In the Valley.............

In the valley……………………… Part II Isaiah 59:9-21

Sunday November 22, 2015 10:00 am

           

an earlier year's snow

Here in my corner of the world, it is a brilliant sunny winter day. The rooftops, streets and trees are coated with a thick white dusting of frost. My last few fall roses have bowed their heads and I rue their passing. Roses make me feel happy, they remind me of my mother and their beauty enlivens my world.

           

 My dogs, unaware of the seasons cold, want to romp and stomp outside and let me know with their insistent yelps. I stop and let them out and they immediately head for the sunny bench seat of the deck and look at me with surprised eyes as the nip of the chilling air works through their fur. It won’t be long before the give the same insistent yelps to, “Let me back in, I’m cold!”

            So here I am, safe warm, fed. Coffee cup near. I am so fortunate, I realize that deeply, and I am thankful that God has made provision for me. I am blessed beyond knowing with so much abundance of everything. “Thank you God!”

Coffenburry Lake, Fort Stevens,Oregon

            After my devotional time this morning, and prayers, I felt that I should spend some time finishing up my study of Isaiah 59. If you are reading this now, and didn’t read Part I, it’s on this blog page and it’s entitled, At the Crossroads. I strongly encourage you to read Part I first to gather the themes present in this chapter.  A week has passed in my life since writing Part I. So much has happened in that time. My life is packed full of people, events, drama, chores, activities, choices and the list goes on. At  this moment, I am taking a break to feed my soul. If I don’t, I will be worn down and weary before the week begins.

            So, back to our study. We left off with verse 8 of Chapter 59 of Isaiah. Previously, we had looked at the questions of why God might not be hearing us; what things in our lives might be separating us from Him. We then looked at our own selves in terms of our responsibilities in this world to others. We explored what the nature of man looks like when we turn away from God and how those evil actions result in pain for others and ourselves as we lose all peace. Now this take a look at the rest of the chapter.

Isaiah 59:9 – “Therefore justice is far from us, Nor does righteousness overtake us: we look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness!” King James

Isaiah 59:9 – “It is because of all this evil that deliverance is far from us. That is why God doesn’t punish those who injure us. No wonder we are in darkness when we expected light. No wonder we are walking in the gloom.” New Living Translation

           

Last fall leaves on the Fort Stevens rrail.

This is an interesting passage, it carries the idea further about how it’s not any problem on God’s side that prevents answers but often, it’s us that has moved away.  I’ve heard the story once about the married couple who often took drives in the country for one of their weekend outings. They enjoyed seeing the scenery, passing through farmlands, stopping here and there at a steam or river to enjoy the sights and sounds of the forested hills. Sometimes they would enjoy long conversations on these trips, other times, they would just enjoy the companionable silence.

            Over the years, circumstances came up and the wife experienced increasingly bitterness towards her husband. “Why didn’t he talk with her the way he used to?”  “Why didn’t he pick the first spring flowers and bring them home like he used to?” The list grew and grew and emotionally they began to grow apart. Finally, on one of their weekend drives, she couldn’t bear it any longer. From her side of the front seat she began, “I don’t know what’s wrong between us? We aren’t as close any more!!!” The husband, paused a moment, patted the space on the seat next to him and gently told his wife, “I haven’t moved.” The wife, in a moment of realization, saw the distance between them, realized it was her that moved away and scooted across the distance to again be next to her sweetheart.

Mushrooms, quietly growing near the path.

With us, as humans, we complain about God often, (me too, I’m embarrassed to admit). “Why is He taking so long to fix this situation?” “Doesn’t He know how much I’m hurting?”  “Why isn’t He answering my prayers?” “Doesn’t He care about me?” And on it goes.The first place to start when we feel like this is taking personal inventory asking ourselves the question, “Am I harboring anything in my life that would come between me and God?”  Bringing our weaknesses of heart, mind and emotion to Him and asking Him to cleanse us, forgive us and heal us is the first therapeutic step in restoring that closeness, and peace.

