Scripture: Isaiah 38: 1-5

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.  Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,  And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.  Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.

Scripture Commentary: Pray unto the Lord for help for He is able to supply your needs

The Bible tells us often to pray unto the Lord.  How many times have you prayed to God for help? How many times have you promised the lord you will do better if he helps you? God answers our prayers, but we forget our promises to him. Even if God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we expect him to, he still answers because we are still here.

We ask, promise, and cry for wants and needs from our Lord. God always responds. But what do you do when God asks for something from you? The Lord asks us to do things like love one another, spread His Word, and live a Christ-like life.

Hezekiah prayed to the Lord and God added fifteen years to his life. How many years has the Lord added to your life, or to the life of someone you prayed for? Do not pray and forget later how good God is to you.

Thank God everyday.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Isaiah Chapter 38

Scripture: Isaiah 9: 2, 6

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.(2)  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.(6)

Scripture Commentary: His life is the light that shines through the darkness*

In a time of great darkness, God promised to send the light to shine on everyone living in the shadow of sin and death.  During times of gloom and despair, we fear that our sorrows and troubles will never end.

Take comfort in this certainty: although the Lord may not always take us around our troubles, if we follow Him and if we believe wholeheartedly, He will bring us safely through.

Do you really believe in Our Lord Jesus Christ?

He is both “Wonderful Counselor” and “The Mighty God.”  God wants to protect us from bad choices, but he still gives us the freedom to choose.

When will you listen to God?

Must we be like Judah and suffer calamities before we will listen to the Word of God?  Consider what God is telling you, and obey Him before your time runs out.  Open your heart and soul and you will hear Him clearly telling you that He loves you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Isaiah Chapter 9

*John 1: 5 (New International Version)

Scripture: Isaiah 6: 8-10

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.  And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.  Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

Scripture Commentary: Isaiah was willing to answer the Lord’s call, “Whom shall I send?”

The more clearly Isaiah saw God, the more aware Isaiah became of his own powerlessness and inadequacy to do anything of lasting value without God.  But he was willing to be God’s spokesman.  Isaiah was willing to answer the Lord’s call, “Whom shall I send?”

God told Isaiah that the people would listen but not learn from his message because their hearts had become calloused beyond repentence.  How is your heart?  Are you so into yourself that when God calls you can’t hear Him?

God’s patience with their chronic rebellion was finally exhausted.  His judgment was to abandon them to their rebellion and hardness of heart.

Why did God send Isaiah if he knew the people wouldn’t listen?  Although the nation itself would not repent and would reap judgment, some individuals would listen.  God is merciful even when He judges.

We can gain encouragement from God’s promise to preserve his people.  If we are faithful to Him, we can be sure of His mercy.  Consider what God may be telling you, and obey Him before time runs out.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Isaiah Chapter 6

Scripture: Isaiah 33: 1-6

Woe to you, O destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, O traitor, you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed. O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress. At the thunder of your voice, the peoples flee; when you rise up the nations scatter. Your plunder, O nations, is harvested as by young locusts; like a swarm of locusts men pounce on it. The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.

Scripture Commentary:

In this passage, the “destroyer” is Assyria, and Assyria continually broke its promises, but demanded that others keep theirs. It is easy for us to act the same and demand our rights while ignoring the rights of others.

Broken promises shatter trust and destroy relationships. Attempt to keep your promises; at the same time, ask for forgiveness for past broken promises. Treat others with the same fairness that you demand for yourself. Only when God’s Spirit is in you, can you have and ask for forgiveness.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Isaiah Chapter 33

Scripture verses from Isaiah Chapters 29 and 30

Isaiah 29: 15

Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?

Isaiah 30: 1

Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin.

Scripture Commentary: God Knows You – He Cares About Who You Are and What You Do

If you go about your life doing good or bad and think God will not know what you are doing, you are making a big mistake.

Our God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent.  God knows who you are, what you do, and why you are doing what you do.

