- sixbrownbears by Cara

Sunset over the Vercors mountains, seen from Grenoble. by Guillaume Piolle / CC-BY-3.0

Good morning, beloved,

Thank you for all of your prayers for me on Thursday. I am deeply grateful for your words and your comfort.

According to this neurologist, at this point in the diagnosis process without having an MRI in hand, they believe I have vestibular migraines. This is a fancy way to say, I have migraines with vertigo and inner ear issues. So a new medicine, MRI scheduled and physical therapy are the next steps.

I have reflected on the past weeks as I have been unable to do any of my normal activities to consider what the Lord is doing in my life. Concurrently, I have studied Job and realizing that much of what is happening is occurring in the heavenly realms…which I am not privy to. The Lord did not give Job the picture that we have of his life.

I have watched the priorities of my life change. I have pondered in my mind verses. Praying so much more. Watching the Lord work in ways that if I had been in my normal schedule, I would have missed. I have learned to a greater degree how critical it is to think in my speech, love first. My brain is always moving at a fast pace but so has my mouth in days past. So if the Lord is breaking yokes in my life, setting me free of chains..who am I to say that this is not all part of His perfect plan? To set me free…

To listen carefully. To watch. To respect in my tone and in my words.

Then a dear friend sent me this verse…

Isaiah 58

⁶[Rather] is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every [enslaving] yoke?

⁷Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house—when you see the naked, that you cover him, and that you hide not yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood?

⁸Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your healing (your restoration and the power of a new life) shall spring forth speedily; your righteousness (your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God) shall go before you [conducting you to peace and prosperity], and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

⁹Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, Here I am.

Lord, I expectantly want to hear from You! In the quiet of this morning, I cry to You. Father, I cry out on behalf of our nation. I pray for each Christian who is beginning their day with you. May we repent of our sins. May we seek Your mercy and Your grace. Confessing it all and laying it at the foot of the cross…we respond to You. May we be in a place of listening for Your voice.

This fast:

to loose the bonds of wickedness
undo the bands of the yoke
let the oppressed go free
break every enslaving yoke
divide my bread with the hungry
bring the homeless poor into your house
when I see the naked, I cover him
not hide myself from the needs of my own flesh and blood

Lord to You we cry, as Your beautiful sun pours through the trees, enlighten me. Show us. May we not be blind to the needs of our neighbors. May we not walk by the homeless man holding the cardboard sign. May we give hope as darkness encroaches on every side waiting to steal Your hope. As You have rescued us from darkness, may we hold our hand out, rescuing the next who so desperately needs Your rescue. May we be the hands and feet of Jesus, because we long for the next verses to come alive in our time.

God’s promises if we do the list:

Then shall your light break forth like the morning…
The Dead Sea (Israel) just after sunrise, seen from the top of the fortress of Massada. by Grauesel

2. …your healing (your restoration and the power of a new life) shall spring forth speedily

Praying Hands. Pencil and charcoal on wove paper. 30 x 22.8 cm by
Otto Greiner (1869–1916)

3. your righteousness (your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God) shall go before you [conducting you to peace and prosperity]

An unpaved road winds through the woods of North Florida by Oddman47

4. the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard…

Serra da Penha, 2011 by Miguel Pires da Rosa from Braga, Portugal

While I have written this post, the sun has broken through the trees. Just like the photo above. My heart is at peace. I pray for you as you read this that your soul will be stirred to action. That as you go about your day, you ask Faithful God to show you ways that you can end the suffering of a soul, bring hope to this dying world one soul at a time, get out of your own head and serve as He has called us. Covering the naked, feeding the poor, opening your home…hard words to type, hard to do yet the freedom for you is priceless. For me.

The last verse in this group holds so much promise and hope.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, Here I am.

Here.

I.

AM.

When I call…the Lord will

answer.

When I cry…

Here.

I.

AM.

Oh beloved, hold tight to His Hand. He will guide you to serving, loving, and bringing hope. He will give you the energy. The wisdom. The resources. You only need ask.

Pray on. Pray on.