I’m going to veer off for a second and discuss another aspect I’ve mentioned before in my blog, God’s timing. I’m the first one to admit, it’s hard to wait for the answers to prayers. There are circumstances that are so painful to endure; broken marriages and relationships, people we love caught in addictions, people we care about with diseases and illnesses, financial problems, work problems, our own problems of health, mind and circumstances. I don’t like suffering, it hurts. If it goes on for a long time, it’s discouraging and depressing. I’m also impatient and want things to be fixed right away. I know I’m not alone there.

Fort Clatsop trail...winter beauty.

Going through a valley of any kind, we want to get to the end of it, like David we sigh, “Oh Lord how long? Once, earlier in my life, when prayers I’d prayed for years seemed to never get answered I read Psalm 75 which talks about God choosing the right time to act. The waiting on God isn’t easy for me, its as if my heart sees the waves, of trouble, disappointment, persecution, and I sink into the sea of doubt and fear. I have to work on bolstering up my faith with prayers, Bible reading, and asking other Christians to pray with me. It’s not something that comes “naturally” to us, it’s something (faith) that comes supernaturally.

So back to verse 9, looking for light is an analogy that’s an easy one for us to identify with. Once, a year ago, I was on my way to a 2 day trip to Seattle and hurried down the stairs to the front door. I had turned off all the lights to save money, and near the end of the stairs I misjudged the distance, and down I went, suitcase and all. I sat stunned, pain going through my body and after a survey for broken bones, dusted myself off and got back on my way. Question? Would having a light on prevented that fall? Most likely.

          

A fern,saying it's last goodbye to the season.

  In life, I’ve observed that often, situations can create feelings that resemble darkness. A bad relationship, an inhospitable work environment, prolonged illnesses, all of these events can being to feel like, there’s no hope. No matter which way you turn, nothing changes, in fact things appear to get worse.  If  you lose your faith, or closeness to God, (who is sovereign over every circumstance), the situations get worse.

Vs 10- “We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had not eyes; we stumble at noon day as at twilight; we are as dead men in desolate places.” King James

Vs 10- “No wonder we grope like blind people and stumble along. Even at brightest noontime, we fall down as though it were dark. No wonder we are like corpses when compared to vigorous young men!” New Living Translation

            I’ve had two blind friends in my life. Both of them were young adults when I knew them. We were all students in the music program at the small community college we attended. They were bright, talented, interesting people. On occasion I would take them places. They had their own strategies for getting around. If it was a location, or room they were familiar with they would make their way around. If they needed my help, they would hold on to me firmly and follow my lead. They had learned to cope with their blindness and engage in world around them. This verse isn’t talking about people who are blind like this. It’s talking about people who lose their sight suddenly, or are alone in an unfamiliar place, desperately trying to find their way around.

            I’ve felt like that more than once in my life. Things have been too stressful and painful and seemed to go on without end. My Bible is full of notes in the margin that mark those valleys in my life. My Bible is also full of places where I’ve noted, “Delivered!!! Answered prayer!!” Those answered prayers while in the valley of weeping or trials, are places I can look back to as testimonies of the faithfulness of God. These answers to prayer in the past, are encouragers to me now to not despair, to not give up, to believe that in due time help will come, right will prevail, and God will triumph over evil. Let’s go on to the next set of verses.

The lake is quiet as my dogs and I hike on silent, woodland floors.

            Vs 11- 14 We all growl like bears, and moan sadly like doves; we look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before You and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them; in transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter King James. 

Isaiah 59  Vs 11-14 “We growl like hungry bears; we moan like mournful doves. We look for justice, but it is nowhere to be found. We look to be rescued, but it is far away from us. For our sins are piled up before God and testifying against us. We, we know what sinners we are. We know that we have rebelled against the Lord. We have turned our backs on God. We know how unfair and oppressive we have been, carefully planning our deceitful lies. Our courts oppose people who are righteous and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth falls dead in the streets, and fairness has been outlawed.” New Living Translation

           

There is beauty in the winter forest.

