As I awakened this morning, I was recalling the vision of Isaiah (ch. 35).
He speaks from the perspective of being in a wilderness. This life we are now living is often like a wilderness. We have good days and bad days, days of sadness, sorrow and pain and days of joy and delight...cloudy, cold days and days of sunshine and warmth. But Isaish says "There is a highway there...a holy way..." A highway tells me that there is a way through and out of this wilderness place. I am not stuck here forever. It is a way that will take me through this wilderness on to a better place - a place of joy - where there will be no more sorrow.
Do you have "tired hands" and "weak knees" or a "fearful heart"? Let these words of Isaiah encourage you today.
3 With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees.
4 Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”
5 And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf.
6 The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland.
7 The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived.
8 And a great road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-minded people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways; fools will never walk there.
9 Lions will not lurk along its course, nor any other ferocious beasts. There will be no other dangers. Only the redeemed will walk on it.
10 Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness. Isaiah 35 NLT
Stop...for a few moments and think of the reality of what God has prepared for His people. Just before I awakened this morning, in a dream I was attending a small family reunion. As I walked into the room prepared for us to dine together, I saw 2 long tables with place settings prepared. About 1/2 of the table was already filled with people, but I was soon pointed to chair reserved for me. It caused me to think of the "marriage supper of the Lamb" and the reality of that coming event. You just have to lay aside all the thoughts and cares of this world and focus your mind on what God has promised. It's real and that's where we are headed on this highway to Zion!
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He speaks from the perspective of being in a wilderness. This life we are now living is often like a wilderness. We have good days and bad days, days of sadness, sorrow and pain and days of joy and delight...cloudy, cold days and days of sunshine and warmth. But Isaish says "There is a highway there...a holy way..." A highway tells me that there is a way through and out of this wilderness place. I am not stuck here forever. It is a way that will take me through this wilderness on to a better place - a place of joy - where there will be no more sorrow.
Do you have "tired hands" and "weak knees" or a "fearful heart"? Let these words of Isaiah encourage you today.
3 With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees.
4 Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”
5 And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf.
6 The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland.
7 The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived.
8 And a great road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-minded people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways; fools will never walk there.
9 Lions will not lurk along its course, nor any other ferocious beasts. There will be no other dangers. Only the redeemed will walk on it.
10 Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness. Isaiah 35 NLT
Stop...for a few moments and think of the reality of what God has prepared for His people. Just before I awakened this morning, in a dream I was attending a small family reunion. As I walked into the room prepared for us to dine together, I saw 2 long tables with place settings prepared. About 1/2 of the table was already filled with people, but I was soon pointed to chair reserved for me. It caused me to think of the "marriage supper of the Lamb" and the reality of that coming event. You just have to lay aside all the thoughts and cares of this world and focus your mind on what God has promised. It's real and that's where we are headed on this highway to Zion!
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