Isaiah 44:22 “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”
Can you hear the voice of the Lord? Like a loving Father who calls out to a lost and wayward son, He beckons you to come home. Like a cloud that covers and brings rain, the presence of God’s Spirit washes, purifies, and restores the thirsty from the dry hopelessness of sin. There is the misty cool reminder of God’s Spirit who alights within the soul of those who take refuge in Him. The refreshing presence of the Lord restores the soul of the one who once was lost.
Do you know the state of your position?
We who were once slaves to sin, held captive by the curse and destined for destruction have found freedom in the Lord, strong and mighty. He has paid the redemption price and we are now free to walk in His redemption story.
The Path
Psalm 73:28 “But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works.”
If we take our eyes off the Lord we may soon realize the misery that proceeds it, it’s easy to do. There are so many ways that we can go astray. The enemy will distract us through wayward people, pressures of life, or through fear that directs our focus toward our own circumstances and away from Him who relieves all fear.
We can take solace in knowing that the Lord keeps the righteous…
Proverbs 24:16 “For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.”
*Falling signifies stumbling, tottering, or staggering, it means a person is unstable in their ways. The path of sin is unstable and the foundation is corrupt….it shouldn’t be a surprise that all traveling this path find their way unsteady.
Though times of failure you can be encouraged, the Lord will restore.
*When we recognize our error and repent, He picks us up, rinses our feet and leads us back along the path of Life. Greater understanding of God’s grace is often experienced through trials.
*The Lord is in the process of restoration. He doesn’t render poor judgement, but is faithful in mercy and grace. He is loving and desires to restore and will lead you back to where He originally called you to be.
Are you willing to follow?
Isaiah 58:11 “The LORD will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. “
I love reading scriptures like this, they bring encouragement and hope. It is so easy to pull a scripture like this from the Word of God and just rest in it….but we often can’t see the whole picture. Read on and you will see the blessed hope and expectation of the redeemed.
Isaiah 58:6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?”
When we draw near to the Lord, we deny the flesh and seek after God by practicing holiness. Godly practice is often misunderstood in christian circles and yet the directive doesn’t end there:
Isaiah 58:7-9 “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
What is your expectation? Is your desire to have a true relationship with the Lord one your ready to make a sacrifice for?
To love God is to love others.
Being generous to those who are in need is determined by a heart that is filled with the love of God, and when it turns into blessings for others.
Healing in the heart brings the joy of the Lord and is evident in lives around the world. Christ shines His light through His people.
Isaiah 58:10 “If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.”
We know what to expect by drawing near, there is great blessing in the courts of the Lord. The expectation of the righteous as they walk before the Lord in faithfulness becomes evident in their speech. Hateful talk diminishes, accusations have no root, and a focus that was once on ourselves shifts towards others.
Believers are called to be children of light while living according to God’s purposes, not their own. It is the way of walking in Him that restores and heals.
The path of renewal isn’t long but it is well defined by the Lord. We don’t make up our own rules for how God works, we just know He does. We follow the way of the Master and allow Him to restore relationships and bring us along the path of peace.
Do you want to experience the goodness of the Lord?
Learn obedience by listening to the Lord and you too will know how good, and pleasing it is to dwell in the house of the Lord.
U.T. 