people to stop driving, stop fighting, stop striving. Just pull in here and . . . rest, you're home.

The message appeals to our overworked, stressed-out society. But the truth is, changing your address won't change any of the things that we strive against in this world.  You'll only find yourself, stuck in traffic, sitting in front of a different apartment complex next week.

This world is not our home. 

Cliche? Maybe. But it's true. The soul of the believer will never find rest here. And we shouldn't try. 

Our soul longs for home - - longs for God. We cry to Him for mercy, and receive it in an abundance of overflowing, sweetened with grace.

We fear Him, not because He could squish our naughty bug-like selves, but because He could and He doesn't. Instead, He offers us forgiveness through the sacrifice of His beloved Son.

And so, our soul waits for Him - His return in glory. We wait with an expectancy, and sure hope. A hope more certain than that of the watchman awaiting the rising sun. Just as we are confident that the sun will rise every morning, we can be confident of the Son's return.


The final act of steadfast love in His plan of redemption.

Whatever you're striving against this week, this day, this hour, 

I encourage you to cry out to Him . . .

. . . and receive His mercy, His forgiveness, His love.

Shalom,

Small Wonders, Testimony Tuesday, #TellHisStory,
Thought Provoking Thursday, Grace & Truth, Let Us Grow,
Inspire Me Monday, RaRa Link Up, Intentional Tuesday,
#WordswithWinter, Titus 2 Tuesday, Thoughtful Thursdays,
Encourage Me Monday, Wholehearted Wednesday,
Women with Intention Wednesdays, Word Filled Wednesday,
#GiveMeGrace, Sitting Among Friends, Winsome Wednesday

Inspired by . . . Psalm 126

What's your story?

We all have one. What we tell, and how we tell our stories is as unique as the stories themselves. All stories have a beginning and an end. But some have more than one beginning.

Although Jesus had me in mind from the beginning of time, for me, my story began the day I was born. Thus the story of my life began to unfold. Over time, I experienced the good, the bad and the ugly.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23)

Then, one day, Jesus opened my eyes to His truth. I became aware of my sin, confessed it, turned away from it, and asked Him to forgive me. He did. He already had.

But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)

A new beginning.

Jesus created in me a new heart. He put His Spirit in me and made me, is making me, the person I am today.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new had come. (2 Cor 5:17)

Still flawed, yet new, being transformed, bit-by-bit, into His likeness.

And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Php 1:6)

Maybe this is true of you, too. If so, you can relate to the JOY of Psalm 126.

A Song of Ascents. When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psa 126:1-6)

The psalmist sings Israel's story. But it is a story we, as believers, can share.

Don't let the term "turn{ed} again" confuse you. It's the Hebrew word shûb, and it means to restore, to bring back home. Isn't that a wonderful picture? The Israelis thought so. They had been long years in captivity. The very idea of being free was like a dream to them.

“Is this a dream? O, if it be a dream,
Let me sleep on, and do not wake me yet.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Psalm 126 praises God for His deliverance from captivity. God's people had been taken from their homes and held captive in a foreign land. Our captivity is not a physical, but a spiritual one. We were once held captive by sin.

We can't defeat sin on our own. It took the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to conquer sin, once, for all.

"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1Co 15:55-57)

We can all sing this song of mercy's sweetness.

Have you tasted it?

Oh, how sweet it is to be freed from the bonds of sin! To be restored - - made new!

Rejoice!

Shall we not sing of the Lord's deliverance? 

Shall we not praise Him for the great things He has done?

Blessings,

Sharing inspiration here:
Small Wonders, Testimony Tuesday, #TellHisStory,
Thought Provoking Thursday, Grace & Truth, Weekend Whispers,
Inspire Me Monday, RaRa Link Up, Intentional Tuesday,
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Encourage Me Monday, Wholehearted Wednesday,
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Inspired by . . .Psalm 123: the Master's hands

Some of you may be familiar with the song The Old Violin, sung by Johnny Paycheck. The original is a poem by Myra Brooks Welch, and it's a favorite of mine. It's about an old violin, battered and scarred, that looks to be worth about a dollar or two to the eyes of the old auctioneer. That is until a man comes forward, picks up the violin and plays a song "as sweet as the angel sings." Suddenly the violin is worth thousands, all because of the touch of the master's hand. 

Image courtesy of tigger11th at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The same is true for us. We're battered and bruised, and often out of tune. But just a touch of God's nail-scarred hand makes us worthy and changes us from inside out.

In Psalm 123 our gaze is shifted from the city of peace, Jerusalem, to Peace Himself. Specifically to the Master's hand, from which we receive many things, most significantly, His mercy.

A Song of Ascents. To You I lift up my eyes, O You Who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till He has mercy upon us. Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud. (Psa 123:1-4)

"...as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress," I've always been drawn to this verse. There is a sense of devotion and trust in these words that comforts me. Don't let the term servant get in the way of understanding here. We all look to others for various things, at various times in our lives. Parents, older siblings, teachers, employers, spouse, etc. 

We look to God for mercy, we wait, until He provides by . . .

His directing hand - Lord, what do you have for me to do?  Eph_2:10,  "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

His supplying hand - We look to God to supply our daily bread, to supply grace sufficient for the day. 2Cor 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness."

His assisting hand - We go about our work in the strength God provides. 1Peter 4:11, "as one who serves by the strength that God supplies"

His protecting hand - When we face opposition or persecution, as we most certainly will, we look to God to be our help. Psalm 9:9, "The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble."

His correcting hand - We may not like this one much, but if you're a parent yourself you know how necessary, and how loving, a correcting hand truly is. Heb 12:6, "For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives." 

His rewarding hand - We all desire to hear Him say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your Master.'' Matt 25:23

The psalmist cries out for mercy, and so do we. 

Do you want to know what the hand of God looks like? Look around, look at your life. Where is He directing you? Supplying a need? Giving you strength for the moment? Protecting you? Correcting you? 

Those who are humble receive His mercy in abundance. And will ultimately receive the greatest reward of all - eternity with Him.

Lift up your eyes -

and praise Him!

Blessings,

Sharing inspiration here:
Small Wonders, Testimony Tuesday, #TellHisStory,
Thought Provoking Thursday, Grace & Truth, Weekend Whispers,
Inspire Me Monday, RaRa Link Up, Intentional Tuesday,
#WordswithWinter, Titus 2 Tuesday, Thoughtful Thursdays,
Encourage Me Monday, Wholehearted Wednesday,
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