Isaiah 44:24-26
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
And He who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who makes all things,
Who stretches out the heavens all alone,
Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;
25 Who frustrates the signs of the babblers,
And drives diviners mad;
Who turns wise men backward,
And makes their knowledge foolishness;
26 Who confirms the word of His servant,
And performs the counsel of His messengers;
Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’
To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’
And I will raise up her waste places;
God is always working with Israel and He will not give up on them. They became a great nation formed by God. We must remember that He corrects those He loves and He is unchanging. As believers God directs the path of all of us who place our trust in Him alone. He will remove whatever is not fruitful in our lives and the fruits of Holy Spirit will replace them. God can use whomever He desires to accomplish His will in our life and to make our path straight.
Galatians 5:6 for in Christ Jesus circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
Ezra 1:1-4 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 3 Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. 4 And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.
Under Ezra, a small group of Jews established the temple in Jerusalem, paving the way for the coming of the Redeemer King. God orchestrated the provision of funds for the construction of the House of the Lord through the intervention of Cyrus, the King of Persia.
Nehemiah 2:17-20 Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?” 20 So I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.”
God used the succeeding king to finish building the temple. God hears our silent prayers for His will in our lives and the lives of those we love. The temple was in ruins, but it would be rebuilt, starting with the wall. It wasn’t easy, but God’s will always prevails. Just like then, it is now. We’ll face many challenges in our lives, but God will accomplish everything He wants for us. Carla
Yahweh’s work as Creator of all the earth supports His ability to form Israel as a people and secure the promised redemption. Jeremiah 32:15 and 32:44 contain a similar promise that Judah will be rebuilt and inhabited. Faithlife Study Bible
Because the Lord says this, it will come to pass. Redeemer is the same title used in 41:14. It pictures the Lord’s zeal to defend, protect, and purchase back His people. That God formed Israel pictures His desire for them as a nation and His constant loving care on their behalf. Babblers refers to the diviners. These were people wise in their own eyes, but not wise toward the Lord. Israel was to be both the servant of the Lord, and His messenger to the nations. You shall be inhabited is the same promise found in Jeremiah 32:15. The rebuilding of the temple and the resettlement of the land after the devastation by Babylon inaugurated the new age. The NKJV Study Bible
Isaiah 41:8–10
“But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
The descendants of Abraham My friend.
You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its farthest regions,
And said to you,‘You are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away:…
Isaiah 43:5
Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And gather you from the west;
Isaiah 44:21
“Remember these, O Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant;
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me!
Joel 2:28
“And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
Today, I am grateful. And I can see how gratitude is the instrument allowing us to participate in hope. And we bring gratitude to this present moment.
So, yes. Sometimes we do need a different way to measure.
When we take this to heart, the story doesn’t just end there. It emanates. Gratitude always spills. And with it, hope. What a gift.
“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.” Brene Brown (The Gifts of Imperfection) SabbathMoments
Timothy 2:21 (ESV) "Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work."
●Righteous living means becoming more like Christ and reflecting His character.
●Faith means trusting God, His promises and His Word
●Love means demonstrating affection for others, propelled by our affection for God.
● Peace means living in reconciled relationship with God and others. First5
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