On Calling the Fountain of Living Waters an Unreliable Stream…

 Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla, 

  

Woe is me, my mother, That you have borne me, A man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent for interest, Nor have men lent to me for interest. Every one of them curses me. --Jeremiah 15:10

Jeremiah was a persecuted outcast among His own people because of the destruction he foretold as God's prophet.  People avoided him like they would avoid calls from a collection agency today.  The Lord then encourages him by telling Him that it would be well with the remnant and that he himself would not be turned over to the enemy. He would not, however, relent from bringing judgment on His people nor would He shield Jeremiah  from the persecution that came and would come would from his own people.

In response Jeremiah says this:

Remember me and visit me, And take vengeance for me on my persecutors.In Your enduring patience, do not take me away. Know that for Your sake I have suffered rebuke. 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. I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, Nor did I rejoice;  I sat alone because of Your hand, For You have filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual And my wound incurable, Which refuses to be healed? Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream,  As waters that fail?--Jeremiah 15:15-18

Remember God had just finished telling Jeremiah that destruction would come...He would not relent.  Jeremiah then tells God what is on his heart.   He asks God to remember him, protect him, and take vengeance on his enemies.  He tells Him that His word was like food to him and that it was the joy and rejoicing of His heart.  But in the next sentence he reminds God of how much His people are suffering and how much he is suffering and how difficult a job God had given him.  He even says that God is like an unreliable stream...as waters that fail.  Uh oh...Jeremiah called the fountain of living waters an unreliable stream.  Now I like how Jeremiah did not pretend and just speak the words that he knew he should...he truly did pour out his heart.  I was "with" Jeremiah at first...especially when he was talking about how difficult a job God had given him.  Jeremiah was, however, God's spokesperson and as such more was required...Here was God's reply...which I was a little shocked at...but God really spoke to my heart through it.  After all....we who name the name of Christ are all ambassadors of Christ...we need to represent Him truthfully.  Here is God's reply:  

Therefore thus says the LORD: “ If you return, Then I will bring you back; You shall stand before Me; If you take out the precious from the vile, You shall be as My mouth. Let them return to you, But you must not return to them.  And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall; And they will fight against you,  But they shall not prevail against you; For I am with you to save you  And deliver you,” says the LORD. “ I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,  And I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.”--Jeremiah 15:19-21

Did you notice what the Lord says in verse 19...I had to look three times...and then make sure I knew who He was talking to.  The Lord tells Jeremiah "if you return, then I will bring you back".  Wow..God is saying Jeremiah needed to repent!  Now in the reread I understood why.  Jeremiah was not speaking words of faith...and He was misrepresenting God's character.  (My guess is that the meditation of his heart had not been on what is right in the hours before he spoke those words either).   God told Jeremiah that He would restore him if he would stop uttering worthless words and begin to utter worthy ones...take out the precious from the vile. (15:19)

Girls, this is such an important lesson for us! What are we meditating on?  Do we speak words of faith to one another when we are discouraged...do we think or speak them to ourselves...do we remind ourselves when we get discouraged of who God is and what He has done??  Or do we whine, complain and doubt? Now if you are hearing from your lips words of doubt, whines and complaints, especially in your unguarded moments, the chances are very good that you are not meditating on the right things.  Your mind is on yourself rather than God. Look at what Jeremiah said and see where He went wrong. "I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, Nor did I rejoice;  I sat alone because of Your hand, For You have filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual And my wound incurable, Which refuses to be healed? Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream,  As waters that fail?"  His words are saying that he thinks he deserves better because of what he has done and what he has been through.  He questions God and even tells Him He is unreliable!

So many times I find myself thinking like Jeremiah here.  Focusing on what I am not getting instead of being thankful for what I have.  Meditating on doubt or whining and complaining against God. When we do that, we don't even have to call the Fountain of living water an unreliable stream because we are already telling Him by our complaining and whining that we can't trust Him. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, as a man thinks so he is and anything that is not from faith is sin.  

