adminDear reader, I am so excited about what I have to share with you today! But before I get to what I am sharing I need to give you a little background to our story.
About 20 years ago, God gave me an assignment! He said He wanted me to study Isaiah Chapter 59! Oooh was I excited! Wow! God gave ME an assignment – how cool is that! I hurriedly got out my bible and read the chapter. “Hum,” I thought. “Did I hear Him wrong? He can’t possibly mean chapter 59 – it doesn’t make a bit of sense!” I asked Him and again that chapter was confirmed.
I began to read it. I read it over and over and over. About 20 times later, the message was suddenly revealed. Then every few years, God would open up more about this incredible chapter to me. Well, this morning, dear reader, He showed me something new about the chapter. I am going to tell you its story first.
God starts by answering a question. Perhaps the question was, “God where are you? Why don’t you answer my prayer? Don’t you know what kind of trouble I’m in?” Whatever the question, God begins by saying, “Don’t you know that there’s nothing wrong with my arm that would make it impossible for me to save you? Don’t you know that my ears are fine! My hearing is great! I can hear you just fine. The problem is, you are walking in sin and that is what is separating us.”
Then we begin. First we find that the Dude or Dudette is walking in sin. It is getting worse and worse. He is hanging with the wrong crowd. Then he gets in deeper — stealing, lying, drugs, abuse and more. The deeper he gets into this stuff, the more the enemy intrudes. He finds icky stuff surrounding him. He is in bondage. He is caught in a web of horrible evil. Sound familiar?
Finally, he decides he’s had enough and he is going to live for God. He tries to walk away. He puts the past behind. Then God explains how He looks down on Dude or Dudette and sees that whenever anyone leaves evil, he becomes a prey. Wow is he under attack. Everything possible seems to come against him to drag him down. Everything that could go wrong seems to go wrong. God sees that he doesn’t have anyone to intercede for him and help him and that makes God angry.
He puts on Salvation for a Helmet and Righteousness for a breastplate. He then puts on zeal and clothes Himself with Vengeance (the one piece of armor He doesn’t allow us to wear!). He comes down in fury and deals with the enemy.
It also tucks this wonderful verse so familiar to many of us right in here. “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him.” Do you get it? God is fighting against the enemies of Dude or Dudette and the Holy Spirit of God lifts up a standard. This is a banner at the beginning of an army leading them to war. The Spirit leads the armies of heaven to fight against those who are hurting poor Dude or Dudette.
After the victory is totally won, we get to the part I want to share with you. Oh, how I wish you were sitting across the table from me right now as I share this exciting part! Can you picture God getting the attention of Dude or Dudette? Perhaps He puts a hand on each cheek and raises their faces to behold Him. He says, “Look at me. I have an important message to tell you. Have I got your attention?” Whatever He does, we read in Isaiah 59 that He says, “I am making a covenant with you today. I am putting My Words in your mouth. These words will never depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your children, nor from the mouth of your children’s children forever.”
What a promise! No matter how much we have messed up our lives and maybe even the lives of our beloved children, when we turn everything over to God, He promises to also help our children! Oh, how thrilling is this revelation to me and I trust to you as well.
OH, MAKE MY GARDEN GROW!
Eccl. 4:16
By Charlie Grier
A fruitful field – a garden of choice spices
My life would be filled with Thyself alone.
Those blighted years the cancer worm hath taken
Restore O God and make me all Thine own.
Oh, come south wind and blow upon my garden.
Oh, warm my heart with Thy sweet love divine.
Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation.
And fill my life with tenderness sublime.
It is the little weeds that choke my garden –
The little foxes that destroy the vine!
It’s not great crimes that make my life unfruitful –
Those little sins! Oh, make me wholly Thine!
Oh, wash me now, O Christ, my Lord and Savior.
Purge me from sin and make me all Thine own.
Take from my life that stony heart of coldness!
Fill me with love and make my garden grow!
How marvelous to have the promise from God’s Word that when we turn our lives over to Him, He will not only forgive us and heal our lives but He will also help our children.