Isaiah 30 -- What God Is Still Willing To Do For Us

God issued further warnings to His people living in Judah and Jerusalem:  

"How terrible it will be for these stubborn children.  They make plans, but they don't ask Me to help them.  They make agreements with other nations, without asking My Spirit... They go down to Egypt for help without asking Me about it first ... These people are like children who lie and refuse to obey; they refuse to listen to the Lord's teachings ... they say to the prophets, 'Don't tell us the truth!  Say things that will make us feel good; see only good things for us ... Get out of our way.  Stop telling us about God ...'"

Despite this, God still loves them and says, "If you come back to Me and trust Me, you will be saved.  If you will be calm and trust Me, You will be strong' ... The Lord wants to show mercy to you.  He wants to rise and comfort you.  The Lord is a fair God, and everyone who waits for His help will be happy ... The Lord will hear your crying, and He will comfort you.  When He hears you, He will help you.  The Lord has given you sorrow and hurt ... He is your teacher; He will not continue to hide from you, but you will see your teacher with your own eyes.  If you go the wrong way -- to the right or to the left -- you will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the right way.  You should go this way.'"

Father, thank You for being such a loving and personal God.  I trust You and I wait for Your answers.  I know that You do answer and guide me!  Keep me on Your path and in Your will.  Strengthen me.  Help me to tell others what You've done for me.  It's amazing that You show me such love!

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Isaiah 29 -- What God Will Do To Get Us Back

I can't imagine what the people of Jerusalem thought as they heard Isaiah's words.  I wonder if they self-righteously thought they didn't apply to them:

God said, "I will attack Jerusalem... the Lord All-Powerful will come ... then all the nations that fight against Jerusalem will be like a dream ..."  

They thought God would keep them safe simply because they were descendants of Abraham and Jacob.  But their continual sin caused God to say, "The Lord has made you go into a deep sleep.  He has closed your eyes (the prophets).  He has covered your heads (the seers)."  God is invoking spiritual blindness because the people are only giving lip service to Him.  "These people say they love Me; they show honor to Me with words, but their hearts are far from Me.  The honor they show Me is nothing but human rules."

Because of their apostasy, God said He would cause their wise me to lose their wisdom and their ability to understand.  People would begin to think that they could actually hide things from the Lord!  But God said, "You are confused.  You think the clay can tell the one who made it,' You didn't make me.'  This is like a pot telling its maker, 'You don't know anything.'"

But despite all of these people, God again mentioned the believing remnant, and something He told them really rang true in my heart, thinking about my sons:  "When they see all their children, the children I made with My hands, they will say My name is holy.  They will agree that the Holy One of Jacob is holy, and they will respect the God of Israel.  People who do wrong will now understand.  Those who complain will accept being taught."

Father, for a time I too moved away from You.  You confused my thinking, and in my rebellion I thought little of You.  But You never gave up on me.  You drew me back and led me to see my sin and to ask for forgiveness.  You cleansed me and taught me Your ways.  And like a dream, You gave me my sons -- the children You made with Your hands half a world away!  You are the Holy One!  Keep me in Your will and away from temptation.  Help me to follow Your commands and Your teachings.  Let my heart beat for You. 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Isaiah 28 -- It Can NEVER Happen To ME!

Isaiah is trying to get the people of Jerusalem to understand that what happened to Samaria will happen to them if they don't straighten up and obey God.  The priests and prophets in Jerusalem were remaining just as drunken as those in Samaria!  But they also mocked God and His word, saying that Isaiah was talking to them as though they were little children.  Their intellectual pride was writing checks their bodies would soon have to cash.

Finally, Isaiah said, "If you will not listen to my simple speech in your own language, God will speak to you with a language you do not understand.  He will send the army of Assyria, whose language is foreign to you."

"Their faith was in their political alliances and not in God," my commentary said.  Yet they also suffered from the delusion that God would not judge them, because He'd saved them before, in the days of Joshua and David.  But those men were godly leaders following God's will.  According to Isaiah, God was about to do "a strange work" -- something He didn't often do.  He would use the enemy to fight against His own people!

