March 19 – He Carries, Bears, Saves

“You who have been carried by Me from birth And have been carried from the womb; Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will carry you! I have done it, and I will bear you; And I will carry you and I will save you.” – Isaiah 46:3b-4  (NASB)

We all had a mother who gave us life while we developed in her womb for nine months. When we were born our mothers cared for us and carried us with that care from that time until we left home as a mature young adult. For some this was a mother who adopted us. Normally by the time we are old age, our mothers have gone and are no longer with us. But God also has been with us from the time of our conception, knitting us together in our mother’s womb and then watching over as we grow and develop. But God is never done. He is always with us carrying us just as our verse says. Even when our hair turns gray and for some falls out or thins out, God is carrying us. He has done it and continues to. The things God promises to do to help us all our lives is to carry us! It is as if He has already done so, and will bear, and carry again, and finally save us.  Yes at the end if we have believed God saves us from eternal death and gives us eternal life. 

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November 11- Great Delight

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV) 

Zephaniah was a prophet of God who wrote these words as he received them from God. He was in the royal line of Judah, a decedent of King Hezekiah. These words were intended to encourage God's people after a time of judgment. They are also for our encouragement. These are God's feelings about those who follow Him. We can be sure that our God is with us and that He loves us. Our verse says that He takes great delight in those who follow Him. When we put our trust in Him He is not only pleased, He also rejoices over us and sings about us. It is not a system set up to reward us for being good but it is what happens when we choose to follow and trust in God – it is the natural outcome.  Our trusting in God brings joy to our Lord. That's a promise.

May 29

“I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”  Psalm 55:6 (NIV)
“As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me.”  Psalm 55:16 (NIV)

As we look at verse 6 is it not the way we feel sometimes? When the going gets rough, or things go against us we sometimes wish that we could get away from our problems. As the psalmist did we wish we could fly away to some peaceful place. The psalmist admits that he felt that way but he realized he couldn’t get away. So what did he do? Verse 16 gives us the answer. He could call to God and the Lord would save him. And so it is with us. We can’t get away, but we can call on the Lord. He responds and shows us the solution. He knows what is best for us.