Wow! You’re back!!! After yesterday’s post, I felt emotionally exposed for all the world to see. My posts are written mere moments before they are posted. I read over it for editing purposes and then I click the “submit” button.
I had no idea that my prayer would be so long. I just wrote what I was led to write. After I submitted the post, I had to intentionally quiet myself so that I could relax and sleep. I decided to call this series “A Lenten Journey” as a nod to the blog site’s name. I don’t know where this metaphorical journey of Lent 2024 will lead. It’s definitely going somewhere!
Today,I felt authentically Monica. I cried more than once. I got angry once. I was a little silly and playful. I was as social as I could be while I was home by myself. Not every feeling was pleasant. It was real, though. I was one hundred percent myself!
Today’s Bible passage is Isaiah 40. As I read the chapter, a couple of times I found myself humming. In Handel’s Messiah, part one’s second, third, and fourth songs’ lyrics come from the beginning of Isaiah 40. When I read verses twenty-eight through thirty-one, Lincoln Brewster’s Everlasting God was playing in my head.
The hopeful and comforting words that are throughout Isaiah 40 are the reason, I believe, the songwriters used this chapter as source material. When, to quote the Friends theme song, “it hasn’t been your day, your week, or even your year.” it’s encouraging to know that there’s Someone who will make things right and give you strength “to rise up on the wings of eagles”.
Oops! That triggered up another song! Add On Eagle’s Wings by Michael Joncas to the list of songs! It’s a wonderful song to play when you pray the words of Isaiah 40. Or, have it as background music while reading these words of hope and comfort.
”“Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, And call out to her, that her time of compulsory service in warfare is finished, That her wickedness has been taken away [since her punishment is sufficient], That she has received from the Lord’s hand Double [punishment] for all her sins.” A voice of one is calling out, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness [remove the obstacles]; Make straight and smooth in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged places a broad valley. And the glory and majesty and splendor of the Lord will be revealed, And all humanity shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.” A voice says, “Call out [prophesy].” Then he answered, “What shall I call out?” [The voice answered:] All humanity is [as frail as] grass, and all that makes it attractive [its charm, its loveliness] is [momentary] like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Most certainly [all] the people are [like] grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever. O Zion, herald of good news, Get up on a high mountain. O Jerusalem, herald of good news, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, do not fear; Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” Listen carefully, the Lord God will come with might, And His arm will rule for Him. Most certainly His reward is with Him, And His restitution accompanies Him. He will protect His flock like a shepherd, He will gather the lambs in His arm, He will carry them in His bosom; He will gently and carefully lead those nursing their young. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens with a span [of the hand], And calculated the dust of the earth with a measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales? Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or has taught Him as His counselor? With whom did He consult and who enlightened Him? Who taught Him the path of justice and taught Him knowledge And informed Him of the way of understanding? In fact, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Now look, He lifts up the islands like fine dust. And [the forests of] Lebanon cannot supply sufficient fuel to start a fire, Nor are its wild beasts enough for a burnt offering [worthy of the Lord]. All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless. To whom then will you liken God? Or with what likeness will you compare Him? As for the cast image (idol), a metalworker casts it, A goldsmith overlays it with gold And a silversmith casts its silver chains. He who is too impoverished for such an offering [to give to his god] Chooses a tree that will not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To [carve and] set up an idol that will not totter. Do you [who worship idols] not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth [the omnipotence of God and the stupidity of bowing to idols]? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; [It is He] who stretches out the heavens like a veil And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. It is He who reduces dignitaries to nothing, Who makes the judges (rulers) of the earth meaningless (useless). Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And a strong wind carries them away like stubble. “To whom then will you compare Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these heavenly bodies, The One who brings out their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one is missing. Why, O Jacob, do you say, and declare, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become tired or grow weary; There is no searching of His understanding. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who has no might He increases power. Even youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired.“
Isaiah 40:1-31 AMP
https://bible.com/bible/1588/isa.40.1-31.AMP
God, You are so wonderful! There’s no one else like You!!! You take the rough patches of my life and make them plain. You completely erode the mountains of despair that threaten to overwhelm me. When I don’t think that I can take another step down the rough road that I am walking, You lift me above the road and I am flying with the eagles. I don’t have to make it on my own. When I have run out of my strength, You give me Yours. I think that you like it when I wave my white flag and surrender. I imagine that You would say something like, “Monica, I sure am glad that You have given up. Now that you have run out of gas, watch Me! See what I can do for you!!!” Yes. My gas tank needle drops below “empty” and You take me to Your filling station and provide rocket fuel instead of the unleaded that I was running on before I turned control over to You. After experiencing what it’s like for You to take over my life, I am done with trying to do it my way. I always end up calling on You when I get stuck, anyways. I need to not waste my energy trying to control things and make them work out the way that I want. Your ways are higher than my ways and Your thoughts are higher than mine. I guess that I should allow the One who is omnipresent, omnipotent, never sleeps, and never gets hungry to take control. My way of doing things is not working. You are truly the GOAT. I am not. That’s not to say that I am nothing. You loved me from the time I was in my mother’s womb. I am not only loved, but I am chosen by You. You know me better than I know myself. You definitely know my future better than I do. I yield my life to You. Take over God. Your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. I will be Yours from now until forever. I love You so much. Amen.
Journey with Monica 