“BECAUSE I SAID SO!!!” – GOD

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 39-40

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

This bronze eagle, found in Pella Greece, is now on display at the Archaeological Museum. It sure looks like this eagle is “mounting up with wings,” as our key verse tells us. Let’s all stretch our wings and fly onward and upward in our relationship with God!!!

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verse: Isaiah 40:31

But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.

In his book, Isaiah gives us God’s Word! Isaiah said to King Hezekiah, “Hear the Word of the Lord!” (39:5). Hezekiah would pray and God would answer through His Prophet. This was the way it was in Old Testament times. False prophets were plentiful and they would distort God’s message, or simply make up something and claim they had heard from God. This was a dangerous time for God’s people. They did not have the book of Isaiah, let alone Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. As John wrote in his first chapter, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God!!!” The Apostle Peter’s words in 2 Peter 1:15-21 bring together “our Lord Jesus Christ” and “the prophetic Word.” Essentially, God summed up all He had to say to the world in His Son and our Saviour and Lord, Jesus. Read Matthew 17:1-8 and note the words, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. HEAR HIM!!!”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

O Lord God, I pray for grace to follow You so closely that I will know all that You are saying to me. You promised that “My sheep know My voice.” By this I know that I am hearing directly from You and not just from someone else speaking for You, as the true prophets like Isaiah did. You, Lord Jesus, are the One of Whom Isaiah wrote, “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom” (Isaiah 40:11a). What assurance I have in the knowledge that You are holding me and that I am hearing from You! In Your Name, Jesus, I pray. Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I’m so glad I’m able to get to church regularly. I know that I hear New Testament prophecy, as described in Revelation 19:10b, “Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy.” On the birthday of the Church, Peter took as the text for his message the words of the Prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-29, Acts 2:14-21). Peter said that as the 120 spoke of Jesus on the streets of Jerusalem, they (sons, daughters, all of them), were prophesying. These were New Testament prophets. I want to daily share Jesus. In this understanding, when I do this blog each morning, I’m functioning as a New Testament prophet. And so are you when you share Jesus with someone!  A few years ago Pastor Kevin Shepherd launched a campaign for the New Year called, “Because I said so!” Most people in attendance signed up and were given a sticker to put in a prominent place. I put my sticker on the back of my cell phone. It reminds me that God’s promises can be relied upon! For the past two years I have received a text message each week with one of God’s promises selected by the Pastor. One of them was our key verse, and again I’m encouraged to “Wait on the Lord…mount up with wings as eagles.” Because God said so, we will “run and not be weary,” and “walk and not faint.”

Yours for hearing and understanding God’s Word to each one of us,

David

Some of my family members praying for me in the hospital, including my great-granddaughter Jadice, who was 3 years old in this photo. I’m deeply touched by the simple faith of a child.