Perhaps the most important lesson was that the people of Jerusalem saw it happening to Samaria, but this didn't bring them to repentance.  "When we start saying to ourselves, 'It can never happen to me!' -- it is sure to happen!" my commentary said.  The minute we start feeling bulletproof, we are headed for disaster.  After all, pride goes before a fall.

Father, help us to take the lessons You are showing us in the lives of others and learn not to go down those same roads.  Show us how vulnerable we are.  Help us to depend solely on You.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Isaiah 25-27 What I Needed To Hear Today

I'm so glad that Isaiah put these chapters in his writings at this point.  I needed to hear it today:

"Lord, You are my God.  I honor You and praise You, because You have done amazing things.  You have always done what You said You would do; You have done what You planned long ago ... On this mountain God ... will destroy death forever.  The Lord God will wipe away every tear from every face ... You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on You, because they trust You ... Lord, we are waiting for Your way of justice.  Our souls want to remember You and Your name.  My soul wants to be with You at night, and my spirit wants to be with You at the dawn of every day ... Lord, all our success is because of what You have done, so give us peace.  Lord, our God, other masters besides You have ruled us, but we honor only You.  Those masters are now dead; their ghosts will not rise from death.  You punished and destroyed them and erased any memory of them."

Father, this is what I need from You now.  Be my protector and my peace and my strength.  My soul longs for You.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Isaiah 23-24 Some Lessons About Nations vs God

God foretold through Isaiah the destruction of Phoenicia (585-572 BC) and the destruction of its island city of Tyre (332 BC).  "The pride of Tyre was a sin that God could not ignore," my commentary said.

In chapter 24, he described the terrible worldwide destruction on the day of the Lord.  My commentary developed several lessons from these predictions:

1) "God is in control of the nations of the world, and He can do with them what He pleases.

2)  God especially hates the sin of pride.

3)  God judges the nations for the way they treat each other.

4)  God always gives a word of promise and hope to His people.

5)  Sin has consequences in nature as well as in human character and conscience.

6)  No matter how frightening the national or international situation may become, God's children can have peace because they know Almighty God is on His throne.  The nations may rage and plot against God, but 'He who sits in the heavens shall laugh ...'"

Father, I'm so thankful that I worship the All-Powerful God.  No nation can stand against You.  Help our nation to understand that we are but putty in Your hands, and that You will judge us for the way we fail to help other nations which are being invaded.  Keep us away from the sin of pride, and give us peace within as the world spins out of control.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Isaiah 20-22 What Happens When You Keep Saying No

God gave Isaiah news for Jerusalem and for neighboring nations.  Assyria would defeat Egypt and Cush.  Edom would soon be no more.  Though the Assyrians would eventually leave them alone, the Babylonians would finish the job on Jerusalem.  The trading caravans of Arabia would end up hiding from the attacking armies as well.

"The people of Judah were behaving like their pagan neighbors ... in His mercy, the Lord would deliver Jerusalem from the Assyrian army, but He would not deliver them from Babylon.  Isaiah pointed out two particular sins that would cause Judah to decline and ultimately go into captivity in Babylon:  The unbelief of the people and the unfaithfulness of the leaders," my commentary said.  "God had sent the nation many prophets to warn them, but the people would not listen.  Now it was too late; their sins could not be forgiven because their hearts were hard.  Judah would go into captivity, and God's word to Isaiah would be fulfilled."

Father, when we fail to seek You, turn to You in repentance, and return to You, we also fail to understand that our continued disobedience further hardens our hearts, making it even more difficult for us to turn back to You.  Please don't give up on those I love!  Though their hearts are hardened, continue to draw them to You.  Remove the blinders Satan has used on them, and call them to repentance and offer them Your forgiveness!

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Isaiah 19 -- You Won't BELIEVE This!

The prophecies about Egypt in this chapter are remarkable.  Both of my commentaries state the belief that the events in verse 1-15 have already occurred.  In 670 BC, Assyria conquered Egypt and fulfilled them.  However, the remaining events are still to happen.  So what do we have to be amazed at someday?

Egypt will become afraid of the Lord All-Powerful.  They will become afraid of Israel.  Five Egyptian cities will have Hebrew as their official language, and there will be an altar to the Lord in the middle of Egypt and a monument to Him at the border!

