Thursday, 15 March 2018

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.  Isaiah 55:8-9 NKJV

Initially I had a different set of verses picked out for today but when I saw these I felt the need to change. I think that we need to read these verses and be encouraged. Encouraged because God sees past our present circumstances and into a better future. I read a post from a fellow writer yesterday who felt God’s nudging to write about the pain and suffering in their life because we tend to shove those parts of our lives down and just trudge through life doing our best to ignore them. I’m not saying that I think it’s wrong to move forward, I’m saying that our pain and suffering matters. As you know from my devotions and posts with prayers I continually bring up my own suffering and the suffering of many of you who I have formed relationships with and whom I know as my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. I think that it is important to bring up and acknowledge our pain and to petition God for the remedy to that pain. That said, at the same time I believe that it’s important to remember these verses from Isaiah and the great encouragement and promise that they contain.

Sovereign Father God, I bow my heart in humility before You, broken and suffering. I love You and I give You thanks and praise for all that You’ve done for me and all that You are continuing to do in my life even when it hurts and even when my feeble humanity keeps me from seeing even a glimmer of hope. Thank You for the words in these verses today and the reminder that Your thoughts and ways are higher and way bigger than we could ever fathom. I take those words as encouragement and hope today. Father, I lift up my brothers and sisters in Christ to You today as well. Many, many of us are suffering in many various different ways. Please Father, bring us comfort and healing. Have mercy on us and be gracious to us, hear our prayers and petitions and answer us out of your goodness and love. Rescue us, deliver us, bring us healing, provision, and Your great and wondrous blessings and gifts. Fill each and every one of us with Your Holy Spirit until we overflow with Your presence. Give us strength, courage, and boldness to go out and to be an encouragement, a comfort, and a blessing to those around us who don’t believe in You that we may share the gospel of Christ with them. That if it is Your will that they may believe in Jesus as their Savior and Lord and come to know You as well. I love You, I give You thanks and praise, and I look up to You my Father, as Your child through my faith and belief in Jesus Your Son and I pray these things in His name, who is the Christ, my God, my Savior and my King; AMEN and AMEN!