Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Blessing from Isaiah


I was reading in the book of Isaiah this morning. It has become more of a blessing to me the last couple of times that I have read it. The beginning of chapter 49 really got to me. I don't know exactly who these verses are referring to. It could be Isaiah himself, or the nation of Israel, or it could just be talking to me. That's how the Lord used it this morning as I read through it.
In verse one it says,..."The LORD hath called me from the womb;"... In verse two it say, ..."in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;" And in verse three,..."And said unto me, Thou art my servant,...,in whom I will be glorified."
Every day, that is my prayer, that the Lord be glorified in me. From the time I was conceived, I have attended church. (Yes, my parents always took me with them.) I didn't truly understand that I needed to accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Saviour until I was sixteen. And I had much sin in my life when the Holy Spirit did a mighty work of revival in me when I was 30. But since that time, I have always wanted to glorify the Lord in my body so that others would know I am a christian. However,...
Verse four of Isaiah 49 is my "truth"...,"Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for naught, and in vain:..." I think back on the last twelve months and I realize how much time, money, and energy I have wasted on that which amounts to nothing. It seems as if it was all in vain. And I am so ashamed!
I know that when I had to have the second surgery on my knee in 2008 and went through six more weeks of being wheelchair bound, and then endured months of continual sickness, that I became discouraged. I allowed it to control and overwhelm me. I had become a very self-centered woman. In the last couple of months I have tried to reclaim that which was lost, but it cannot be done. It is done and gone. So, what can I do? Confess and forsake my sinful past, surrender everything once again to my Lord, and obey His will.
I thank God for my "blessing" in verse five,..."And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant,...Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength." I can do nothing, but He can do all things, and through Him I can do that which He desires me to do. And may it all be for His glory.