Isaiah 58:6-14, KRH Style

My own paraphrase of Isaiah 58. 

"Is not this the fast that I choose: 

Here's the kind of worship I'd rather you practice:

to loose the bonds of wickedness, 

to undo the straps of the yoke, 

to let the oppressed go free, 

and to break every yoke? 

Repent from your sin, cast off its shackles;

proclaim freedom from the Law that binds people,

teach them about the Grace that saved you!

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry 

and bring the homeless poor into your house; 

when you see the naked, to cover him, 

and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Give to those in need. Give till it costs you something. 

Give when it's uncomfortable, even awkward;

and be especially good to your own family, to those you've taken for granted. 

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, 

and your healing shall spring up speedily; 

your righteousness shall go before you; 

the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 

When you do the things that please Me, 

that's when the darkness lifts and the light shines.

You begin to feel whole in a hurry, 

and you experience the freedom of being in right standing with Me 

and enjoying My presence. 

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; 

you shall cry, and he will say, "Here I am." 

If you take away the yoke from your midst, 

the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 

if you pour yourself out for the hungry 

and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, 

then shall your light rise in the darkness 

and your gloom be as the noonday. 

That's when you'll call, and you'll be able to hear Me answer.

Stop putting your own rules on yourself and others;

stop placing blame and sinning with your words.

Put your energy into feeding the hungry

and caring for the needy.

That's when the darkness lifts and the light shines.

And the Lord will guide you continually 

and satisfy your desire in scorched places 

and make your bones strong; 

and you shall be like a watered garden, 

like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. 

And, I'll guide you.  I'll always show you the next step.

I'll quench your thirst even in the dry places, 

And I'll strengthen you beyond reason.

You'll flourish so much with growth and fruit, 

you'll be vibrant, and you'll always have enough to share.

And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; 

you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; 

you shall be called the repairer of the breach, 

the restorer of streets to dwell in. 

And, the places you thought broken beyond repair and forgotten will be rebuilt;

You'll be part of building a foundation for generations you'll never meet;

You'll be known as the one who stood in the gap,

The one who revealed Kingdom community where people live.

"If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, 

from doing your pleasure on my holy day, 

and call the Sabbath a delight 

and the holy day of the Lord honorable; 

if you honor it, not going your own ways, 

or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; 

then you shall take delight in the Lord , 

and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; 

I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, 

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

If you quit using My day for your own pleasure,

expecting it to be about what you want and think you need,

but rather take it seriously as time of rest and worship,

then you'll begin to delight again in Me.

I'll give you pleasure and energy like you've never known,

I'll feed you with riches and abundance you've never dreamed of.

That's My heart for you.  What I promise, I do.

Good and Near and Broken

The nearness of God is my good. Psalm 73:28

God is near to the brokenhearted. Psalm 34:18

A broken and contrite heart, He will not despise. Psalm 51:17

A broken heart is good.

This train of thought plays out in my mind daily it seems.  When my thoughts are wracked with disappointment that life hasn't turned out the way I wanted or planned for it to go, as I am driven to my knees desperate to hear the voice and sense the presence and maybe, just maybe, catch a glimpse of the hand of God over my circumstances, then I know.

The one who comes to Him must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him diligently. Hebrews 11:6

"I am your very great Reward." Genesis 15:1

God's economy.  It's not mine.  He doesn't measure time or good or reward as I would.  He knows better.  He knows best.  There will be blessing, but I am reminded today that sometimes blessing is brokenness.

Reminders

I keep a playlist on my Spotify account called "Reminders", songs full of the Biblical truth that I need to hear to drive out the lies I'm prone to believe.  I've been listening to that playlist a lot lately as life has felt a little overwhelming.  I think it's amusing, though, how often I'm surprised by just how plainly these songs speak into my circumstances.  I catch myself thinking, "Man, I really needed to hear that today," and then I laugh.  Well, duh! That's why it's called "Reminders."

Today, as I sat at my desk, weariness and stress bearing down on me, I heard these lyrics:

So many times I question certain circumstances
and things I could not understand.
Many times in trials my weakness blurs my vision
and that’s when my frustration gets so out of hand.
It's then I am reminded, I've never been forsaken.
I've never had to stand one test alone.
As I look at all the victories, the Spirit rises up in me.
And It's through the fire my weakness is made strong.
He never promised that the cross would not get heavy
and the hill would not be hard to climb.
He never offered a victory without fighting.
He said help would always come in time.
Just remember when you're standing in the valley of decision
and the adversary says give in, Just hold on.

Our Lord will show up
and He will take you through the fire again

Through the Fire -- Jason Crabb

When you go through deep waters,

I will be with you.

When you go through rivers of difficulty,

you will not drown.

When you walk through the fire of oppression,

you will not be burned up;

the flames will not consume you.

Isaiah 43:2