Stones

We've all done it. We aren't really sure where to read in our Bibles so we close it, ask God to show us something, and then open it randomly and read. I'm also sure that just like me, we open it and read, and then question what it was we just exactly read. It was suppose to be this divine revelation and all we got was that another nation turned away from God, the Israelites were still wandering in the desert, etc. Those stories are important but they weren't exactly what you were hoping for right? You were more expecting a big flashy neon sign that listed everything you were walking through and the steps to take to get through it signed with a nice "I love you, from God." Wouldn't that be nice right?  

Remember when I said God likes to show me things during the kids nap time? He doesn't disappoint. Today, I put on worship music, grabbed my Bible, and opened up to Isaiah 54. Instead of flipping to another page I sat there and read it. After reading it all I could think of was mercy and that God repeatedly gives out mercy to His people. I closed my Bible, got up and checked on the kids, and then sat back down. I opened my Bible and again I opened it to Isaiah 54. It was just a coincidence right? So I closed my Bible again. Then I opened it again. Right to Isaiah 54. Ok Lord, you have my attention!!! I read it over and over again.

In verse 11 it says that God will lay our stones with colorful gems, and our foundations with sapphires. It continues on talking about rubies, crystals, and precious stones. I always thought that this painted such a beautiful picture, but I really couldn't get it out of my mind. While thinking on it and looking up different stuff about this chapter the song "Come Thou Fount" came on. It stopped me in my tracks and I had to replay the song just so I could really focus on the words.

Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise

And teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
I'll praise the Mount I'm fixed upon it
Mount of God's unchanging love

Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by Thy help I come
Oh, and I hope by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home

Oh Jesus, sought me when a stranger
Wondering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood

So to grace, how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
And let Thy grace like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

How just like us. Just like the people God was speaking to in Isaiah. We are prone to leave God. The one who loves us. The one who pours His mercy on us over and over. It is a cry to Jesus asking Him to seal our hearts to Him, because if it isn't in Him, it will wander. The line that said "Here I raise my Ebenezer" interested me.

1 Samuel 7:12
"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."

Ebenezer means stone of help.

In that chapter in 1 Samuel, Samuel was judging Israel and asking them to turn away from their foreign gods and prepare their hearts for the Lord. They were about to be attacked by the Philistines and asked Samuel to "not cease to cry out to God on their behalf to save them." God came through. He helped them. Then in the next chapter they reject Him again. We are a fickle people.
 

Isaiah 54

A Perpetual Covenant of Peace

"Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman," says the Lord. "Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited. "Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. For the Lord has called you Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, Like a youthful wife when you were refused," Says your God. "For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you," Says the Lord, your Redeemer. "For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But my kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed," Says the Lord, who has mercy on you. "O you afflicted one, Tossed with tempest, and not comforted, Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, And lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies, Your gates of crystal, And all your walls of precious stones. All your children shall be taught by the Lord, And great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you. Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake. "Behold, I have created the blacksmith Who blows the coals in the fire, Who brings forth an instrument for his work; And I have created the spoiler to destroy. No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me," Says the Lord. "

A perpetual covenant of peace. A never ending, unchanging, everlasting covenant of peace. That is the title of this chapter. Not a perpetual covenant that we will not suffer. A covenant that we will have peace.  The last verse says that "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn."

No weapon formed against you shall steal your peace when you are sealed with Christ! It said that "this is our heritage of the servants of the Lord." That word servants means worshippers. When I think of a worshipper I don't think of a fickle people that love God one day and reject Him the next. I think of people who, like in that song, know that their flesh is weak and seek to be chained to Christ so that they can't wander away from Him.

I found myself this morning with a very heavy heart. There is so much brokenness around me. I see it everywhere I go. So many hurting people around me. So much suffering.

My lovely and encouraging friend Renee' gave me this book a few weeks ago called "His Princess Warrior- Love letters for Strength from Your Lord." Every morning I read a love letter from my Heavenly Father and the prayer that goes with it. This morning's letter was a letter of encouragement to rebuild what is broken. That I shouldn't be overwhelmed by the brokenness I see around me. That like Nehemiah He has given me all that I need. I only need to put my hands to work. One stone at a time. He is the Master Builder and through Him peace can be brought.

Jesus promised us peace in Him, and He has given us the tools we need to show peace to all that is broken around us. He is our stone of help. He has equipped you. Seal your hearts to Him.
One stone at a time.