God will also rescue Egypt when they cry out to Him.  They will worship Him and offer sacrifices.  After punishing them, God will heal them.  Most remarkably, Assyria (modern-day Iraq), Israel, and Egypt will join together and worship God together!  This union will bless the whole earth.

Father, the whole world would call this the biggest impossibility right now.  That's good, because when it does happen, the world will know that it could only come from You.  What a sign!  You'll get great glory and even greater glory when they understand that You told Isaiah about it thousands of years before it happened!  What an awesome God we serve!

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Isaiah 15-18 Pride Goes Before A Fall

God had messages for other nations besides Judah.  Moab, which resulted from Lot's incest with his daughter, got bad news.  In one night it would be destroyed.  What's amazing is God's feelings about the judgment He's had to impart:  "My heart cries with sorrow for Moab ... The water of the city Dibon is full of blood, and I, the Lord, will bring even more troubles to Dibon.  A few people living in Moab have escaped the enemy, but I will send lions to kill them."  And right in the middle of this comes a message about Christ:  "Then a hew loyal king will come;  this faithful king will be from the family of David.  He will judge fairly and do what is right."

God continued to express His sadness for Moab and the fact that He had to send judgment.  My commentary says, "Moab wanted Judah's help, but they didn't want Judah's God.  Moab will not submit:  they wanted deliverance on their own terms ... their pride kept them from submitting to Judah, and this led to their defeat."

God also spoke against Damascus, Syria, and Israel, as well as the land of Cush, where frantic diplomatic activity was ongoing, trying to stave off the Assyrian army.  Yet we are also shown "the calm patience of God in heaven as He awaits the right time to reap the harvest of judgment.:

Father, we work ourselves into a froth, trying to have our own way instead of doing Your will.  How much easier it would be to simply give in.  Yet pride causes us to do stupid things.  I pray for those I love, especially, that You would wake them up to the foolishness caused by their pride and help them not to repeat history by sowing the seeds of their own destruction.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Isaiah 13-14 "NOTHING is going to happen!"

"Nothing is going to happen!"  That's the mantra of every teenager.  And too many people were saying it in Isaiah's day.  But God was saying differently:

"I have called those warriors to carry out my anger ... This army is coming from a faraway land, from the edge of the horizon [in other words, it wasn't in their field of vision] ... The Lord's day of judging is near; the Almighty is sending destruction ... He will destroy the land and the sinners who live in it ... The Lord says, 'I will punish the world for its evil, and wicked people for their sins.'"

God declared the destruction of Babylon, Philistia, and Assyria while promising the end of toil for the Israelites.  Yet how sure was this of happening?  "When the Lord All-Powerful makes a plan, no one can stop it."

Father, I am so glad I have such a powerful God watching over me.  Despite the turmoil, You are in control, and You jealously love those who are Your own.  Please help us to add to that number.  Protect us from evil, Father.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Isaiah 11-12 The Do-Over

Here's the HOPE!  "A new branch will grow from a stump of a tree; so a new king will come from the family of Jesse.  The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon that king ..."  That's our Jesus coming back to rule in power!  

This is His second coming.  It continues, "At His command evil people will be punished, and by His words the wicked will be put to death."  That certainly didn't happen when He walked the earth before.

I've always loved verses 6-9.  They take us back to the way the world was at Creation -- the peace of the Garden of Eden before man's sin fundamentally altered all of Creation.  There will be perfect peace.  Even predators will be changed into vegetarians, and snakes will no longer have enmity with humans.  What causes this change?  "Because the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord ..."

God will also remove all impediments from the path's that lead us back to Him.  Isaiah included praise to God for this:  "I praise You, Lord!  You were angry with me, but You are not angry with me now!  You have comforted me.  God is the One who saves me; I will trust Him and not be afraid."

Father, what a time that will be!  We'll see the world as You intended it , sin-free and perfect.  Thank You for the do-over!

Your brother in Christ,

Gary Ford

Isaiah 10 -- Where We Don't Want To Go

God denounced unfair laws, and it sure sounds like we need to send a copy of verse one to every federal legislator:  "How terrible it will be for those who make unfair laws, and those who write laws that make life hard for people."  The laws God was calling him to speak out against were adversely affecting the poor, the widows, and the orphans.

