“Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! (Isaiah 30:1, 2 ESV)

Ah, stubborn children… It’s always painful to read about the rebelliousness of the people of Israel, because it paints such a clear picture of my own life..

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15a ESV)

And how do we respond to that? “Nope, I’ll do it my way. ”
Ah, stubborn children.

What’s this? In spite of our disobedience, God chooses to be gracious to us. When we realize this and repent, when we humble ourselves and trust in the Goodness of God, He will draw near. He will guide us back to the right path.

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. (Isaiah 30:21 ESV)

Not only that, He will bless us in ways that would be difficult and impossible for man to achieve on his own. To show us again and again that, yes, we can and should trust Him.

Restoration, Blessings… on top of all that, He also will give us joy and gladness.

Our God is extravagant…

” The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
His mercies never come to an end.
They are new every morning, new every morning,
Great is thy Faithfulness, oh God,
Great is thy Faithfulness “

The first read through was tough. I got so confused. I had to go through this chapter piece by piece the second time.

Ariel: In Hebrew means ” Lion of God “, referring to Jerusalem.

It doesn’t look good for Ariel, they are going to be besieged. They will be filled with fear. But though the enemy may be many, they are nothing compared to the might of God. Their foes will be so overwhelmed, they won’t know what hit them.

These prophecies, when they were given to the original audience, were probably more confusing for the people of Israel than it is for me now. But that’s the thing with prophecies, unless God opens your heart and eyes it is impossible to understand. The requirement for that is humility and real love for God. No fakers, no know-it-alls.

There are still prophecies yet to be fulfilled. The promise of a wonderful future. Will we believe and act accordingly?

The Appointed Feasts:
• The Sabbath
• The Passover ( & Feast of Unleavened Bread )
• The Feast of Firstfruits
• The Feast of Weeks
• The Feast of Trumpets
• The Day of Atonement
• The Feast of Booths

From the messages at church, we now know the difference between tithes and offerings. It’s been a privilege to be able to faithfully bring our tithes, but how about offerings? I think it would be great if we could give more.

Again from the messages, we also have been thinking about the meaning of the Sabbath. I think we may have been spending our Sabbaths wrong. Time for a family meeting.

This has got to be the shortest Psalm:

“Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord !” (Psalm 117:1, 2 ESV)

That’s it! Short and simple – but still a powerful message : )