Isaiah 30:12-33:9, Galatians 5:1-12, Psalms 63:1-11, Proverbs 23:22
Today is the 19th day of September welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s wonderful to be here with you today as we find our places around the Global Campfire together and relax for a few minutes, just tune our attention to the Scriptures allow them to speak to us and then move back into our day. And, so, it’s wonderful that we have this little place every day. And I am profoundly grateful to be here with you today for the next step forward. And that next step leads us back into the book of Isaiah…Isaiah…to Isaiah, and that today we’ll read chapters chapter…maybe I should just start this whole thing over. Maybe I’m gonna make all kinds of mistakes in the reading today. I don’t know. Seems like my tongue is tied. Isaiah chapter 30 verse 12 through 33 verse 9 today. Maybe I just need to slow down and pay attention to what I’m saying. So, here we go. Isaiah.
Commentary:
Okay. Let’s think about it for a second. Would you prefer to walk a path that leads to quiet confidence and strength, or would you prefer to be running and chased and hunted down? Because that is the crossroads sort of the paths that we are presented in the book of Isaiah today. And again, we’re moving through a prophetic book, the book of Isaiah. And many scholars believe there are multiple voices in the book of Isaiah, and that this is a collection. Other people think it’s, you know, from one person named Isaiah. Nevertheless, it’s not linear narrative form its utterances spoken on behalf of God at different times through this time period. And, so, without really exhaustively going into it and really connecting the time period to this particular Oracle from God, etc. etc. it’s really easy for us to get lost just trying to read it in a narrative form because it feels like it’s jumping all over the place because it is. And even though it is jumping all over the place there’s still an arc. There’s this kind of woe and doom and then the ark shifts to hope, and restoration and we got to experience some of that shift today. And, so, in Isaiah we read, “you will be delivered by returning and resting. Your strength will lie in quiet confidence.” So, that is a path we can walk and choose, but there is an alternative path to that. And we continue on in Isaiah. “You say no. We will escape on horses, we will ride on fast horses, but those who pursue you will be faster.” So, we have two paths here. If we want to walk the path of quiet strength then we are told, basically look return to God, calm down from being overwhelmed and find rest and in that rest we will find our strength. That sounds awesome. That sounds like the life we are wanting to live. And here’s the recipe. Calm down, return to God, find rest, and in that rest find your strength. The other chaotic path that is put before us today leaves us running and running and running while we’re being chased down by something that is faster than we are. That may sound awfully familiar. That’s how it feels a lot of the time. We’re running and running to outpace whatever is going to catch up to us, but it's…it’s gaining. If we want to stay on that path we’re allowed to stay on that path and we’re allowed to feel overwhelmed as if we’re doing nothing but falling further and further behind. In fact, Isaiah describes that feeling. “1000 will flee at the threat of one. At the threat of five you will flee until you remain like a solitary pole on a mountaintop or a banner on a hill.” That’s a lonely picture. Up on arise there’s a flagpole stuck in the ground with a torn banner waving in the wind. The only evidence of anyone ever being there. Solitary. Alone. That’s where the path leads when we try to do things in our own strength by our own effort. This is where the road leads; however, we’re also given a vivid picture of what it might look like to be on the path that seeks quiet confidence and strength in God. And I quote from Isaiah. “And whenever you turn to the right or to the left your ears will hear this command behind you, this is the way, walk in it. Then you will defile your silver-plated idols in your gold-plated images. You will throw them away like menstrual cloths and call them filth”, right? So, it’s like our eyes open up, and we realize that we have been chasing after idols. We have put our trust and faith in ourselves and in things that we believe will either bring us life or security only to find out that we’re just running and running and running trying to accomplish security and arrange for life and its fleeting and we end up feeling like we’re running as fast as we can, and everything is catching up with us. Isaiah’s says when we look at that scenario, and our eyes are opened to the alternative path of quiet strength our eyes will be opened and we will see things for what they are and will consider our own way of doing things, like used menstrual objects. The apostle Paul uses the same kind of analogy of his awakening and that all of the effort that he had put into his religious upbringing he considered as filthy rags as well. So, we’ve been given two different pictures of two different paths. Which path do we want to walk? Are we on the path that we want to walk? And assuming that we would like to walk the path of quiet strength and confidence, if we’re not on that path, then we need to return to God and calm down. Some things to give attention to today as we move through.