God asks three questions in verse 3 that my commentary says every person should ponder who wants to be ready when the Lord comes:

           "How will you explain the things you have done?

             What will you do when your destruction comes from far away?

                Where will you run for help?"

Through what He promises for Assyria and for Israel here, we learn an important set of principles.  My commentary said:

       "If God cannot bring us to repentance through His Word, then He must life His hand and chasten us.  If we do not submit to His chastening, then He must stretch out His hand and judge us.  God is long-suffering, but we dare not tempt Him by our careless or callous attitude.  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

Assyria was successful at invasion, and God used them as His tool to chasten Israel.  But Assyria didn't acknowledge God and pridefully spoke of its power.  My commentary said, "God used Assyria to discipline His people, but He would not permit this godless nation to go beyond His purposes.  God may use unbelievers to accomplish His will in the lives of His people, but He is always in control.  We need never fear the disciplining hand of God, for He always disciplines in love."

Father, help me to listen to You and make corrections in my life to keep me in Your will.  I don't want to be like Israel and have to move on to Your chastening.  Soften my heart.  If I do require Your chastening and discipline, I'm tankful that I can trust You to do it in love.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Proud father of Josh and Joseph Ford, both adopted from Ukraine
"'I will put a new way of thinking inside you. I will take out the stubborn hearts of stone from your bodies, and I will give you obedient hearts of flesh.  I will put my Spirit inside you and help you live by my rules and carefully obey my laws....You will be My people, and I will be
Your God. "   Ezek 36:24-29

Isaiah 9 -- A Message of Hope For Them And For Us

What a message of HOPE!  Judah needed to hear it.  And we need to hear it as well.  "Suddenly there will be no more gloom for the land that suffered ... Before those people lived in darkness, but now they have seen a great light ... God, You have caused the nation to grow and made the people happy ... You have taken away their heavy load."  It will take God to fix Judah and it will take God to fix America.

Isaiah is given a vision of the birth of Jesus, then he is told of the future we haven't even encountered -- Christ's return and His rule over the earth.  "The Lord All-Powerful will do this because of His strong love for His people.

God also told Isaiah to use the northern kingdom as an object lesson for Judah.  God would punish Judah, too, but for David's sake a remnant would be saved from which Christ would come... Amazingly, in His pronouncements regarding Israel, God even says, "The Lord will not show mercy to the orphans and widows."  Why??  "All the people are separated from God and are very evil; they all speak lies."

Father, we've seen how You carried out Your judgment on the northern kingdom, and we've seen Your faithfulness in protecting the remnant from which Christ came.  Even now, as we await Christ's return, help us to be a remnant grafted onto the tree of those You love and call Your own.  Let us be a light to the world today, not from our own actions, but by sharing the light Your Son brought into this world.


--
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Isaiah 8 -- Three Ways They Were Seeing God Wrongly

True to chapter 7, Isaiah has a son and names him "Quick to plunder, swift to spoil."  His family has become a living prophecy, my commentary says.  His own name meant "Jehovah is salvation" and his older son's name meant "A remnant shall return."  Before this younger son would form intelligent sentences, Syria and Damascus would be plundered and spoiled by Assyria. 

The nation of Judah wasn't accepting this message though, and Isaiah was given three contrasts to show the rulers the mistake they were making by being pro-Assyrian, according to my commentary:

"1)  They chose a flood instead of a peaceful river ... God offered His people peace, but in unbelief they opted for war.

2)  They chose a snare instead of a sanctuary ... God warned Isaiah not to follow the majority, which was pro-Assyrian.  Even though his stance looked like treason, Isaiah opposed all foreign alliances and urged the people to put their faith in the Lord ... Isaiah compared the Lord to a sanctuary, a rock that is a refuge for believers, but a snare to those who rebel.

3)  They chose darkness instead of light ... His words fell on deaf ears ... The true disciples of the Lord received God's Word and treasured it in their hearts.  By faith, the prophet was willing to wait patiently for God's Word to be fulfilled."

