Isaiah 63 Treasure part 5

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Oct 192010
 

My wife is one of the most caring people I know. People just naturally turn to her when they are hurting or upset.  It’s like there’s a poster hovering over her head saying, “Step right up for sympathy!”  My daughters feel the same way. Calling from school,”Momma, I don’t feel good” is the most natural thing to do. The only thing better than hearing Mom on the phone is to have her there in person. 

There’s something about Mom’s presence. it says that the world must stop while she focuses on her hurting child, the apple of her eye. Somehow, just knowing that she is there, in person, for them, is enough to make things better. No CPR administered, no stitches sewn, no limbs replaced, but Mom being there makes the hurt take a back seat.

I should know. If I’m hurting, I like to have her around also! 

and the angel of his presence saved them. NIV

He didn’t send someone else to help them.
   He did it himself, in person. The Message

and he was the Messenger who saved them. Gods Word translation

 In all their suffering he also suffered,
      and he personally rescued them.(New Living Translation)

Pick your favorite version. God is personally involved in saving you, not just in an eternal sense, but also from your daily crises. Himself, in Person. Don’t you just love that? Never believe what many say, that there may be a God, but He is disinterested and impersonal, not caring or involved in our daily lives. That is the devil’s lie.

“Stop the presses!”, He says.  Never mind that Jupiter’s orbit is getting a little ellipsoid. Who cares that the Tree of Life fruit of the month committee will have to start late! God focuses on you. Today. Right here. Right now.

 I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses. He said, “Surely they are my people, sons who will not be false to me”; and so he became their Savior. In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. Isaiah 63:7-9 NIV

Take some time right now to tell Him how it feels to be cared for personally.

Father, how can you focus on just me when you have a whole universe to run, when You have armies of angels to command, when You have a devil to fight and our world to save? Why? I don’t understand, only accept. It makes me feel so comforted and safe. Let me speak and act today in a way that reflects You and how you care for Me. Individually and in Person. What a Dad you are!

Isaiah 63 Treasure Part 4

 bob-maclafferty, Uncategorized  1 Response »
Oct 122010
 

 “I feel your pain.” “I know exactly how you feel!”

Really…. Really?

How often have you heard these words from others around you? Are they occasionally true? Maybe. Are they ever completely true? Probably not. How can another truly know the pain that you are experiencing?

Are these phrases as meaningful as telling a child that “this hurts me as much as it hurts you” just before applying the hand of justice to the seat of understanding?

We, all of us, long for someone to understand just how we feel when faced with  sorrow, grief, pain, anger, and disappointment in our lives. We share these things with those around us only to realize that we can’t quite get others to truly get it. Somehow, because they see things differently, maybe due to background, personality, or a thousand other factors, they just don’t fully understand it.

In all their distress he too was distressed,

 There is One who can. There is One who knows us so well that He can truly understand. There is One who knows exactly how we tick. Why? Because he made us! Because we are part of Him! Jesus the Son who created us, who lived with us, who died with us. And His Father, our Father. And His Spirit.

Just like a human parent agonizing over the pain of a child, aching to take her place, so our God feels our every pain, longing to take it from us.

 I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses. He said, “Surely they are my people, sons who will not be false to me”; and so he became their Savior. In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. Isaiah 63:7-9 NIV

Jesus, You know what’s bothering me this morning. You feel my discouragement, You understand my anger. You share my pain. Thank You for always being right here. Thank You for always being ready for me to unload on You. Thank You for shouldering my burdens, leaving only peace behind in their place.

Isaiah 63 Treasure part 3

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Oct 012010
 

 Do you belong?

To whom do you belong?  To your wife, your husband, your job? We all crave a sense of belonging, knowing that we fit somewhere, feeling a part of something.  This is such a powerful need. Children without this need met at home find themselves entering dangerous and unhealthy releationships that affect them for the rest of their lives. Question phrases like “Who loves you?” and Who’s your daddy?” are in common usage in our culture. Why is that?

 He said, “Surely they are my people”

“Surely they are my people” I love the quotation marks. I feel a special attachment to the direct spoken Word of my Father.  Words that the writer recorded just as He said them, not in their own words. Are these words that are so important that the Father needed to ensure that they came through clearly?

You are His! You belong. You personally belong to the King of the Universe Who made a point of including you. The New Living Translation says,

“They are my very own people”

Your Father is possessive of you. He wants you to know that you don’t need to search for it, you fit somewhere, you fit with Him!

 I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses. He said, “Surely they are my people, sons who will not be false to me”; and so he became their Savior. In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. Isaiah 63:7-9 NIV

You have a place! You belong!