But My Kindness Shall Not Depart From You….

 

I was reading my Bible last night before I went to sleep and stopped here in Isaiah 54:10.

10 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.—Isaiah 54:10

but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the Covenant of My peace be removed, says the LORD that has mercy on you. Such grace upon grace!  These inspired words of Isaiah are so very consoling. In them I see both our God’s condescension and His majesty. Oh Father!  Unite my heart to fear your name. Help my unbelief. Your lovingkindness is always before my eyes. Help me to lay hold of these promises by feeding on them until I can walk in their beautiful truths.

"All His words are music, though they make me weep, Infinitely tender, infinitely deep."—Paxton Hood

Going through the topical verses associated with this verse was a blessing as well. Leaving a few here…

7 “For the Lord GOD will help Me;

Therefore I will not be disgraced;

Therefore I have set My face like a flint,

And I know that I will not be ashamed.

8 He is near who justifies Me;

Who will contend with Me?

Let us stand together.

Who is My adversary?

Let him come near Me.

9 Surely the Lord GOD will help Me;

Who is he who will condemn Me?

Indeed they will all grow old like a garment;

The moth will eat them up.—Isaiah 50:7-9

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.—2 Corinthians 4:16-18

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.—1 John 2:15-17

Divine Constancy

6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”—Deuteronomy 31:6

1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—

From whence comes my help?

2 My help comes from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

6 The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore.—Psalm 121

16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know;

I will lead them in paths they have not known.

I will make darkness light before them,

And crooked places straight.

These things I will do for them,

And not forsake them.—Isaiah 42:16

4 Even to your old age, I am He,

And even to gray hairs I will carry you!

I have made, and I will bear;

Even I will carry, and will deliver you.—Isaiah 46:4

1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.—John 13:1

18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.—John 14:18

The God Who Does More…

 

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.—Ephesians 3:20-21

1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.—Ephesians 4:1-6

Yesterday I spent some time reading, rereading and praying through Ephesians 4:1-6.  Beloved…like you do, I want to walk worthy of the calling to which I have been called. I want the qualities named here to be in my life.  I want to press toward the goal of Christlikeness. I want to live a life that leads others away from sin and points them to Jesus…I want to live a life that is filled with fruits of righteousness which are by Him.   How does sinful, ever-failing me get there?  The answer is found in Paul’s prayer in the previous verses.  Pay particular attention to the last two verses. 

14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.—Ephesians 3:14-21

How can these precious verses from chapter 4 of Ephesians become a reality in our day to day walk with the Lord?  Beloved…Take God at His word. Paul has just stated in the last verses of Ephesians Chapter 3 that the God to whom He prayed will not only do it but will do more than we can even ask or imagine…the Amplified Bible says it this way: 

20 Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us,—Ephesians 3:20

That is our assurance. That is the reality we will see as we surrender to His Spirit and walk in His love. God is faithful. He will do it. 

6 I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].—Philippians 1:6 AMP

For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure—Philippians 2:13

Seek Him First…

 

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.—Matthew 6:33-34

I needed this reminder today.  

Seek God first and then deal with today.  This is the very daily life of faith.

Beloved…He is faithful. 

The Joy of the LORD is Your Strenth…

 

And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God.

Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place. 8 So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.

9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.

10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.—Nehemiah 8:5-12 (bolding mine)

These inspired words of Nehemiah have always had a special place in my heart. Truly, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. The word of God brings conviction to the heart that receives it with meekness (no argument) and leads the hearer to repentance. The same word that brings the sorrow that leads to repentance also brings the  joy (good tidings of great joy) that brings healing.

Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts” (Jer. 15:16).

 “The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Ps. 19:8).

 “Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart” (Ps. 119:111).

Contemplating these verses from Nehemiah brought me back 30 years to the moment where God reached down and saved me. The joy that I felt then and continue to feel now 30 years later is impossible to put into words. Joy entered my heart (and never left) on that fateful night so many years ago because I BELIEVED what God said in His word and wanted it in my life.  Today and every day since that fateful day I have, by His Spirit, done the same. Beloved..Joy is always the result when we believe God…when we take each one of His promises for our own and obey Him. Sorrow is still a constant companion, but we serve a God who by His power transforms our sorrow into joy.

My testimony is below…

I am going to go back here to the moment of my salvation...the moment it became completely evident to me that something inside of me had changed dramatically and that I WAS NOT responsible for that change.  I had gone through many self-help books both from the library and bookstores....I FINALLY cried out to God and bought a bible.  I had tried reading the bible many times in my life.  The strangest thing for me was that I could read anything else and understand what I was reading...but I had never understood the Bible.  I always had to put it back on the shelf because it was like I was reading another language...there simply was no understanding. I did not have ears to hear.  (I figured it was the Bible’s fault, not mine . 😀). 

For some reason the Lord heard my cry this time and gave me the ears to hear His word.  The Lord knows our hearts and must have known that this time I really did want His help.  I remember coming home...sitting on the couch....opening the Bible up to Genesis 1 and before I reached Genesis Chapter 2 tears were streaming down my cheeks. The Spirit had spoken to my heart.  I understood!  Not just chapter 1 of Genesis but that He was my Rock in this world.  He was my Portion. That this book I had in my hands was exactly what I needed.  It was black and white, it was definite and most importantly it had answers. Truth truly resided here in this book.  I knew at that moment that I could stand.  I knew that I had what I needed to raise my family..to make it through life in this world. My eyes were opened to the God who created the universe and who also cared for me. Circumstances would change, emotions would change, my life would change but He would not.  Jesus Christ the same today, yesterday and forever.  He would be my guide, my strong tower, my help, my strength and my hope. I went from quicksand to the Rock. Psalm 40:1-3 speaks to me of what the my God did that day in my heart.

I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to  me And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock,  And established my steps.He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God;  Many will see it and fear; And will trust in the LORD.

It truly happened in the blink of an eye...and His word by His grace has never been far from my heart or my reach since.

11 You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.—Psalm 16:11