Our access to His grace is by our faith....when we speak or meditate on words of doubt  or when we question God we quench the Spirit and do not walk by faith. Listen to your words and thoughts, girls, in unguarded moments...they will reveal much about your heart.  If you are complaining against God...feeling dissatisfaction or perhaps even anger for where He has you and what He has you doing and/or  facing, then you need to repent.  I know God does not want us to ignore what we are feeling...that would be self-deceit and He Himself tells us the keep our hearts with all diligence.  So what do we do...exactly what Jeremiah did...pour our heart out to God...He is not surprised at what we are going to tell Him.  Repent, ask God to align our will with His and increase our faith.  When we falter, we are to renew our minds with Scripture and remember what He has done for us in the past and the hope we have for the future.  God promises us tribulation, but He also tells us that He will be with us and that we are more than conquerors...the battle has already been won and the battle is not ours anyway.  His grace is sufficient.  His love is perfect.  We are to trust Him through it all. I end with some verses in Philippians.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;  for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing,  that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,  holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.  For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.--Philippians 2:12-18

Love

Mom 

My Strong Habitation…

 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.--Psalm 71:3

I am redeemed!  You, my God, have set me free!  You are the house of my habitation..in You I live, move and have my being.  You, O Lord, are my house of defense, my strong tower...my rock.  To You and to You alone will I continually resort.  You have given commandment to save me!  Bend down your ear and deliver me speedily from those who are my enemies...from those who desire to see me fall.  For thy namesake lead me and guide me.  Pull me out of the net they have secretly laid for me.  You are my strength and into Your hands I commit my spirit.   I rejoice in Your mercy.....You have considered my trouble and have known my soul in all its adversities.  You have not given me into the hands of my enemies but have set my feet in a wide place.  You are always with me. 

Have mercy on me Lord, for I am in trouble.  Have mercy on me Lord for I am weak.  My soul is consumed with grief and my eyes from crying.  My times are in Your hands.  You hear me when I cry and draw me out of many waters.  My weakness does not place me in jeopardy because You are my strong tower!   Hide me in the secret place of Your tabernacle, show to me Your marvelous kindness.  Make Your face to shine upon me, and save me for thy mercies sake. My hope is in You, my God who preserves the faithful and strengthens the hearts of those who fear You. 

I dwell under the shadow of the Almighty God!  You are my refuge and my fortress...my God in whom I will trust..  You give your angels charge over me to keep me in all my ways and make all things work together for good for me...I am called for Your purposes.   You, Father, know my name and have set Your love upon me.!!   I can come boldly to Your throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  When I call, You will answer.  You will honor me and deliver me and show me Your salvation.  I will be strong and of good courage...I will fear not; nor shall I be afraid:  for the Lord, my God goes with me and will not fail me nor forsake me. Happy am I because my God is the Lord.

If You Have Run With the Footman…

 5 “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you,

Then how can you contend with horses?

And if in the land of peace,

In which you trusted, they wearied you,

Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?—Jeremiah 12:5

I love and hate this verse all at the same time.  Like Jeremiah, I can feel weary from “running with the footmen”, but therein lies God’s encouragement to Jeremiah and to me!  I HAVE run with the footmen!  I am tired, but I made it through and I didn’t give up!  God is acknowledging Jeremiah’s success and as I read His words to Jeremiah, mine also. The part I hate about this verse is obvious.  God is telling Jeremiah that there will be tougher challenges ahead.  Sigh.  I don’t want tougher challenges. I don’t want to go into the floodplain of the Jordan. 

Beloved…the Bible tells us that in this world we will have tribulation.  Trials and troubles come to all in this world…saved or unsaved.  As believers, the trials we face have meaning and purpose.  As a bonus they also toughen us up for what is to come.  Our “footmen” prepare us for the “horses” that are coming. God never gives us more than we can handle.  Whatever we face in this life, we face in Him and with Him. He goes before us.  He never leaves us.  I look back at my life and what I see is God’s lovingkindness in preparing me back then for the very things that I face today.  HE IS FAITHFUL. Trials are inevitable but in Christ, we are invincible.

Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.—Isaiah 41:10

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

36 As it is written:

"For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:31-39

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;—Philippians 1:6

Father…When I am weary, help me to do as Jeremiah did…help bring my heart to You.  Be my strong habitation to which I can resort continually.  Without You, I can do nothing good. But in You, I can do all things, because You strengthen me. You have seen me through in the past and You will see me through in the days that are still to come. 

It is Not in Me to Direct My Own Steps…

 O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself;

It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.—Jeremiah 10:23

Father,

You made the earth by Your power and established the world by Your wisdom. You stretched out the heavens at Your discretion. You make lightning for the rain and bring the wind out of its treasuries.  You, O Lord, are the Maker of all things.

In view then, of the immensity of Your greatness, I KNOW it is not in me to direct my own steps.   Without You, I walk in darkness and stumble.  I need You to guide both my steps and my life.  I need the lamp of Your word to illuminate my path…I need it to bring Your wisdom and perspective to everything I face. 

