Isaiah 37:33-35 Our prayers matter and God protects us!

 Isaiah 31:5

Like birds flying about,

So will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem.

Defending, He will also deliver it;

Passing over, He will preserve it.”

Only God can protect us from the evil that seeks to destroy us. In His hands we may not understand all that is happening but we can rest assured that He is there and that His will is always accomplished when we turn it over to Him. Carla

Isaiah 37:33-35

33 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria:

‘He shall not come into this city,

Nor shoot an arrow there,

Nor come before it with shield,

Nor build a siege mound against it.

34 By the way that he came,

By the same shall he return;

And he shall not come into this city,’

Says the Lord.

35 ‘For I will defend this city, to save it

For My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’ ” (NKJV)

Hezekiah’s prayer has resulted in Jerusalem’s salvation as the remnant of Judah. But Judah will not be saved because they are Yahweh’s chosen people, or because Jerusalem is His dwelling. Yahweh will save Jerusalem for His own reputation and His covenant with David. 

Faithlife Study Bible

God gives His final sentence against the Assyrian tyrant.

God defends and protects. For similar expressions of the Lord’s protection of Jerusalem, see 27:3; 31:5. The Lord would save and protect the city for His own honor, for He had established the city for the worship of His holy name. For My servant David’s sake. God maintained His promises to David. The NKJV Study Bible

Isaiah 38:6

I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.” ’ 

Isiaiah 43:25

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;

And I will not remember your sins.

Isaiah 48:9

“For My name’s sake I will defer My anger,

And for My praise I will restrain it from you,

So that I do not cut you off.

Isaiah 48:11

For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it;

For how should My name be profaned?

And I will not give My glory to another.

This week we take encouragement and motivation from “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse,” by Charlie Mackesy.

The boy sits on a branch and asks the mole: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The answer: “Kind.”

The boy asks the mole, “What do you think success is?” The reply: “To love.” Sabbath Moments

Dear God, in this moment I hold your acceptance.

You love me completely, just as I am.

You see my great potential within,

and you nurture my tender heart of compassion.

In this moment, I let your acceptance be my own.

I accept others as the children of God.

I hold high their inner greatness,

always seeking to serve the highest and best within all people.

And so it is.

Vicky Thompson 

Galatians 3:5-9 Salvation comes to us by faith not by the law!

 Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! (NKJV)

God will not be mocked by those who use His name to promote hatred and violence. Those who believe in Him will have the fruit of Holy Spirit evident in their lives. Jesus came to offer God’s peace to the world that He created. His love covered a multitude of the sins of mankind and in faith we are saved. Jesus came to show us the way to live and His truth will set us free from the traditions of man. Carla

Galatians 3:5-9

5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. 

10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (NKJV)

Paul’s question sets up a contrast between law and faith. Paul presents the model of true saving faith—Abraham. In doing so, Paul demonstrates that God has always justified people by faith, not works. Paul then clarifies the role of the law in God’s plan: It was intended to serve as a guardian until the time of Christ.

Believed in God refers to trusting that God will fulfill His promises (Genesis 15:6). God had promised Abraham an heir and countless descendants (Genesis 15:4–5). Sons of Abraham refers to those who express faith like Abraham—not Abraham’s biological sons. Abraham represents the model of faith for all believers, both Jews and non-Jewish people (Gentiles).

Scripture In this context refers to what is now called the Old Testament.

Paul was fluent in Greek. His quotations of Scripture typically draw from the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament (Genesis—Malachi) called the Septuagint. This translation of the Bible was used by many Jews who lived in regions outside of Israel and did not speak or read Hebrew. Paul’s use of the Septuagint indicates that he quoted Scripture in a language the Galatians would have understood.

God would justify the Gentiles by faith.  Paul argues here that his gospel message—the justification of Gentiles through faith apart from the law—was always part of God’s plan. Elsewhere, Paul refers to this as a mystery (Romans 16:25; Ephesians  1:9; 3:9). 

Inclusion in the people of God would occur by faith in Christ, the promised seed of Abraham (Galatians  3:7–8).

In you all the nations will be blessed. This quotation comes from Genesis 12:3. In the context of Galatians, this blessing is the Spirit and the gift of justification by faith. In the Septuagint, the Greek word ethnē (translated “nations”) also means “Gentiles.” The Gentiles, therefore, were included in the promises that God made to Abraham long ago.

Those who have faith are blessed together with Abraham Paul emphasizes that faith, not ethnicity, is the determining factor—which means that Gentile believers like the Galatians can share in Abraham’s blessing.Faithlife Study Bible

Genesis 12:3

I will bless those who bless you,

And I will curse him who curses you;

And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 15:6

And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Romans 4:3

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 

Romans 4:16

Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 

We carry…
…the weight of the world’s unease,
…the anxiety of the day,
…resentment from past grievances,
…woundedness from an unfair life,
…unresolve regarding an "unpaid" debt,
…fear of conflict,
…the badge of being a victim,
…a preoccupation with busyness,
…an itch for perfection,
…clinging to self-righteousness (and judgement),
Things that weigh more, the longer you carry them.