Father, I hear Your words to me in this chapter as well:  "Don't be afraid of what they fear; do not dread those things.  But remember that the Lord All-Powerful is holy ... He will be a place of safety for you ... I will wait for the Lord to help us... I will wait for Him ... I am here, and with me are the children the Lord has given me.  We are signs and proofs for the people."  I wait for Your help, Father.  Bring it in Your good timing.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Isaiah 7 -- Seeing The Trees Inside The Forest

It’s amazing what a good commentary can show you about a passage!  Here, it’s like seeing the forest but not the trees without it.  Verse 14 is so familiar to us:  “The virgin will be pregnant.  She will have a son, and she will name him Immanuel.”  We read this and think, “Oh! Wonderful!  The prophecy about Christ’s birth!”

Yet in the middle of this forest are the trees themselves.  The commentary I’m reading now, along with my previous commentary, agreed.  I read, “This sign had an immediate significance to Ahaz and the people of Judah.  A woman who was then a virgin would get married, conceive, and bear a son whose name would be ‘Emmanuel’.  The son would be a reminder that God was with His people and would care for them.  It is likely that this virgin was Isaiah’s second wife – his first wife having died after Shear-jasub was born – and that Isaiah’s second son was named both ‘Emmanuel’ and ‘Maher-shalal-hashbaz’.  Orthodox Jewish boys become ‘sons of the law’ at the age of 12.  This special son was a reminder that Syria and Ephraim [Israel] would be out of the picture within the next 12 years.  Isaiah delivered this prophecy in 734 BC.  In 732 BC Assyria defeated Syria, and in 722 BC, Assyria invaded Israel.  The prophecy was fulfilled.”

Father, I love seeing You put double and sometimes even triple meaning to a prophecy.  It’s so incredible how You weave things together over time like this!  It gives You glory when Your omniscience becomes apparent from prophecies like this.  I’m glad You are my God and I can trust You to absolutely know the future!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Isaiah 6 -- A Long Peek Into The Heavenly Throne Room

Isaiah realized that he was totally unprotected from his own sinfulness in the presence of such holiness, and he feared he’d be consumed by it.  His own sin was a tremendous worry, but it sounds as though he was even afraid that, had he not been sinful himself, just the fact that he lived among other sinners would be enough to cause his destruction!  That certainly speaks to how we should take care of who we are with regularly!

One of the creatures on fire approached the altar and had to use tongs to remove an evidently much hotter coal, but then it held the coal in its hand as it approached Isaiah.  It touched Isaiah’s lips with the hot coal, yet he did not cry out in pain, for there was healing in the process – his guilt before God and his sin had been taken away, allowing him to remain in the presence of the Holy Lord without fear for his sinful state.

It was then that he heard Jesus’ voice:  “Whom can I send?  Who will go for us?”  Remarkably, the experience of being cleansed produces such gratefulness in Isaiah that he didn’t even ask what task he would need to perform.  He simply made himself available willingly!  That kind of incredible eagerness to do God’s will without even asking what it might be should be what we all experience!

The message he was to tell wouldn’t be one his audience would want to hear, but that seemed to matter little to Isaiah.  He’d been given a task by his Lord!  His only question was, “Holy long should I do this?”  Jesus’ answer:  “Until it is all destroyed.”  That was enough for Isaiah.

Father, thank You for the holy encounter we had all those years ago, when I too finally understood that You are God and I am nothing.  Thank You for showing me that I only need to show availability and You will handle ability.  Don’t let me even take lightly Your holiness and my sinfulness.  I simply am thrilled that You have a use for me in Your kingdom!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Isaiah 5 -- The Woes

Isaiah has started pronouncing the “woes” God is showing him.  In chapter 3, he’d mentioned people who are actually proud of their sin and don’t care who sees it; the second woe was for wicked people.  Now in this chapter, God, through Isaiah, calls out woes against covetous landowners who are causing a housing shortage, alcoholics who drink all day, brazen liars and God-defilers, those who obliterate moral distinctions and who deny the difference between good and evil; conceited men who won’t listen to reason, and judges who take bribes.  God is spelling out to Judah just how they’ve strayed from His will.  He’s wanting them back and telling them straight up what they’ve got to stop doing. 

