My Dear Sisters, just as I was writing this post to you, a family urgency arose and I’m not going to be able to finish it. I’ve erased it and, in its place, put the segment of Scripture that I shared today in staff time before I got news of a serious family need. By faith, I choose to believe that this was what our gracious God wanted you to have today. It is a beautiful segment from Isaiah 41 that spoke very richly to us in staff and I pray will minister to you. (Vv.8-16) In it God is addressing Israel but, as you will see, many of the truths He speaks over them in this chapter concerning His heart toward them and His promise to help are echoed in the New Testament to believers under Christ’s new covenant.Ā If you have a more formal translation like the ESV, consider reading it first then below you’ll find the portion in Eugene Peterson’s translation, The Message. Its vivid language jumped out at me and really tended to my soul. My staff and I printed it out and circled parts of it that the Holy Spirit brought to life in our own hearts and minds and amid our own circumstances. We also wrote notes in the margins and reminders of other coinciding verses and then, in our closing prayer, we let the passages guide our intercessions. You might consider doing the same thing. The two simple words “don’t panic” leapt off the page at me. So did this: “I, God, want to reassure you.” Thank You, thank You, Lord.
Here it is and you’ll find my SSMT entry at the end of the post.
Isaiah 41:8-16 The Message
8ā10Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āBut you, Israel, are my servant.
Youāre Jacob, my first choice,
descendants of my good friend Abraham.
I pulled you in from all over the world,
called you in from every dark corner of the earth,
Telling you, āYouāre my servant, serving on my side.
Iāve picked you. I havenāt dropped you.ā
Donāt panic. Iām with you.
Thereās no need to fear for Iām your God.
Iāll give you strength. Iāll help you.
Iāll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.
11ā13Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āCount on it: Everyone who had it in for you
will end up out in the coldā
real losers.
Those who worked against you
will end up empty-handedā
nothing to show for their lives.
When you go out looking for your old adversaries
you wonāt find themā
Not a trace of your old enemies,
not even a memory.
Thatās right. Because I, your GOD,
have a firm grip on you and Iām not letting go.
Iām telling you, āDonāt panic.
Iām right here to help you.ā
14ā16Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āDo you feel like a lowly worm, Jacob?
Donāt be afraid.
Feel like a fragile insect, Israel?
Iāll help you.
I, GOD, want to reassure you.
The God who buys you back, The Holy of Israel.
Iām transforming you from worm to harrow,
from insect to iron.
As a sharp-toothed harrow youāll smooth out the mountains,
turn those tough old hills into loamy soil.
Youāll open the rough ground to the weather,
to the blasts of sun and wind and rain.
But youāll be confident and exuberant,
expansive in The Holy of Israel!
Peterson, E. H. (2005). The Message: the Bible in contemporary language (Is 41:8ā16). Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.
For my SSMT selection, this is the portion I have next in my memory work out of the Book of Colossians:
Beth, Houston. For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ. Colossians 2:1-2
I love you guys so much. Let’s press on with eyes of faith, Sisters. He who calls us is faithful!
Tags: Scripture Memory 2013
Alesha, Charlotte, NC
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that remains, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.
John 15:16 net Bible
ROBIN….Orange City, Iowa….Romans 6:14 “For sin shall no be my ,aster, because I am not under the law, but under the grace.” Romans 6:14 NIV
Michelle, West Des Moines, IA
Do everything without complaining or arguing.
Philippians 2:14 NIV
Jill, Searcy AR
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
1Timothy 1:7 NIV
Tempa From Palm Bay, Florida
“Call to me & I will answer you & tell you great & unsearchable things you do not know.”
Jeremiah 33:3 NIV
Dawn in Monett, MO
Proverbs 3:7 NIV
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
Zeph 3:17 NET
The Lord your God is in your midst;
he is a warrior who can deliver.
He takes great delight in you;
he renews you by his love;
he shouts for joy over you.
Linda S. Mandeville, LA
” Cast your cares on The Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”
Psalms 55:22 (NIV)
Dawn Kornelson-Airdrie, Alberta, Canada
Proverbs 11:13 NIV
A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.