Whew, how grateful I am that when I move away from God by my own willful actions, I’m not stuck there. Like the prodigal son, I can go home, to the love, closeness and shelter of His love. It starts with confession, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from every wrong.” I John 1:9 New Living Translation

            God gives more than one, “Do over.”  For those of you to whom that phrase might not have meaning, let me explain. In Little League baseball, the very youngest children have what’s called T-Ball. It’s where they learn the beginnings of what baseball is. Sometimes, the little ones are so fragile when they miss, and so heartsick, the coach will call out, “You get a “do-over” That means it’s as if the ‘miss’ never happened. They get to try again. God gives us lots of, “Do overs!” I’m so grateful. Every day is a new day, every moment is a new moment as long as I, don’t move away from God by  choosing behaviors that are contrary to His revealed will and goodness and, (this is important) when I recognize those failures on my part, I need to realize or confess them, and ask His forgiveness and I am restored into fellowship with Him, my peace returns, and my faith renews, I am back in the “light” of His love.

            Vs 15- “ So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.” King James

            Vs 15- “ Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who tries to live a godly life is soon attacked.” New Living Translation

            I don’t want to branch out into a political discussion here other than to say, currently in many realms, schools, governments even families, verse 15 describes a culture where ‘freedom of choice’ is increasingly becoming freedom of choice for those who oppose godly family values, not those who are trying to uphold the sanctity of the home, and faith in God. Wow, so what does this mean?  Are things hopeless and we as Christians can only aspire to struggle, and fight, and barely survive? Well, we haven’t reached the end of the chapter yet.

 Vs 15 – 18 “ Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him. That there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation of His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; the coastlands He will fully repay.” King James

Vs 15-18 “Yes truth is gone and anyone who tries to live a godly life is soon attacked. The Lord looked and was displeased to find that there was no justice. He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So He himself stepped in to save them with his might power and justice. He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation of his head. He clothed himself with the robes of vengeance and godly fury. He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds. His fury will fall on his foes in distant lands.” New Living Translation.

The forest has always called my name. I am at home in the woods.

            Like many people, I like to find heroes, people I can admire, look up to and at times go to for help. Often times, heroes are only people we read about, or see on televisions.  I like to think of the God of the universe being a hero to those who love him and to whom he says, “You are my children.”  As one of God’s children, I can claim the promises in His word to help me, to defend me to rescue me. I have to make sure that when I stand up for a cause, I’m not trying to run ahead of Him and do His job. This is difficult, at least for me. I pray for wisdom and then trust that God will make a way where there is no way.

            The image of God being mad when he looked down from heaven and sees people being mistreated and doing something about it is powerful. I believe that this passage is talking about Jesus, and the fact He came to earth to save us from our sins and to give us eternal life. I’ve heard others say, this passage is talking about the end of the age. I see that, I think it could be both in a way. It reaffirms that God the Creator has clear ideas of what is right and wrong instead of being a God who says, “Anything goes.”  For me, that helps set my life in place where I feel safe, and helps me believe that eventually things will work out. A favorite verse of mine is

 Romans 8:28, “For all things work together for good to them who love God and are called according to His purposes.” King James

            Just a couple more sections of this chapter, and the best is in the last, so hang on.

Vs 19 “So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a stand against Him.” King James

Vs 19 – “The at last they will respect and glorify the name of the Lord throughout the world. For he will come like a flood tide driven by the breath of the Lord.” New Living Translation.

            Millions of us watched footage of the horrible earthquakes and flood tides in Japan. Nothing, no walls, no dams, nothing could stop the surge of water that wiped out everything in its path. The King James version of this verse shows the enemy, Satan, coming in like a flood, and the Spirit of the Lord lifting up a stand against him. God stops the flood of evil by His Spirit of righteousness. This is a wonderful image and has encouraged me in times where certain situations seemed to have no end of people coming in who appeared to be evil in their intent. I knew that God wasn’t blind and eventually, with prayer of people who were His children, God would right the wrongs and stem the tide of unchecked evil.

            The New Living Translation, has a little different slant, they see God, as sovereign blowing his breath and forcing the flood tide of righteousness across the land wiping away the evil. This is an encouraging image. We are not caught in a world where might is right, and having power gives you immunity from breaking values of integrity, honesty and mercy. There is a God, and a righteous God who loves mercy, loves integrity and loves compassion. If I have to choose sides, ( and each of us has to) I choose the side of good.