“Come to me,” Jesus says in Matthew, “all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.”
“For my yoke is easy,” he promises, “and my burden light.”

Today, let us hear the permission to pause.

Today, let us hear the permission to not be at the mercy of. We have the permission to choose.
I am so grateful for the word, permission. That with our choice, we are not “at the mercy” of the cycle. Of what we carry.
When we are at the mercy of what we carry—anger, resentment, hatred, shame—we make choices that are harmful (detrimental) to our wellbeing.
A troubled young boy asked a man whether there was any compelling reason for him not to pull the legs off a spider. The man said that there was.
“Well, spiders don't feel any pain,” the boy retorted.
“It’s not the spider I’m worried about,” the man said.
Here’s the deal: When I make choices that disconnect me from my heart, and insulate me from the present moment, it hurts me.
The bottom line? These choices put a bushel on the light that lives inside. And that light cannot shine, and that ends up hurting those around me.
But then, like the little boy with the spider, how would I know?

Letting go at its core, is self-care. The gift of befriending. Yes, the gift of being embraced by Grace.
Grace calls something—invites something beautiful—from each one of us, and grace never leaves until the invitation is heard and embraced. It may shake up our life, there's no doubt about it. Why? Because Grace heals not by taking shame away, but by removing the one thing our shame makes us fear the most: rejection. Sabbath Moments

Psalm 59:16-17 There is power in His name!

 2 Samuel 22:3

The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation,

My stronghold and my refuge;

My Savior, You save me from violence.

Joy in the Lord is our strength and His love is unfailing. Trust God to protect you and strengthen  you in His power because all glory and all honor is His. Our enemies are not flesh and blood but are those who have allowed the principalities of darkness to  work through them. In Jesus and with Him as our protector and in the unity of Holy Spirit we are safe from the evil that seeks to destroy us. The shield of our faith protects us from the fiery darts the enemy throws.  Carla

Psalm 59:16-17

16 But I will sing of Your power;

Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;

For You have been my defense

And refuge in the day of my trouble.

17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;

For God is my defense,

My God of mercy. (NKJV)

The words of these verses capture the positive thrust of this psalm. David sings with joyful abandon of his relationship with God, despite the presence of wicked persons. There are two verbs translated I will sing; together they capture the idea that singing in the name of the Lord is a wonderful act of faith (Exodus 15:2). The NKJV Study Bible

The chesed love that the psalmist hoped for is now the object of his praise. Earlier, the psalmist stated his intent to watch for God (Psalm 59:9). Now he sings praise to God, confident that He will punish his enemies. Faithlife Study Bible

The definition of chesed love is “steadfast love”; “faithfulness”; “loyalty”; “mercy”; “kindness”

Psalm 59:9–10

I will wait for You, O You his Strength;

For God is my defense.

My God of mercy shall come to meet me;

God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.

Psalm 5:3

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD;

In the morning I will direct it to You,

And I will look up.

Psalm 88:13

But to You I have cried out, O LORD,

And in the morning my prayer comes before You.

Psalm.101:1

I will sing of mercy and justice; 

To You, O LORD, I will sing praises

Congressman John Lewis is one of my heroes.

And today (July 17) marks the sixth anniversary of his transition from this earthly life to the communion of saints. Each year, we say “thank you” to John Lewis.

I like Andrew Young’s take. John Lewis “didn't convince you by his arguments. He convinced you by his life… He believed what we talk about, and he lived it every day of his life. And he didn't have a violent streak in his body. And he was always forgiving, always loving, always understanding. And he never made you feel guilty. But he made you feel responsible.”

I’m always curious about how people (how we) choose the paradigm to write, tell stories, preach and live. What’s the invitation today?

From my life journey, here’s what I know; if the story makes me feel small (shame) or fearful or angry (where there are always others to blame and dismiss), then we’re not telling (or hearing, or embracing) a redemptive and liberating story.

Today is a good day to pause. And tell stories that let us remember the gift of epiphanies.
And to let the light of mercy and compassion be rekindled.
They remind me that… Grace wins. Hope wins. Compassion wins.
In a world where cruelty is real and taking a toll, I know it's something I could use.

“In so many ways, John’s life was exceptional. But he never believed that what he did was more than any citizen of this country might do. He believed that in all of us, there exists the capacity for great courage, a longing to do what’s right, a willingness to love all people, and to extend to them their God-given rights to dignity and respect. And it’s because he saw the best in all of us that he will continue, even in his passing, to serve as a beacon in that long journey towards a more perfect union.” Barack Obama 

Sabbath Moments