Oh Lord, I am a stranger in the earth…do not hide Your commandments from me.  My soul breaks with longing for Your judgments at all times.  Your testimonies are my delight and my counselors.  I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things and revive me according to Your word. How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.  Through Your precepts I get understanding. Your testimonies, Father, I have taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart. 

Beloved…much of the prayer above is a compilation of Psalm 119.  If you have a few minutes today, read it through and as you do may the Spirit of God use it to speak His hope and His comfort to your soul. 

Make Your Way With Him…

 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.--Colossians 2:6-7

"received" - to join to one's self, to accept, 

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.--John 1:12-13

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—-1 Corinthians 1:30

"walk in Him"  - make one's way with, progress, to conduct one's self, to pass one's life

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.--Colossians 3:17

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.--John 14:6

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.  And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.--Ephesians 5:1-2

"rooted" - to strengthen with roots, to render firm, establish, to cause a person to be thoroughly grounded

He shall be like a tree  Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither;  And whatever he does shall prosper.--Psalm 1:3

Those who are planted in the house of the Lord

Shall flourish in the courts of our God.--Psalm 92:13

To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”--Isaiah 61:3

in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.--Ephesians 2:21-22

"established" - made sure, make firm

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.--1 Corinthians 15:58

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began--Romans 16:25

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.--2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

"abounding" - - overflowing, abundant; be in excess;  

 "in it" --the faith…giving yourself wholly over to your Jesus

with "thanksgiving"active gratitude, giving of thanks, grateful language to God, act of worship

giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,--Colossians 1:12-13

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.--Colossians 3:17

giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, --Ephesians 5:20

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.--Hebrews 13:15

When Doubts Assail...

 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.--Psalm 16:11

Father,

Many doubts assail and my cares multiply epidemically!  I am distracted and drawn in many directions at once.  When, Lord, will I get it...when will I learn to leave it all in Your hands and rest?  When will I be anxious for nothing?  O Father, when my spirit becomes disturbed within me and in need of You...lead me...draw me to You with Your gentle cords of love.  Remind me to take no thought for tomorrow, but to trust in Your faithfulness and goodness right at that moment.  Help me to just, in that very moment, commit my way to You.  Help me to take the manna that is just for today.  

Your word tells me I am to be anxious or careful for NOT one thing.  I am to be troubled for NOT anything.  My cares divide my heart!  They are fatal to my peace and my quietness of spirit.  Worse yet, they make me doubt your faithfulness and goodness and start me down paths that are not Yours.  Remind me to pray when doubts assail, billows roll and storms brew.  Remind me to give each and every anxious, careworn thought to You.  

Help me to rejoice in You...to let my gentleness (my sweet reasonableness...my gracious humility) be known to all men....help me to remember that You, Lord, are near.  This is how I want to live, Father!  Moment by moment, rejoicing in You...living simply, by faith, day by day.  Praying that You do that work in my heart.  I want Your joy to be my strength.  I want to cast all my cares to You and rejoice knowing You care for me.  As I do this, Father, You will show me the paths of life.  In your presence I will find fullness of joy and at Your right hand pleasure for evermore.

Needless Fear…

 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”

36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.

37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.

38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”fn

41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”—Mark 4:35-41

Needless fear...

Christ...dominion and power over all things forever.  I have no need to fear.  He cares for me and is with me.  He tells me specifically not to fret...that it only causes harm. He tells me to not let my heart be troubled neither let it be afraid...BELIEVE God!  You give me Your peace. Oh Father, help me to trust You and live (abide) in Your love free from fear and doubt. May Your perfect peace calm me in every circumstance and give me courage and strength for every challenge.  Help me to triumph in Your love.  

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.

9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.—Phil 4:6-9

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

“God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble.”

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.—1  Peter 5:5-11

Security is a Thumb and a Blanket…

1 LORD, my heart is not haughty,

Nor my eyes lofty.

Neither do I concern myself with great matters,

Nor with things too profound for me.

2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,

Like a weaned child with his mother;

Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, hope in the LORD

From this time forth and forever.—Psalm 131

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.—2 Corinthians 1:3-5

As a child I can remember quieting and comforting myself by sucking my thumb.  As long as I had my thumb, I didnt cry or fret.  At that moment, all was right in my world, and I truly understood Charles Schulz’s famous character, Linus’ sentiment:

“Security is a thumb and a blanket.”