It’s amazing that so much of this is going on right now in America, too.  I was particularly drawn to the woe about “those who obliterate moral distinctions and deny the difference between right and wrong.  That seems to be the specialty of the progressive movement in America today!

Father, please help us as a nation to right this sinking ship.  Please don’t let history repeat itself.  Help us as a nation to trust You to know best, to admit our national sins, and to come back to You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Isaiah 2-4 Losing Everything To Find The One Thing

Isaiah seems to move fluidly back and forth in time, from the coming Kingdom Age, back to the Last Days, and back again.  He was shown the Temple Mount being raised miraculously, nations peacefully coming together to worship the Lord, peace reigning on earth, and “Then God will teach us His ways, and we will obey His teachings.”  God will enable us to obey Him fully!

But snapping back to Isaiah’s present time, he says, “Lord, You have left Your people … because they have become filled with wrong ideas from people in the east.”  That is happening even today as people start becoming curious about Eastern religions, including Islam.  It goes on, “They have completely accepted those foreign ideas.”  This so galled Isaiah that he asked, “God, do not forgive them…”

“The Lord All-Powerful has a certain day planned when He will punish the proud …”  He’s planned it and knows what day it will happen, and we do not.  How could anyone be so prideful that they could believe they can live as they want and then make the switch to Him just before that day comes?

My commentary says, “God will judge His people by taking away from them everything they were trusting including food and water, leaders and soldiers, and judges and prophets … The national leaders in Isaiah’s day (and in ours as well) were charting a course that was out of the will of God and would ultimately bring disaster, but the righteous remnant will be protected by God.”

His people will find God’s will for their lives when they lose everything they’ve been trusting in besides Him!  That is an important concept for us to take hold of when we find that we are losing those things that seem most important to us.  God, in those times, will be at work in our lives, helping to direct us toward His will for us.

Father, that sure seems to be happening in my own life lately, and I pray that You will focus me on what You’re doing, knowing in my heart that the why is already settled – because You love me and want me in Your will.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Isaiah 1 -- What Church Would Want To Hear THIS From God?

Wow!  What church would want to open up a letter from God, thinking they were doing well, only to hear this:

“My people don’t know me.  They don’t understand.  I raised My children and helped them grow up, but they have turned against Me … They have left me, they hate Me, and treat Me like a stranger…  Your whole heart is sick … I don’t want all these sacrifices.  I’ve had enough … I’m not pleased … Don’t continue bringing Me worthless sacrifices!  I hate it … I can’t stand it … I can’t stand the evil you do in your holy meetings! … I am tired of it … When you raise your arms to Me in prayer, I will refuse to look at you … I will not listen to you, because your hands are full of blood … Stop doing the evil things I see you do.  Learn to do good.  Seek justice.  Punish those who hurt others.  Help the orphans.  Stand up for the rights of the widows.”

I’d made some margin notes from something I’d read before:  “God despises ritual without reality, sacrifices without obedience, and gifts without the giver.  The mixing of iniquity and solemn assembly is hateful to Him.  In verse 18, He invites us to discover how we have displeased and disappointed Him with our sin.”

God had to tell it like it is to His chosen people:  “You, My enemies, will not cause Me any more trouble.  I will pay you back for what you did.  I will turn against you and clean away all your wrongs as if with soap; I will take all the worthless things out of you.”  Wow!  That last part is certainly not what we expect or deserve, is it?

Father, thank You for loving us enough not to leave us as we are, but instead You want us back, cleansed and useful for Your purposes.  I’m amazed by such love.  Don’t let me waste it!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Joel 3 -- Roaring Like A Lion

Joel gives Joel a promise to convey:  “In those days and at that time, when I will make things better for Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations together and bring them down into the Valley Where The Lord Judges.  There I will judge them.”

God has already declared how He will judge nations who had already treated Israel badly, and He promises payback.  “I will do to you what you have done to them.”  That in and of itself should be impetus enough for nations today to support Israel and not attack them.

