For several days we looked at Isaiah 54 and the richness of this chapter in its application to the Nation of Israel, to all the believers of Christ, and how it took on a very special meaning to me.  Today let us break down the sections once more as we see that it has a very special meaning to each and every person.

Do you feel barren, empty?  Does your heart feel so heavy that you wonder how can I go on another day?  Day after day and all your efforts end once more into a sea of nothingness.  You long to feel something, anything that will give your life meaning.  In the barrenness of your soul, you long for God and cannot feel Him.  Well, then “Sing, O Barren Soul” for God hath paid your price, at the cross Christ covered your sins that you might be brought near to know the sweet love and joy of God.  He is calling you to be filled to overflowing of His precious living water which will bring forth fruits in all the barren land that surrounds you.  Arise, sing for joy and prepare to receive blessings overflowing.  (Isaiah 54:1-3)

Drawing used with written permission of Ronald Barba. © 2011 Ronald Barba and is protected under copyright laws.

Are you afraid, rejected, and forlorn?    Having been married to the lusts of this flesh, your youth spent in shame; only to then be left forsaken by all that you had clung to.  Broken, afraid, and so filled with shame that you think there is no way God could love me now.  Good news!!  He loves you just as you are. 

He longs to cover you with His wings of love and protection—to be a husband to you.  He has bore all your sin and shame on the cross, with great agony Christ bore it all—carrying it into the grave to be buried forever.  He longs to clothe you with His righteousness.  (Isaiah 54:4-6)

Continue reading Isaiah 54-Comfort for the Forlorn →

Today is Sarah Barba’s birthday, tomorrow is Ronald Barba’s birthday, and early next week their anniversary.  Both are Deputy Sheriffs in the Orlando area.  I wrote this poem for them and had planned to post on Sunday as that is the day I post poetry and for Ron’s birthday; but, other events in Orlando has urged me to lay aside the message I wrote for today and to post the poem earlier.  In the early morning hours a 31 year old officer making a stop was shot and killed in the Orlando metropolis.  Across town a few hours earlier, it was almost Ron as well.  I cannot say why God chose to take one home and not another; but, I do trust God’s plan of love.  My heart is torn open wide for the mother of this officer who died bravely protecting us as for the officer who died last month.  When will we awaken from our slumber so as to provide all these officers with the tools, the respect and the salaries they deserve?  What kind of society values “entertainment”, “personal pleasures”, “freedom to sin” and “freedom to destroy” more than justice, honor and integrity?  If we need more jails, then build more jails.  Don’t tie the hands of the very ones sworn to protect us.  

Not Tonight

By Effie Darlene Barba

 

Into the deepest darkest night

Where evil lurks-hid from his sight

An Officer goes-prepared to fight

With all His strength and all His might

Praying to God, not tonight

 

He gently pulls His children near

Their smiles can lift his heart with cheer

He kisses boo-boos wipes their tears

And as He leaves for work He hears

Daddy, don’t go, not tonight

 

She kisses him, to work he goes

And all the time, too well she knows

That he must face such evil foes

Phone clutched tight, her eyes then close

Lord, don’t let it ring, not tonight

 

A mother awakens to whisper a prayer

Protect my son from sin’s dark lair

Your warrior of truth-just and fair

Endowed by you with virtues rare

He’s yours to call, please not tonight

 

Forgotten and paid a pauper’s wage

Media and public he must assuage

While calmly holding back the rage

When violent criminals do engage

Pleading to God, not tonight

 

These officers protecting you

They sacrifice more than you knew.

When will you value what they do

Or even stop to say, “Thank You”?

Shame on you, if not tonight

 

Below is a video I made a few years ago that includes the poem I wrote when he graduated.

God’s Warrior–Ronald Barba

© 2014 Effie Darlene Barba

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to any brands, products or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides regarding the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The scripture is so rich with vibrant life.  As we have been looking at Isaiah 54, we see the same scripture in its application to me personally and we looked at how it applied to the Israelite nation.  Now let us turn to see the richness of how this truly is a prophecy of the church that is made up of all who would believe in Christ.  To fully grasp this one must go back and read Isaiah 53 in which Christ’s atoning sacrifice has been presented.  It is only reasonable that immediately following, the prophet would speak to the body of believers which will become “the church”.  Look at Isaiah 54: 1 “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.”  The nation of Israel had been separated out as God’s wife through whom in the fullness of time, God sent His son into the world to redeem all who would become His heirs. 

photo courtesy of @istockphoto

Christ came to take upon Himself the full wrath that justly belonged to each one of us so that we might be saved.  He provided the only means by which we might be clothed in the perfect righteousness needed so that we could commune with God and become saturated with the Love, Joy, and Glory that can only belong to God-His Essence, His Righteousness, His Glory and His Being. 