As a grown woman, I have put away childish securities and comforts.  Today my consolation as a child of God is my Jesus who gave me His very heart when He gave me His Spirit.  I am never alone...His consoling Spirit is with me always...guiding, directing and comforting.  I can go boldly to His throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help whenever I need it.  My security is in Christ.  He is my hope.  He is my guide even unto death.  

Today, I will surrender and abide.  Today, my soul will wait silently for Him.  I will trust that He knows the way I take, and that He will get me where I need to go.

In closing, I am including an excerpt from Dane Ortlund’s book, Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers.  Thomas Goodwin is being quoted from his book, The Heart of Christ and is here reflecting on John 6:16— “Sorrow has filled your heart”

“My father and I have but only one friend, who lies in the bosom of us both, and proceeds from us both, the Holy Ghost, and in the meantime I will send him to you. . . . He shall be a better Comforter unto you than I am to be. . . . He will comfort you better than I should do with my bodily presence.” In what way is the Spirit a superior comforter to God’s people? “He shall tell you, if you will listen to him, and not grieve him, nothing but stories of my love. . . . All his speech in your hearts will be to advance me, and to greaten my worth and love unto you, and it will be his delight to do it.”

Goodwin then makes the explicit connection to Christ’s heart:

“So that you shall have my heart as surely and as speedily as if I were with you; and he will be continually breaking your hearts, either with my love to you, or yours to me, or both. . . . He will tell you, when I am in heaven, that there is as true a conjunction between me and you, and as true a dearness of affection in me towards you, as is between my Father and me, and that it is as impossible to break this knot, and to take off my heart from you, as my Father’s from me.”

Beloved, as you read the verses below, allow the Lord to minister to your heart as the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to bring you comfort and direct your path. 

7 In my distress I called upon the LORD,

And cried out to my God;

He heard my voice from His temple,

And my cry entered His ears.

14 "The LORD thundered from heaven,

And the Most High uttered His voice.

17 "He sent from above, He took me,

He drew me out of many waters.

18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,

From those who hated me;

For they were too strong for me.

19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

But the LORD was my support.

20 He also brought me out into a broad place;

He delivered me because He delighted in me.

29 "For You are my lamp, O LORD;

The LORD shall enlighten my darkness.

30 For by You I can run against a troop;

By my God I can leap over a wall.

31 As for God, His way is perfect;

The word of the LORD is proven;

He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

32 "For who is God, except the LORD?

And who is a rock, except our God?

33 God is my strength and power,fn

And He makes my way perfect.

34 He makes my feet like the feet of deer,

36 "You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;

Your gentleness has made me great.

37 You enlarged my path under me;

So my feet did not slip.

40 For You have armed me with strength for the battle;

You have subdued under me those who rose against me.

47 “The LORD lives!

Blessed be my Rock!

Let God be exalted,

The Rock of my salvation!—Psalm 18:14; 17-20; 29-34; 36-37; 40; 47

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:38-39

5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;

Yes, our God is merciful.

6 The LORD preserves the simple;

I was brought low, and He saved me.

7 Return to your rest, O my soul,

For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For You have delivered my soul from death,

My eyes from tears,

And my feet from falling.

9 I will walk before the LORD

In the land of the living.—Psalm 116

 

A Word in Season to Him Who is Weary…

 "The Lord GOD has given Me

The tongue of the learned,

That I should know how to speak

A word in season to him who is weary.—Isaiah 50:4

The two cross reference verses for the above are Exodus 4:11-12 and Matthew 11:28. Once you look those up the heart of our God jumps off the page. 

So the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.—Exodus 4:11-12

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."—Matthew 11:28-30

Beloved…we serve a God who is compassionate!  Our Most High, omnipotent, omnipresent, sovereign and majestic God condescends.  He stoops to help us.  His purpose for coming into the world was to to speak words of comfort to the helpless, weary and heavy laden under the burden of sin.   

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.—John 3:16-17

A bruised reed He will not break,

And smoking flax He will not quench;—Isaiah 42:3

1 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,

Because the LORD has anointed Me

To preach good tidings to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

3 To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."—Isaiah 61

Father…When people look at me, I want them to see Jesus. As I look to You, depend on You and spend time with You, transform me from the inside out into the image of Your Son. Help me to listen to You morning by morning.   Teach my tongue to speak Your grace and comfort to the weary and heavy laden whom You have sovereignly placed in my life.  Pour out Your grace on my lips. Work this beautiful work in my heart.  

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,

And establish the work of our hands for us;

Yes, establish the work of our hands.—Psalm 90:17