We are told in Psalms 139 that God has examined us and knows everything about us. Do not be like the obstinate people of Judah, who rebelled against God. The people of Judah sought advice from =everyone but God.

When we are driven by fear, we tend to search everywhere for comfort, advice, and relief, hoping to find an easy way out. All we have to do is to put our concerns in God’s hands and he will take care of it. When you give over your concerns to him, leave them there.  Doing anything else says to God that you do not trust him.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Isaiah Chapter 29
Isaiah Chapter 30
Psalms Chapter 139

The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”

Isaiah 29:13

Commentary:

We as the people of this time claim to be close to God. But really  we are just going through the motions. We slip into routine patterns when we worship and we neglect to give God our love and devotion. If we are to be people of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we must be obedient and worship him honestly and sincerely. We cannot be like the people of Judah, who sought advice from everyone but God.

When we are driven by fear, we tend to search everywhere for comfort, advice, and relief, hoping to find an easy way out of our troubles. God is the answer. When we have problems, it is good to seek help, but we must never bypass God. God’s purpose in judging us is not vengeance, but purging. He wants to correct us and bring us back to him. God does not punish us for our sins just to make us suffer, but to make those who are faithful better equipped for a faithful service. When you are building anything you need a firm base.

Do not honor God with only your lips, honor him by living a life that shows the love you have for him. Be that light that burns bright with compassion for your fellow human. Pray to God with all your strength and focus the Holy Spirit has given you. Pray for forgiveness, pray for understanding, and pray for thanksgiving.

Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the lord has spoken: “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him. Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted.

Isaiah 1: 2-5

Commentary:

The people of Judah, just like us today,  were sinning greatly and refused to know and understand God. God brought charges against them through Isaiah because they, just like us, had rebelled and forsaken the Lord. By these acts, they had broken their moral and spiritual covenant with God. As long as the people of Judah and us, continue to sin, we are cutting our selves off from God’s help and are isolating ourselves. When you feel lonely and separated from God, remember that God does not abandon you. Our sins cut us off from him. The only sure cure for this kind of loneliness is to restore a meaningful relationship with God by confessing your sins, obeying his instructions, and communicating regularly with him. When was the last time you talked to God? God’s line of communication is open 24-7-365, all the time.

Scripture: Isaiah 66: 1-4

Judgment and Hope

This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord.

These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word. But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a person, and whoever offers a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever makes a grain offering is like one who presents pig’s blood, and whoever burns memorial incense is like one who worships an idol. They have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their abominations; so I also will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring on them what they dread.  For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.”

Scripture Commentary: God pronounces judgment and through Jesus offers hope

Even the beautiful temple in Jerusalem was woefully inadequate for a God who is present everywhere. God cannot be confined to any human structure.

God will lift up the humble, judge all people, destroy the wicked, bring all believers together and establish the new heavens and the new earth. Our society urges us to be assertive, and to affirm ourselves.

Don’t let your freedom to choose lead you away from God’s pathway to eternal life.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Isaiah Chapter 66

Scripture: Isaiah 59: 1-2, 21

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.(1,2)  As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.(21)

Scripture Commentary: Sin separates us from God

Our Lord and Savior in this chapter tells us that he hears all, sees all and knows all. He also tells us He forgives us and loves us. His arms are not too short that He cannot protect from harm, His ears are not deaf that He cannot hear our cry.  But we have separated ourselves from Him when we sin against Him.

Sin separates us from God.  He cannot ignore, excuse, or tolerate sin as though it doesn’t matter. Our sinful ways form a wall of isolation between us and God.

This angers God and forces him to look away from us. If you die with your  sins unforgiven, you will be separated from God –  you will have placed yourself in satin’s hands.

God wants you to be with Him forever, but he cannot be with you unless you want the same.  You must change and ask His forgiveness.

Have you confessed your sin to Him? Do this now, before it is too late.

Feel the love and warmth of His Holy Spirit fall upon you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Isaiah Chapter 59