Promises Made, Promises Relied On

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As it happens so often, I stumbled upon the verses from Isaiah found in Chapter 35, verses 1-10.

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them;
and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.

It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon;
they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.

Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.

Say to them that are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, fear not.
Behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense;
He will come and save you.”

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue
of the dumb sing; for in the wilderness shall
waters break out, and streams in the desert.

And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land
springs of water; in the habitation of dragons, where each lay,
shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called
the Way of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it,
but it shall be for those; the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon;
it shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion
with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain
joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

(emphasis mine)

 Instantly, I was reminded of my sister-in-law who died some years ago after a struggle with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.  These verses and a song our choir sang at the time, based on these verses, gave me great comfort that upon entering Heaven she would be able to walk and talk again, her body would be restored, and she would rise up and praise our God.

Funny that I've not often thought of these words in Isaiah nor the song lyrics. . . .

UNTIL this weekend.
We were visiting my husband's brother and his wife.
Bob's brother suffers from a rare and serious form of dementia,
which has stolen the core of his being from us. 

His eyes show little light or recognition.
His tongue and lips have been quieted
except for a rare word here and there.
His body doesn't cooperate the way it has before,
and he sits or lays most of every day,
unable to move under his own strength.

The words from Isaiah and from this song have once again spoken to me.  I am reminded that one day my husband's brother will be able to sing, speak, see with recognition, and walk as He becomes one with our God in Heaven.  It is hard not to be sad as we watch him slip away so quickly from us.   

BUT God's promises are true and on them I rely.  I pray the same trust and reliance on Him for you.

Seeking God

Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.
~~ 1 Chronicles 16:11 (KJV)
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Seeking, searching, looking for, attempting to find.

Where shall I seek?

All around, in front of me, along my path

leading me wherever I go.

Among friends and family, those whom I love.

In a community of fellow believers.

The Lord, his strength, his face, all of Him.

What shall I seek?

The Lord, the Good Shepherd, the King of Kings.

His strength, might and power.

His glorious face, shining His Light to the world.

Continually, always, never ending.

How shall I seek?

Forever and ever, always, unending seeking.

Every day, every hour.

Without fail, never stopping.

I know if I take my eyes from His face, ignore His strength

and might, and if I'm not constantly seeking Him . . .

I know that my life will falter . . . I will begin to lose that

ability to trust Him wholly and completely.

I don't want that to happen . . . so, I'm committing myself

to living by abiding in this verse from I Chronicles . . . so,

that I might be more certain of eyes trained on Him daily. 

Q4U:  Are you committed to daily seeking the Lord in everything you do, in your role as parent, spouse, child of God?  Take some time to think on these things and consider what you should be doing to keep Him in the center of your life and your world?

Linking up with Joan at The Grace Cafe:

Linking up with Stacy at Heartprint Hallelujahs:

What A Gift!

For God so loved the world

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* * *

God loved the world, not just you and me, the whole world,

and He still does and always will, no matter what.

* * *

that he gave his one and only Son,

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* * *

He gave us a gift, not just any gift --

He gave His one and only Son, Jesus, to

bleed and die on a cross.

* * *

  

  that whoever believes in him

* * *

"Whoever" is anyone -- you, me, the boy who bags your
groceries, the woman who styles your hair,
the homeless, the jobless -- who believes His promises
through faith and willingly accepts God's love.

* * *

 shall not perish but have eternal life.

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 * * * 
 And through the added gift of eternal life,
salvation is ours -- His promise to us
through His Son.

John 3:16 (NIV)

Let us give thanks again and again for this extraordinary gift of sacrifice and love.