            Vs 20- 21 “The Redeemer will come to Zion and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob, says the Lord. “as” for me” says the Lord, “this is my covenant with them. My Spirit who is upon you and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the  mouth of your descendants descendants,” says the Lord, “from the his time and forevermore.” King James

            Vs 20-21 “The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem, “ says the Lord, “to buy back those in Israel,  who have turned from their sins.” “ And this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord, “my Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and the lips of your children and your children’s children forever,  I, the Lord have spoken.” New Living Translation

            In the old days, a redeemer was someone who “bought someone back” from slavery, from bondage, from prison. I like the analogy of God being my Redeemer. It’s more than having a hero, it’s more than having a ‘big brother’ who’ll stick up for you, it’s having the God, the Creator of the universe who says, you follow me, become one of my children and “I’ve got your back.”  “I will help you. I will uphold you by my righteous right hand.”

            Well, believing God’s got my back is comforting to say the least. Learning to walk by faith and not by sight, well that’s challenging but I choose to believe.

            “He’ll go with you through your valley,

            Cause He’s gone with me through mine.

            And there ain’t no hill or mountain

            Impossible to climb.

            So when you’re feeling kinda lowly

            Like you can’t go on,

            Just put your hand in His hand

            And He’ll give to you this song.

To each of you in your own valley, take heart, God hears and answers prayers. Seek Him while He may be found and He will hear you, answer your prayers and hold you by your right hand, you don’t have to go it alone, God’s got this, and He’s got you.

Be blessed and continue to look for your joy in the morning. Robin

At the crossroads...............

At the crossroads………. Part I – Isaiah 59

Many times in my life, I have come up hard against a realization that I needed to make a decision, I needed to do something, I needed to makes some changes. Often, dread has accompanied those moments because rather than implicitly trusting  God, I’ve journeyed into the realm of fear. “What if? This is the wrong decision? “What if? This makes things worse?” What if? I live to regret choosing this course of action for years to come?” The “what if’s?” are a scary place to be and much like the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz, I inwardly shake with the realization, that  knowing and then choosing the right path to take is a lot more challenging than it might appear.

And so, I pause often times and regroup. I get out my beloved Bible, take time out to prayerfully read, talk to trusted friends, listen to messages that I know contain hope, wisdom and encouragement and then most often wait, and avoid acting impulsively. (this to is difficult. There’s something sort of humanly satisfying to say to yourself, “Ok, enough already, this is what I’m going to do!”)  Being at the crossroads carries its own weight of anxiety because nothing’s settled; it’s still in the land of the unknown. Being in the land of the unknown is uncomfortable because the “not knowingness” brings its own particular load of doubts, fears and insecurities.

And so, I turn to my guidebook for life, the Bible. Often, when I read my Bible, I don’t follow a schedule of on this day, read this chapter, and so on. Oh, I believe there’s a place and purpose for a plan of reading the Bible, but now at this point in my life, much of my reading takes place after prayer. “God,” I pray, “you see this situation I’m in. You see me with all my faults and failings. Please forgive my known sins, help me to change them and show me what else I need to change. Help me to understand your Word by your Holy Spirit and direct me to the passages that will provide me light for my path, help for my journey. Thank you God. Amen” And then I wait. Whatever passages of Scripture come to my mind, I turn there and read.

Today, Isaiah Chapter 59 came into my mind, so I reach to my nightstand, select a Bible that was my dear mothers and begin to read. At one point in my life, I kind of felt the good, ole King James Version was the end all and be all of Bible translations. I had grown up with that translation, my Bible verses in Sunday school memorized were in that translation. Over time, with added experience, I have come to understand that there are many fine translations of the Bible. I believe people should find one that helps them understand what is being said the best. I have several translations and I use them interchangeably.

Isaiah 59

Verse 1- “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear.” King James

Verse 1-  “Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is His ear too deaf to hear you call.” New Living Translation, Recovery Bible

Ok, this verse is pretty easy for me to understand. If there’s a communication problem between me and God, the problem isn’t on His end. Often, talking with different groups of people I hear explanations of why people think God doesn’t really care about them and their problems.  For instance, “I believe in God, but I’m not sure He really cares about me.” Or “I believe in God but I don’t think He listens to us, or talks to us, but He set everything in motion.” There are dozens, hundreds, probably millions of explanation people give about why they think God isn’t really interested in them personally, and that their problems don’t matter to Him.  

