Isaiah 46 (HCSB)
There is No One Like God
1 Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their idols are consigned to beasts and cattle. The images you carry are loaded, as a burden for the weary animal.
2 The gods cower; they crouch together; they are not able to rescue the burden, but they themselves go into captivity.
3 “Listen to Me, house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained from the womb, carried along since birth.
4 I will be the same until your old age, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will bear and save you.
5 “Who will you compare Me or make Me equal to? Who will you measure Me with, so that we should be like each other?
6 Those who pour out their bags of gold and weigh out silver on scales—they hire a goldsmith and he makes it into a god. Then they kneel and bow down to it.
7 They lift it to their shoulder and bear it along; they set it in its place, and there it stands; it does not budge from its place. They cry out to it but it doesn’t answer; it saves no one from his trouble.
8 “Remember this and be brave; take it to heart, you transgressors!
9 Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and no one is like Me.
10 I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: My plan will take place, and I will do all My will.
11 I call a bird of prey from the east, a man for My purpose from a far country. Yes, I have spoken; so I will also bring it about. I have planned it; I will also do it.
12 Listen to me, you hardhearted, far removed from justice:
13 I am bringing My justice near; it is not far away, and My salvation will not delay. I will put salvation in Zion, My splendor in Israel.
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 12): Please forgive me, Father, for walking this faith journey so hard-hearted for so long. Please continue to soften my heart so that I persist in moving all of this head knowledge I have of You into my heart and into action.
PROMISE (verse 13): You make us several promises in this one verse, Father. You say that You will bring Your justice soon. You also reassure us that Your salvation and splendor will be at the forefront and will not delay. Thank You for theses promises, Father; without them we would all be lost.
ATTITUDE (verses 5-7): Father, I far too often put the world and my own selfish desires above You. I often lose focus of You and instead put the focus on me and what I want in the moment. Help me to change this self-righteous attitude, Father, so that You always remain my number 1 focus in everything I think, feel, say, or do. Help me to remember to keep You on the pedestal through both the good experiences and the bad.
COMMAND (verses 3, 12): Three simple words, yet so powerful and so difficult for me to embrace fully. You say “listen to Me.” How often do I stray from this simple command, Father? Far too often. Probably more often than not. Help me to keep my ears, mind, and heart open, Father, so that I am always listening to You.
EXAMPLE (ALL verses): The example here, Father, is somewhat simple and repeated throughout this Scripture multiple times. I’ve found that if You repeat Yourself in a short period of time, then what You’re saying MUST be important. The first example You give us to follow is quite simply to list to You. If we listen to You, then we can know Your will for us. Listening is the most important face of any relationship, so if we cannot get this right, everything else will fail. The next example You give in this Scripture is for us to always keep You at the top—not me, not others, not false gods or idols. How can we truly be listening to You if You aren’t our top focus? It’s like if my wife wants to have a conversation with me, but I’m watching football at the same time. There’s no way I can truly be listening and understanding her with the added distraction. The same goes with our relationship with You, Father. Help me to remove the distractions so that I may listen to You more and always have You as my number 1 focus.
*DAILY NOTE: I not only struggle with such a simple command in my worldly relationships, but also tremendously struggle at it with You. Help me to be a better listener, Father. Help me to always listen more than I speak, but also to listen intently to understand the conversation and not to respond. This is often how I’m listening, in a way that I am trying to determine my response. Just like football was a distraction in a conversation with my wife in the example above, listening to fix or respond is also a distraction to the conversation and relationship. Help me to be better at listening to especially You, Father, without distractions
*GENERAL NOTE: I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.
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