Prayer:
Father, we invite You into that. What path in these examples today from Isaiah, what are…what path are we walking on? Where is this road going? Is…are we on the path that leads us to quiet confidence and strength or are we on the path that leads us to a lonely flagpole all by itself on a forgotten Hill. Holy Spirit reveal this to us and show us the way that we should go. And as the book of Isaiah says, may we hear You behind us saying, “this is the way walk in it.” And may we obey You, we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Hi Daily Audio Bible family I just want to get on here and say I really just need some prayers. Pray for C. My husband has cheated on me and abused me to where I think that it’s normal. Like my brain is thinking that it’s normal and I keep going back to him. I fear that I’m stuck in a spiritual bondage with him, and I just need Jesus to set me free. I just…he has cheated on me and hurt me in ways that I can’t describe and I just…I really need God to help me financially and I don’t know what my future holds ahead of…but I just need to get out of this this…this…this marriage where it’s just hurting me so bad inside. Also, I pray for my children. Please because they need me and I’m going through a court battle and there are some people that are not nice and I’m also praying for them so that I may be able to spend more time with my children. Please and thank you.
Hey DAB fam, Chris in the Bay Area here just wanted to lift up the NICU nurse and the abandoned baby girl. Dear father we lift up this family, this family that loves you very much, this…this family that desires to honor you Jesus. We just lift up this process of them adopting this…this baby girl. We just ask that all…that You would banish all forces of darkness working against this girl, that your favor would be bestowed on them, that they would just…everything would just work out where they could adopt this girl Jesus. We thank you for being able to petition this in your name. In your precious name Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Good morning DAB family this is Zach from Phoenix reaching out today to ask you to pray for me. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed and beat down and hopeless and helpless these past few months. I’m going to ask you to pray for a situation with my mom. She’s not doing well physically, mentally and it’s requiring me and my brother and family to make some hard decisions and we know that she’s not going to be open or she’s not…she may fight what is best for her. So please pray that He can give me wisdom and guidance on how to address the situation with my mom this next week. Also just pray for me because I feel lonely and just broken hearted over my life situations, over being alone. And, so, I would also ask you to pray for that because I feel like…well I know the truth…I feel like the father who comes to Jesus and says Lord I believe but help me with my unbelief. And that’s where I’m living right now because I know the truth, but I don’t believe the truth. So, I ask that you would ask God to encourage me and to walk alongside me and to give me the faith that is needed to trust Him in these circumstances and situations. Have a good day. Bye.
Hello DAB family this is Brian and Chris from __ Pennsylvania. I’d like to lift up my brother in the Lord Scott who’s having surgery tomorrow and for his family and for his wife Kathy as they have many decisions to make regarding property. I also would like to pray for my son Jarod as he is trying to fix up a house, a second apartment to rent out and it’s just getting to be crunch time. Also lift up my lovely wife Kris who is almost totally recovered from COVID. And if you keep me in your prayers, please. I am struggling with breathing four weeks after contacting COVID and it’s not getting any easier, but I am back to work. I’m still testing positive but one day at a time as my lovely wife would say. Thank you, Brian and your family this is my first time I’ve called in. I do pray often for people that have left prayers and I just want to thank God for this wonderful ministry. Blessings to all.
Hey there DAB family I’ve been listening for a long time this is Holly Hot Mess from Washington. Paul your prayer for anxiety, people that struggle with anxiety, I felt like you were calling out to me. Today was really hard. I just had such a hard time getting my mind so stop racing and to calm down and to not be so nervous and upset for multiple different reasons. I’m almost 30, I work full time, I am in ministry beside my business and dealing with conflicts and I have my own health and my husband’s health and this weight, and I felt like I was gonna break, snap and this is not the first time I deal with heavy anxiety and panic. So, Paul thank you. So thankful the Lord put that in front of me. I needed that. So, shout out today and I was reading Psalm 91 and I just really felt His peace and I’m just so thankful. And just lifting up all those that deal with anxiety. You’re not alone. And you can get through this, and you’ve got a big guard with big shoulders. Thank you this is Holly Hot Mess from Washington. Love you guys.