That’s why I pray and read my Bible. Faith in God is a choice, and needs watering like a garden. If I’m doubting, (which at times I do) it brings me peace to read how the one man came to Jesus, knelt down and prayed this prayer, “I believe Lord, help my unbelief.”  I love this story because it very clearly depicts the human nature of man to doubt, and yet it shows that Jesus, answered His prayer when the man was honest about where he was in the faith continuum and asked for God to help him believe.

There’s another verse I love, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” This verse encourages me that having moments of doubt is part and parcel of the human condition. Understanding that reading the Bible is part of the cure for that doubt is like a lifeline thrown over the bow of ship to a person floating in a storm-tossed sea. You can choose to grab the “life-line” or you can choose to stay in the pain and misery of the sea of doubt.

            Isaiah 59: 2 (King James)

Verse 2- “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you that He will not hear.”

            Verse 2-  “It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, He has                     turned away and will not listen anymore.” New Living Translation, Recovery Bible

When my spirit is clear, uncluttered by sins, or negative actions on my part, I feel happy. I have been happy after being deserted by my first husband, alone, pregnant, few resources, I was truly happy because my heart was right with God. I have been happy in the middle of a catastrophe, (ill health, family tragedy) if my heart was right with God.        What often happens with Christians, and me in particular is I become complacent about my spiritual life. I’m not partying, I’m not drinking, using drugs, stealing, cheating, lying etc, so “I’m good.” Only, there’s a whole lot more God is interested in our character then the “don’t do this list” of our own making. God wants the attitudes of our heart to be right with Him. We cannot harbor, bitterness, anger, resentments, callousness to suffering of others, cowardice to do right, fearfulness, envy, covetnesses and the list goes on. Our mind is to be the mind of Christ.

“That’s impossible!” you say, and I’m right behind you, without divine help, it is impossible. That’s where daily inventory comes in. It’s where having people in your life whom you trust and respect and who are willing to speak into your life words of encouragement, challenge and caution come in. That’s where prayer to God and daily Bible reading comes in. Our human natures, (put mine on the top of that list) are prone to wander. We might quit one bad “sinful” habit, and an attitude of the heart and mind comes in and pollutes, as it were, our spirit. God is holy, and it is only as we rely on 1) His forgiveness and atonement of the cross (Salvation) 2) The cleansing of his Word and Spirit (Sanctification)  3) His promptings through circumstances, other people, his Word, and His Holy Spirit that something in our spirit and heart are not quite right (Conviction) and 4) Our attitude of heart, mind and spirit that asks for forgiveness and cleansing daily, (Restoration) that we begin to  acquire His holy nature.

As a child, I waited to watch the weekly show put on by Disney. I loved the action adventure, but mostly I loved the feature length cartoons. Even without the luxury of color television I would sit enthralled as the characters acted out the story. The story of Pinocchio  was a story I loved. The rebellious Pinocchio was someone I could relate to. The Jiminy Cricket character, whispering into Pinocchio’s ear to me became representative of that part of me that knew to do right, the conscience, and as a Christian, the Holy Spirit.  Please don’t misunderstand, I am not meaning to be disrespectful in comparing the Holy Spirit to Jiminy Cricket, I am sharing with you what I understood through the eyes of a child. I knew there was a battle between right and wrong going on in me and I understood that often I would choose the wrong path, even though I knew, and had an inward knowing that it was wrong. As an adult, increasingly I have become aware of how strong this struggle is like Paul shared in the New Testament.  I agree that the will is in me as a Christian, but the “won’t” of human nature is strong. It is a battle but thank God that victory is won, if we will only submit to God and ask Him to help us become what He wants us to be.