Proverbs 15:26
New Living Translation (NLT)
26 The Lord detests evil plans,
but he delights in pure words.
Pamela, Mechanicsville, VA.
Take a good look at God’s wonders –
they’ll take your breath away. Psalm 66:5 The Message
Laurie, Gibsonville, NC
“You will keep in perfect peaceĀ all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You”
Isaiah 26:3
NLT
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2 (NRSV)
Karen, Florence KY
Ask, and it will be given to you;
Seek, and you will find;
Knock, and it will be opened to you.
MT 7:7 NKJV
(Beth, Lindsey and all you wonderful Living Proof siestas-praying & thanking God for you all the time)
Megan JOY Burdzy – Calgary Alberta, Canada – Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)
Lindsay from Boston, MA: “So do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:31-33 NIV
Johnnie, Wake Forest, NC
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12 ESV
Jesus replied “verily I say unto you, unless he be born again you will not see the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Brianna from Huntsville, AL
For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, āFear not, I am the one who helps you.ā Isaiah 41:13 (ESV)
Rachel, Mt. Carmel, PA
Philippians 3:12, NIV – “Not that I have already obtained this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”
Diane Jackson, Wood River, IL:
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21 (NKJV)
Julie S. from Menomonee Falls, WI
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 2 Peter 1:3 NLT
For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Lisa, Greensburg, PA
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”
Colossians 1:13 (NKJV)
Jeannette, Land O Lakes, FL
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruitāfruit that will lastāand so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. John 15:16 NIV
PatC South Burlington,VT
Because of these the wrath of God is coming. Col. 3:6, NIV
Diane – Roswell, GA
“For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.” Psalm 18:29 (ESV)
Ephesians 2:10 NLT
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Loris, SC
Kristi B.
Houston, TX
Ephesians 1:17 NIV
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”
Heather, Colorado Springs, CO. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. James 3:16 NIV
Tammy/Siloam NC—-Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. (NIV)
Anna Elkhart IN
Dueteronomy 6:9 (NKJV)
You shall write them on your doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Heather, Tallahassee To You O Lord, I life up my soul. O my God, in You I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Psalm 25:1-2 ESV
Lynette – Aurora, CO
Psalm 105:4
New English Translation (NET)
Seek the Lord and the strength he gives!
Seek his presence continually!
Robin Freeman~~ Garland Tx
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 NIV
Lindsey Buchanan, St. Augustine, FL
Psalm 103:11 NIV
“As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.”
Laura, Houston: Isaiah 7:9(b)in the NIV
“If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”
Stacey in Mount Pleasant, SC
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 ESV
Caitlin Long
Demopolis, AL
“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” 1 Corinthians 1:25 NIV
Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers: Daniel 2:20-23a NIV
Hebrews 1:3 NIV
The Son is the radiance of Godās glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Paulette P. Mays
Elmer, La
Cheryl, Midlothian, va
The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1
Rhonda
Gilmer
Philemon 21 (NKJV)
Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
Andrea, Pottstown
Colossians 1:27 NLT
For it has pleased God to tell his people that the riches and glory of Christ are for you gentiles, too. For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory.
** talk about a verse jumping up and grabbing you; I have read this many times, but this is the first time it made me cry with joy. The first time I BELIEVED God, period. Christ, lives in me, in me. This is my assurance that I will share in his glory, wow. š How awesome is that?
Lilburn, GA
Going through the motions doesnāt please you,a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love donāt for a moment escape Godās notice. -Psalm 51:16-17 The Message
Jill Knight, Fort Ashby, WV āAs the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. (John 15:9 HCSB)
Carrie Guion, Wentzville, Mo.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 NLT
Mary Soisson, Barboursville, VA
If you love me, keep my commandments.
John 14:15, KJV
Vicki from Peoria,IL
“But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.”
Psalms 130:4 (NIV)
Quita from Trenton, TX
KJV
Ph.2:15-16a
That ye may be blameless and harmless,
the sons of God, without rebuke,
in the midst of a crooked and preverse nation,
among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
holding forth the word of life…