Thus, once Isaiah has so described the atoning sacrifice of Christ; he turned to the church.  Read verse one again.  “Sing, O barren”—the gentiles (as a whole) were not the lineage of Christ and had not bore the son; but, God is calling out to them to sing because they had been barren; yet, the numbers of those who would believe during this the age of the church will outnumber all those saved within the Israelite nation.  By sheer numbers the “church” –the body of all those who would believe in Christ as their Savior-“the children of the desolate” outnumber the “children of the married wife.”  God has reached forth with tremendous mercy to spread the gospel message to all the world.  He has chosen us as His bride—to establish His covenant of mercy, His faithfulness, His vow of love, His protection, and His everlasting provision. Read below

Continue reading ISAIAH 54—THE CHURCH-GOD’S REDEEMED →

Yesterday, we began with a look at Isaiah 54 as I began to reveal the wondrous mystery of the scripture.  It is new each and every time we read it which is why we can never just set it aside like other books and after one or maximum of two readings we never pick them up again.  Instead, the scripture is fresh and new with God revealing through it ever deeper understanding as to who He is and His plan for our life with each new reading being fresh and alive.   This is certainly true of Isaiah 54.  Yesterday, I revealed how this chapter had very special meaning to me.  As we relook at these scriptures (I hope you read them yourselves), let us look next at what these prophetic words meant to the Israelite nation, then let’s look at their meaning to the all those who would follow Christ and make up God’s church; and finally we will take a look at what this wonderful chapter means to each of you who know Christ as your Savior.The nation of Israel had been taken captive by the Babylonians.  God had allowed or ordained this captivity due to the idolatry of the nation and their disobedience to God.  This chapter is a chapter of hope pointing toward their future release from Babylonian rule and is written in a very poetic form as God calls forth for His people to sing and rejoice for His mercy will save them.  But this chapter goes much deeper than just the release from the Babylonians; it also is foretelling of the future restoration of the Jewish Nation in the final fulfillment of the second covenant with the “new heaven, the new earth and the rebuilding of a New Jerusalem”. 

Drawing used with written permission of Ronald Barba. © 2012 Ronald Barba and is protected under copyright laws.

This is a chapter of love, hope, mercy, and boundless grace; as God proclaims that He will accomplish this.  He will take that which has been left barren to restore and multiply the nation.  He will remove all their shame and be a husband to them—symbolic of His protection, love, devotion and His covenant to them.  Think how marvelous this is

—God who sees the whole picture-is never confined by time and space.  When He addresses our problems and our lives, He sees the whole eternal picture as clearly as He sees this moment in time.   When He wrote His redemption plan in Genesis and throughout the scripture, He saw you and me.  It was for us He did it all.  When Isaiah 54 was written and the people read it—they saw initially the

Continue reading Isaiah 54-Israel’s Restoration →

“The precious promises, contained in this chapter, belong in the first place to the Church of God; but, as that which belongs to the Church, really belongs to every member of it, we shall not be acting dishonestly with the Scripture if we, who are believers, personally take home to ourselves every drop of comfort that we can find here.” Charles Spurgeon

Part of the mysterious beauty of the scripture is how it can be written on the heart of each believer. Take this chapter in Isaiah which was written to the Israelite nation; yet, it is written is such a manner as to give comfort personally to each member of the body of Christ without exception. This chapter became very significant to me when I stood all alone, widowed at the age of 39. The fact of my widowhood was even more devastating as I looked at all my failures of the past—divorced before having met Pete.

 

For me, I was amazed that God had brought this wondrous man into my life and I loved Pedro Barba with an unconditional, undying love. We humans; however, are broken and flawed beings. When widowed at 39, little did I know God had written to me my story in Isaiah 54 and all I needed do is read the unfolding of my life in God.

Pete had been through a lot in his life and was too frightened to declare his love for me until the day before he died which had left emptiness throughout the marriage, fulfilled for a brief moment and then he was gone. He had found Christ as His Savior 6 months before he died; so, I will see him again. Ah, though that reunion will be sweet; but none to compare to my seeing Christ. This brings us back to Isaiah 54 and why on the personal level it has meant so much to me and

Continue reading ISAIAH 54 JOYOUS REVELATION OF GOD’S LOVE →