It’s amazing to me that after the thousands of serious mistakes I have made in my life, pride can still be an issue, but the fact of the matter is, it’s (pride) still there. It is such a strong force within my nature that if left unchecked, I would become a bitter, angry person 24/7 because of how the “me” has been treated by others. Weeding out resentment and bitterness from the garden of my soul required constant vigilance and daily tending. Much like the prayer, “I believe, help my unbelief.” I have to pray, “God, I’m hurt, angry and bitter. Give me your Spirit to forgive, give me your grace to soften my hard heart, and give me your understanding to know what to do.” It is an ongoing process, I will never “arrive” this side of heaven, I can only pray that my path will become brighter and brighter with the sunshine of God’s love as I approach the end of my life.

So, back to keeping your spirit free from anything that would come between you and God. I pray, “God show me my faults” Then I pray, “God help me to change my faults.” Then, and this is the difficult part, I change my faults. Painful?  Difficult? Well nigh impossible? Yes, yes and yes. But, and this is critical, without this constant purging as it were of our old natures we will continue to live defeated, purposeless, passionless lives where we’re Christians but our light instead of being a light to the world, becomes a feeble flame that barely lights the path in front of our own feet.

Isaiah 59:3 “For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perverseness.” (King James)

Isaiah 59:3 “Your hands are the hands of murderers, and your fingers are filthy with sin. Your lips are full of lies, and your mouth spews corruption.” (New Living Translation, Recovery Bible)

Well, I’ve been there done that and thank God, His grace is sufficient for me. I’m one person that is very grateful that asking Jesus into my heart, to forgive my sin and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness has freed me from the burden and shame of my past.  Living in the land of regret can be an awful place to be. There is no hope, you can’t change what happened. The path only leads to despair and hopelessness. But praise God, I’ve been set free!

Don’t mistake the above for my being deluded into thinking there is no need for change in my life now, thank goodness I don’t have that delusion. I’m aware that like so many others I’m thankful  for the grace of God that allows to be in the state of change, being able to  lift up my head because of His forgiveness while acknowledging I still have a long ways to go on my journey.

Isaiah 59:4

Vs. 4 – “ None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth  for truth; they trust in vanity and speak lies: they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.” King James

Vs 4- “No one cares about being fair and honest. The people’s lawsuits are based on evil deeds, and then give birth to sin.” New Living Translation, Recovery Bible

For me, this is a difficult passage because it is so complicated in real life. In real life, there are so many things happening that are wrong. War, starvation, abuse, neglect, intimidation, dishonesty, manipulation  the list could go on for pages. We live in a corrupt world where right and wrong in societies eye is constantly changing.  Power, position and privilege can be mis-used and impact others in horrible ways, even to the point of death. What battles am I supposed to take up and which battles am I to leave alone?

In experience I have found that just being right doesn’t insure freedom from painful situations. People who are doing things that are evil and corrupt don’t stand meekly aside and say, “Oh, thank you. I didn’t realize I was doing that, let me stop that and sorry for anything pain this might have caused you.” Nope, that doesn’t happen. Instead, you encounter a show of force where lying, manipulation, intimidation reach a new, unprecedented level and you discover your adversary doesn’t have to follow Roberts rules or order, and any order for that matter. Evil unleashed is an awful thing to behold or be the target of. This is one of those places that I say, “But God.” Honestly I have learned to fear reprisals in life for standing up for principles, or persons. I am in many ways, still that cowardly lion, fearing to take a stand for the increased discomfort it can bring to me personally. Embarrassing to admit but impossible to ignore.

However, the closer I get to God through prayer, Bible reading and a willingness to admit my weaknesses, God empowers me and strengthens me. Do I like embarrassment and intimidation? No! Do I believe that God is greater than the power of evil? Yes!  Each person needs to determine in their own mind and heart where that line in the sand is, and then through prayer to God determine that even though they know they will be walking through the fire, God will protect them, He will strengthen them, He will comfort them, and He will make a way where there is no way.

Note: just took a break from writing. It is a gorgeous, beautiful, golden sunny Fall day. The rain drops on the tree branches are silvery, points of diamonds, the fall leaves are washed and bright with their yellows and oranges. So much of me wants to pack up and head to the coast to drink in the cool, brisk air, see the billows of the ocean waves and walk the forests trails and say the last goodbye to the season as the leaves bathe the ground with wave, upon wave of color. But, I feel, someone somewhere needs to read what I am writing. This blog goes all around the world and there are people reading in in countries far removed from ours. I will make one concession to the brilliant day, I will make this a 2-part series. Isaiah 59: 1-8 Part I and Isaiah 59 9- 21 Part II.

