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 →

Hope

 

Oh, Glorious thought, I must proclaim

That hope it has a name

‘Cause Jesus freely died for me

That I enslaved might be set free

From quilt lade chains that bound despair

And trapped this heart in sin’s dark lair

 

Miraculous thought that God chose me

Through Hope’s View I might see

God’s mighty hand reached from above

Encircling me with His pure love

Cradled in His mighty arms

Protected from all evil’s harms

 

Precious thought, God’s son became a man

As Hope revealed a plan

That as I die to selfish thought

Because it was my life He bought

I now display His light in me

A world in darkness might now see

 

Peace filled thought, when storms tempest blow

Hope’s anchor won’t let go

It is firmly held by God’s own hand

And never caught in sifting sand

With chain encircling, heart firmly held

The Holy Spirit’s strength doth weld

 

What Marvelous thought that I have known

My Hope secured by Grace Alone

To Fill the void my heart doth yearn

No merit could I ever earn

His Grace had opened first the door

His Grace will lead me evermore

© 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.”

Throughout my Christian journey, I must say the moments where hope seemed to dim the most was when I became so over laden with guilt from my own failures.  Though I understand and have understood throughout that my salvation was by grace alone; somehow, I felt that blessings were dependent upon my ability to perform this Christian walk perfectly.  All the efforts in my own strength fell so far short and I seemed to fall deep within the same pits over and over again; thus, my hope for any blessings on earth would fall and in a pit of despair I would think the trials that came were a result of my failure, my sin and were so deserved.  How could I hope for more?  When blessings came, how much more in awe and wonder did I stand before God?  How much more did I want to work harder to please Him? And how much more despairing did I feel in my failure?  I rode that roller coaster of great high mountaintops of joy and deep dark valleys of despair much of my Christian journey.  Then it happened, I came to the very end of myself and my efforts. 

Artwork used by Permission “A Broken and Contrite Heart” by Ronald Barba

There I was with a spirit so broken and a heart contrite from the emptiness of my own hands, lying prostrate before God.  There it was God reached down as He gently took my hand, lifted me up and said, “What sin, my Child?  I don’t see any (as I suddenly realized He was looking at me through the blood of Christ),

Let us go—there is work to be done.  Look around you—the field is ripe for harvest.  I am your righteousness, I am your hope, I am your joy, I am your life, and I am your peace.  Stop looking at yourself and look at me.  I am the Author and the Finisher of your faith.”  That was when I wrote the book, “A Broken and Contrite Heart" 

Hebrews 6: “¹⁸ That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:¹⁹ Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast,”

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Where does hope come from? We look around us and see very little hope. We search for some anchor to hold onto. Perhaps the man who diligently worked and saved so that he could enjoy his retirement; only to learn that he had advanced metastatic cancer and only 3 months to live. What happened to the anchor that he had tightly placed his hope? Or, the market failed and all his retirement funds were gone in one mighty sweep. Again, what happened to the anchor of his hope? What about the woman who hopes so in the love of her husband and he comes home to say that he is leaving her and the children to marry someone else. The anchor on which she placed her hope once more failed and she is left crushed, broken-hearted. The man who places his hope in his own ability and strength to accomplish whatever he wants; suddenly is found hopeless when trials come.  So where is the only hope to which we can cling? God.  Look at how Paul described God-“the God of Hope.” 

God is our hope and becomes the very anchor on which to hold fast. Romans 15: ¹³ Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

photo courtesy of @istockphoto.com

The anchor of our hope is not anchored into the bottom of the ocean on sifting sand. Rather our anchor is tightly, firmly held by God’s righteous right hand in heaven—never to be loosed.

The God of hope with all of His covenant promises toward us stands firm that He will accomplish all of His will toward you.  This is His promise. Let us read

Continue reading Hope has An Anchor →