The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11
God chose a covenant nation who’s purpose was to bless all nations. In remaining Holy, God’s plan of redemption and complete restoration of mankind can be made full. Instead, these people, this nation, became self-centered. God’s promises became their entitlement. God’s love became their focus of abuse and exploitation.
Isaiah 58 speaks of fasting, one of the highest forms of worship and connection to God. Again, this became a self absorbed ritual centered on the whims, convenience, and lust of the people rather than the honor of God’s sovereign power and glory. As condemning as this passage is, it is also a call to correct relationship with God and sacrificial love for others.
God’s call to all who know Him is to show love toward one another. To bless others is to represent God’s infinite resource and sustenance for all mankind’s needs. Follow the laws of God/love. Find the purpose of your life in Him alone. You are called to Bless others. There is more than enough for you and those who come your way. That’s just the how God works.
Love,
Gretchen
Thanks, Gretchen. We were looking for a “confirmation” today, and Isa 58:11 is the verse God gave Yvonne as we crossed the border when we were moving to Texas 20 years ago. But wait, there’s more… your commentary speaks directly to the situation about which we are praying. Your PASTOR gift is in full bloom today!
I am so joyful to have ministered. I have had you and Yvonne on my mind a great deal lately, and when that occurs, I pray. Isn’t God amazing? My mom got a fabulous report from her surgeon yesterday and she and dad both suffered the flu, but lived to be sassy another day. God is so good.