`           Isaiah 59:5

Vs.5- They hatch cockatrice eggs and weave the spider’s web; he that eatest of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breakest forth into a viper.” King James

Vs. 5- They hatch deadly snakes and weaves spiders webs. Whoever falls into their webs will die and there’s danger in even getting near them.” New Living Translation, Recovery Bible

            Ok, when I was younger this was a very difficult passage for me to understand. It’s easier now for me to comprehend because I have seen time and time again how people think what they are doing will never be uncovered. Carefully they weave their differing plots and schemes, not realizing in a moment of time they can be all swept away (like a spiders web). I have observed how other people caught in their web of lies and deceit, occasionally squirm  uncomfortably and try to get loose but almost every time some morsel, or bribe, lures them back  until they are incapable  of escape, they have comprised their own values so much their own fear keeps them captive.

            I have heard it said, “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” This impacted me when I first heard it and it impacts me know. Having been raised in traditional church setting, I was taught about that thou shalt nots. Don’t do this, don’t do that. The moral and ethical considerations of having to do something about the evil was not as clearly presented. Yes, we were supposed to have a missionary spirit to teach others about Jesus, but the social consciousness, the standing up for the weak, the powerless, the poor and the afflicted just wasn’t taught that much.

            As a senior citizen, I have increasingly become aware that God calls us for a purpose. He empowers us for a plan, and if we are willing He uses us to stand up for the cause of those who need help. ( Chapter 61 in Isaiah). Sorting through the what and the who and the where and the how, again, that’s the challenge. Determining when to say something, to do something and not fear the onslaught of possible reprisals,  that takes wisdom and God-given courage and strength. I just realized it’s starting to sound if I’m creating a coalition of  people for positive change or something. That’s not what I’m trying to accomplish. I’m trying to walk through these verse with those of you reading and challenge you to search your own heart and life and see if there are places and situations where you need to take a stand. And then, prayerfully, carefully, do what you can to make a difference for good.

Isaiah 59: 6

Vs. 6- Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works; their works are work of iniquity and the act of violence is in their hands.” King James

Vs 6-“Their webs can’t be made into clothing, and nothing they do is productive. All their activity is filled with sin, and violence is their trademark. Their feet run to do evil, and they rush to commit murder.” New Living Translation, Recovery Bible

One of my children has a sense of humor, on my new phone they made my ring tone the theme song to the TV show Matlock. If I forget to turn my phone off at work, the Matlock theme flows down the hall leaving no doubt as to which senior member of the staff forgot to put their phone on silence. I like the show Matlock, it’s an hour of “who done it” that gets resolved at the end. An easy way for me to unwind. Life, however, can be an awful lot like a mystery show. There are wheels of power and strategy, within wheels. Before I start sounding too much like a conspiracy theorist, let me explain. What I’ve seen is that once people compromise a given set of standards, they have to involve themselves in a web of lies to cover things up. They have to bribe, or intimidate others not to expose the circumstances. Things don’t get better they get worse and worse. Fear drives people to make more and more unwise, unethical choices until there literally is no way out of the mess. The spider web analogy here is Isaiah describes their “life” beautifully.

I think the “trademark” comment in the New Living Translation sums things up nicely. In Scripture, Jesus often talked about you will know them by their fruit. For each of us, who profess to be a Christian, it is imperative that we be first and foremost our own “fruit inspectors” as it were. Are our lives in sync with the Gospel? Are we living above reproach in every area of our lives? Are we being transparent with others or are we covering up who we really are? Getting right with God is simple, “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9.Getting right with man, not so simple. AA and NA members will tell  you this is one of the most difficult of the steps to take, making amends.

For me, there are some situations in my past where I can’t make amends. I have to leave it to God. Other situations, like with my children I try to be transparent and say I’m sorry for things I’ve done to hurt their feelings in the past. I can’t change those things, but I hope by not denying them I contribute to their healing of memories.

