"Before she was in
labor, she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. Who
has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one
day? Shall a nation be delivered in one moment? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor
she delivered her children. Shall I open the womb and not deliver? says the
Lord; shall I, the One who delivers, shut the womb? says your God. Rejoice with
Jerusalem, and be glad for her... For thus says the Lord: I will extend
prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an
overflowing stream.... As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you;
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem" (Isaiah 66:7-13).
As a people, You chose
Israel as the apple of Your eye and a light to the nations. Yet she so often
turned from Your face and rejected Your embrace. She spurned the correction of
Your prophets and rejected the leading of Your Spirit. Her selfishness was
great, her stubbornness was strong, and her sins were many (v.
66:3-4).
Yet, You promised to
never leave her nor forsake her. You continue to reach out to her and love her.
Your covenant is eternal and Your promises are certain. And even when it may
seem that all is lost and too far gone to have any hope of change, Your word
will still go forth and will fully accomplish all that You have purposed and
promised (v. 55:11). "And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, 'Out of
Zion will come the Deliverer; He will banish ungodliness from Jacob. And this is
My covenant with them, when I take away their sins'" (Romans
11:26-27).
Is not their journey
our journey? Are not their cycles of sins and failures, repentance and mercy,
discouragement and hope an example for us? (1 Corinthians 10:6). "Note then the
kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but
God's kindness toward you, provided you continue in His kindness; otherwise you
also will be cut off. And even those of Israel, if they do not persist in
unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again"
(Romans 11:22-23).
It's Your severity that
judges our doubt and unbelief, our resistance and pride. And it's Your kindness
that pours out Your mercy and refuses to allow us to persist in our rejection of
all Your promises that await fulfillment if we'll entrust ourselves to You. You
can change everything in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Like a woman
crying out in the pains of labor, You deliver us from our distress and bring to
life all You've sown and purposed within us. You will be faithful to bring to
completion all You have begun (Philippians 1:6). Thank You, Lord. In Jesus' name
I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love
of Jesus, Tommy
Hays
Friends, we would love for you to join us for our
Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21,
2012 in Lexington, Kentucky, focusing on healing prayer and prophetic
ministry Click Here for Our Events
Calendar Please spread the word to your friends who may have a calling
and passion to be equipped and empowered for this type of ministry. You can also
order our Level 1 and Level 2 Schools, and other healing and equipping
resources, recorded live on DVD and CD Click Here for Our Ministry
Resources
This weekend March 23-25, we'll be speaking at
the Healing Revival at All Nations UMC with Pastor Hahn Choi in
Nicholasville, KY. Come join us if your're in the area! Click Here for Our Events
Calendar
Join us March 30-31, Friday Night and Saturday,
for our Spiritual Gifts Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky for
Activation and Impartation of Spiritual Gifts Click Here for Our Events
Calendar