Before the kingdom of peace arrives, God’s will for the rest of the nations must be brought about, and that involves them coming against Him in battle.  He stokes them up here, even saying the reverse of what we usually hear:  “Make swords from your plows, and make spears from your pruning hooks.”  Yet God will hardly have to lift a finger to defeat them.  My commentary described it:  “God will defeat the enemy as easily as a farmer wields a sickle or plucks grapes and crushes them to make wine.”

“The Lord will roar like a lion from Jerusalem; His loud voice will thunder from that city, and the sky and the earth will shake.  But the Lord will be a safe place for His people … Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, live on my holy Mount Zion.”

Father, I know which side I’m on, and I want all those I love to be there with You and with me.  Help me to tell them about You and to show them how much You truly love them.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Joel 2 -- Where One Of My Favorite Verses Comes From!

God gave Joel some “future for them” messages as well as some “future for us” messages.  Joel told of the Assyrian invasion that was 100 years away at the time, but He also told of an end times invasion, too.  My commentary said, “God can use even heathen nations to accomplish His purposes on this earth.  We’d best remember that today.

Regarding the 100-year heads-up, my commentary said, “The nation didn’t know when this invasion would occur, so the important thing was for them to turn to the Lord now.  But they must be sincere.  It’s easy to participate in a religious ceremony, tear your garments, and lament, but quite something else to humbly confess your sins and bring to God a repentant heart … The one thing that encourages us to repent and return to the Lord is the character of God.  Knowing that He is indeed gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love ought to motivate us to see His face.”

Perhaps my favorite verse here is verse 25:  “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.”  Those were years we stepped away from God, yet He is going to make them up to us!  It’s like God is saying, “I will not only forgive you.  I will give you back the years you wasted.”  That shows His amazing love for us!

Father, I’ve watched as You have already done that in my life.  Although I still remember and mourn the years I wasted away from You, You have been faithful to forgive me and forget them, and to more than give me back those years through what You’ve already done in my life.  Yet You promise that even more is coming!  I’m constantly amazed at Your love for me!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Joel 1 -- A Step Beyond Sadness And Mourning

God tasked Joel with getting the nation’s attention.  They were in an economic crisis, which had focused people’s minds, and now God was using it to get their attention back on Him.

“Joel didn’t ask God for anything; he simply told the Lord of the suffering of the land, the beasts, and the people, knowing that God would do what was right,” my commentary said.  I think we too can pray and “state the obvious” to God.  Of course He knows, but He also wants to make sure we know that our sin is the root cause of most human suffering.

“Too often we drift along from day to day, taking our blessings for granted, until God permits a natural calamity to occur and remind us of our total dependence on Him.”

The people humbled themselves with a fast and lamented their conditions.  But God also called them to another step:  praying.  Even the animals were groaning, as all creation groans and longs to be set free from the bondage caused by man’s sin.  But only humans can pray and ask God for forgiveness, praise Him for His lovingkindness and grace and mercy, and seek His face.

Being the Lord of hosts and the Lord of the armies of heaven and earth, God simply had commanded an invasion of locusts.  He needed His people to rediscover their dependence on Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder.  Help me not to take You for granted.  Make me keenly aware each day of what You do for me.  Remind me to be thankful for it all, and cause me to be saddened and contrite when I forget.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Titus 3 -- Hating To Remember

My commentary summed up the chapter pretty well in these two sentences:  “Don’t be too critical of your pagan neighbors,” Paul wrote.  “Just remember what you were before God saved you,” and “Not only does He forget our sins, but He forgets that we were even sinners!”  His love is so amazing!

All that really hit home while I was reading verse 3:  “In the past we also were foolish.  We did not obey, we were wrong, and we were slaves to many things our bodies wanted and enjoyed.  We spent our lives doing evil and being jealous.  People hated us, and we hated each other.”  What a miserable way to live!  Yet I remember feeling like that, thinking that I was on top of the world.  How Satan can deceive even a Christian!

Father, I pray for my sons today.  It is so easy to fall into the thinking of this world and to forget Your truth.  I love them both dearly, and I don’t want them to learn from so-called “friends” to hate the life You have for them.  Keep their hearts open to You.  Remove blinders when Satan slips them on.  Through Your love, show them the way.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford