Comfort and Compassion in the Wilderness 5-12-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is above every name. My knees bow and my tongue confesses that You are Lord. … “Listen to Me you who pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many. For the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and voice of song” (Isaiah 51:1-3). Zion failed You, yet You will comfort her. Israel forgot the covenant of Your promises, yet the promises of Your Word are everlasting. And like the people of Your covenant, we all have gone astray, we all have fallen short of Your glory, and we all have failed to always walk in Your ways. We reap what we sow and we journey to the places where we have set our faces. There are consequences for our choices and punishment for our sins. But You are faithful even when we are faithless. You are merciful and loving even when we are judging and condemning—of others and of ourselves. And even when we find ourselves in the waste places and wildernesses of our choices and the choices of those around us, both personally and as a people—You do not forget us; You do not forsake us; You do not fail us. Even there and even then, You say, “Listen to me…. Look to Me…. Remember Me and My promises to you. For in the desert places, I will come to You. In the wilderness, I will comfort you. Regardless of your current circumstances, I will come to you and comfort you, for I have compassion for you. I will come and remind you that you are Mine. I have created you and called you. I have purposed My plans for you. And my plans shall come to pass for all who will continue to call on My name. So wherever you are, pursue Me, for I am your righteousness. Wherever you find yourself, seek Me, for I will lead you home, for I will make My home in your heart even in that place. Then My joy and gladness will fill your soul and your songs of thanksgiving will fill your mouth.” Yes, Lord. Even the wilderness is like Eden when You are with me. Even the challenges of difficult circumstances cannot steel my peace and my joy when I embrace Your Presence and remember Your promises. So as best as I can and all by Your grace, I will listen to You and look to You; I will remember You and pursue You. And You will be with me to meet me and encourage me and embrace me wherever I’ve gone, whatever I am. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Morning by Morning, Tuesday 5-11-10 – “Stretch Out Your Hand to Heal” Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be exalted today on the throne of my heart; be present today at the center of my life. … “ ‘And now, Lord, … grant to Your servants to speak Your Word with all boldness, while You stretch out Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through Your holy child Jesus.’ When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:29-31). Yes, Lord. Just as it was the cry of the heart of Your first disciples in the beginning of this age of Your Church, so You are reawakening that cry in the hearts of Your disciples here at the end of this age of Your Church. We are Your servants, Your sons and daughters. We are Your Body of Christ, yearning to be filled with the Holy Spirit of Christ, that we many glorify the Name of Christ. In the power of Your Spirit, living in us, would You stretch out Your hand through Your Body to heal. Would You speak forth Your Word through our mouths to bring forth Your life in the final harvest of the earth (Luke 10:2). O Lord, shake us from our slumber. Awaken us to our destiny. Empower us for Your glory. Give us boldness to advance in obedience to Your command and Your commission. Increase the anointing of Presence for healing throughout the earth in this hour. Heal us, so You can use us in Your healing of others. Free us, so You can use us in the freedom of others. May the glory of these latter days be even greater than the glory of the former days (Haggai 2:9). May Your glory be displayed through Your people, proclaiming Your Word and moving in the power of Your Spirit (Isaiah 61:3). And may Your glory cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). Yes, Lord. Like the cry of the heart of Simeon, let us see Your glory displayed mightily in this earth before we die (Luke 2:26). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please cover us in prayer this week. Our ministry is receiving the core training for the International Association of Healing Rooms ministry, which will be an additional component of Messiah Ministries as The Healing Rooms of Lexington (www.healingrooms.com) Ben & Pam Ellis, the statewide advisors are with us this week. And please be praying for Heather Butler and her family and friends from Wales to arrive safely later this week to minister to us at The Fountain this month on May 21st in Lexington. God bless you! Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!