Isaiah 59:7

Vs- 7- “Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.” King James

Vs 7 – “Their feet run to do evil and they rush to commit murder. They think only about sinning, misery and destruction always follow them. “New Living Translation, Recovery Bible

What I’ve noticed in my own life is that in those times where I’ve wandered away from God, my conscience becomes “jaded.” For those of you for whom that term might not have meaning, let me explain. If you are walking away from God, you’ll inevitable begin thinking about things you know you shouldn’t. You’ll have a twinge of conscience, “That’s not right, what are you doing?”  Just like Pinocchio in the Disney movie, if you willfully continue to do things you know are wrong, your conscience grows weaker. You rationalize things, “Oh that’s not so bad, it’s not like I was committing murder or something.” You explain things, “Well, if they hadn’t been such a jerk to me, I never would have told them that.” You justify things, “Who do they think they are, treating me like that? I’ll show them a thing or two.” “His wife doesn’t really love him like she should, why should it be wrong for me to be with him when we really care about each other?”

When you follow your own will, you continue to move farther and farther away from God and your life goes from bad to worse. Your mind instead of becoming your best ally, doesn’t support you being “good” or ethical, it supports you doing what you need (and/or want to do). Your spirit becomes hardened to the things of God and the needs of hurting people. You know how to mimic the right responses but that’s all it is mimicking.  You are no longer acting in the best interests of others, or your employer, or your family, or your church, or your friends you become a slave to the YOU dictatorship. And YOU, well, now might be a good place to introduce the whole discussion of right and wrong, good and evil, God and Satan. Self, or YOU if given its reign to do whatever it wants won’t naturally choose the good of life. We are by nature, (human nature) self-seeking, pleasure-seeking beings. It is only as we seek God, and discover His propitiation, (provision) for our sinful nature through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we become partakers of the Divine nature. To grow in the grace of that nature, we need to continue to follow Him and seek His will, and goodness for our lives. When we rebel, or walk away, we don’t retain the image of His son, or Divine nature. Our human nature becomes dominate and the things we do, the self-seeking, the pleasure-seeking, allows the compromises to come back with full force and we are back to square one. This verse aptly describes the outcome, “misery and destruction always follow them.”

There’s a verse that says, “The pleasures of sin for a season.” There is another verse, “Be sure your sins will find you out.” I have found both these verses to be true in my own life and in the lives of people I know. However, the pleasures are short lived and the consequences of my actions when in relapse mode of Christianity are long-lasting and painful to myself and those around me. End of matter, it’s simply not worth it. Does everyone in the middle of their “run” as it were acknowledge “it’s not worth it?”  No, not hardly. They are most often caught up in the excitement and thrill of the adventure, unaware of what the end result will be. Will they listen to sound counsel from people who see their path of destruction? Most often not, occasionally yes.

Isaiah Chapter 59:8

Vs 8 King James- “The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgement in their goings; they have made them crooked paths; whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.”

Vs 8 “ They don’t know where to find peace or what it means to be just and good. They have mapped out crooked roads, and no one who follows them knows a moment’s peace.” New Living Translation- 

            In my own life, I have discovered that peace is something I value highly. Peace of mind, peace of heart, peace of spirit. I cannot control circumstances, but with God’s help I can learn to control me. Learning to allow God to help me continue to make decisions that are ethical, purposeful, helpful, noble and of eternal value gives me peace. Peace in the midst of the storm.  “Fear not, neither be afraid. In this world you will have trouble, (tribulation) but be of good cheer (hope) I have overcome the world.” Jesus

Dear God,

            This morning, this moment, help me to be someone who mirrors your love. Someone who daily takes before you my personal short-comings and asks for forgiveness and cleansing. Help me to become someone who does not fear, but speaks the truth in love. Help me to be someone who tries to follow your will in my life and helps others to find their way to home with you. Help me to not only find peace, but to be a peace-maker. Help me to stand up for what is right and to be a voice for those who are unable to speak for themselves.

Thank you God for all you have done for me, thank you for your mercy, your grace, your strength and your leading.

In Jesus Name,

Amen,

Your daughter,

Robin

To each of you reading this today may the God of all comfort give you joy and peace in believing. May you continue to discover your God-given destiny. May He grant you the courage and strength to do those things you need to do. May you each have continued joy in the morning.