A wonderful quiet moment

I was blessed this morning to have a quiet house all to myself. Joey took the kids to church and I stayed home with a baby sleeping, my Bible, a journal and a heart ready to receive from the Lord.
I am currently studying the book of Isaiah and it is proving to be a wonderful journey.
The poetry in this book is amazing and beautiful to my soul. I feel like I am experiencing his life as he pleads with the people to repent and come back to the Lord:

"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease
to do evil..." Is. 1:16

Then he goes on and says in the Spirit,

"Come, let us reason together."
Says the Lord,
"Though your sins are like scarlet,they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. If you
are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land." Is.1:18-19

First, I am just blown away once again at how much the Lord loves this nation. He calls them to repentance all the time. He reminds them of what they are doing that is grieving His heart... They were worshipping idols, marrying the pagans, participating in disgusting things that perverted their worship to the Lord. But He loves them so just as He loves those who have been grafted in.
So He offers them a pardon, a way of escape to those whom He loves. We just need to choose it. We reap what we sow, but He still offers goodness and freedom when we choose His ways.
To be cleansed from all unrighteousness:

"Say to the righteous that it shall be well with
them for they shall eat the fruit of their doings."Is. 3:10

And you know why? Two things come to mind,

1. Because He loves His kids and wants the best for us.
2. But ultimately He desires to bring glory to Himself in every way.

When He sets us back onto the straight and narrow, people will notice and will rejoice or get saved! We are giving honor to Him when our lives are renewed and put back where they belong, in His loving and powerful hands!

AWESOME!!

I was also blessed by another passage in Isaiah,

"He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar, and will whistle to them from the
end of the earth...no one will be weary or stumble among them,
No one will slumber or sleep nor will the belt on their loins be loosed
nor the strap of their sandals be broken."Is.5:26

That word banner reminds me of the song His banner over me is love from the book of Song of Sol.
I was meditating for quite some time on what it means to have His banner over me. The first thing that came to my mind was how an army goes forth under a banner or a flag of colors which represents what they are fighting for. I have never seen a war movie or history book on war that did not show an army without their banner.
There is a powerful presence when you see an army well trained and lined up orderly ready to fight with their colors or banners waving in the wind, (see Joel 2:7-8). They know what they are fighting for or getting behind in a sense. They have purpose and a goal. Both demonstrated this sense of determination and pride in a belief.
The Lord also uses a banner to show His protection over us. He covers us with His banner of love. That gives me a security that nothing else can give me. That is powerful!

I am blessed to know that my belief in the Lord God, is unwavering and worth fighting for.
His banner which offers me protection, a purpose, and a sense of security makes me motivated to share this hope with others.
Some other references to His banner are found in:

Ps. 60:4-.You have given a banner to those who fear You, it will be displayed because of truth! (love that!)
Ps20:5
Song of Sol. 2:4, 6:4
Is. 13:2-Lift up a banner on a high mountain , raise your voice to them wave your hand,
that they may enter the gate of the nobles.
Is 5:26
I wrote out the two I like the best knowing that some of you won't bother to look up the passages. I know I
don't always :)

The last thing that I will leave you with today is from Joel 2:15-16, 18

"Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly;
gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the
children and nursing babies...then the Lord will be zealous for His land, and
pity His people."

God desires a people to be set apart! To pray and seek Him to come together in one accord, fasting and praying. This is really on my heart and I know the heart of my husband, especially being on the verge of a church plant. The call is to consecrate, to gather, and to assemble. To consecrate is to give your whole heart. Rom.12:1 states,

"I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."

Proverbs 23:26 is a good ref as well.

And of course when we gather in unity under the banner of Jesus Christ there will be victory or should I say the recognition of the victory we already have! Praise the Lord!
I pray this blessed you today and restores your soul.
SEEK HIM! Pray with us as we move forward in His will.

We will be fasting and praying every Tues. so if you would, please remember us in your prayers and if the Lord puts it on your heart, fast with us as we seek His will concerning Cambridge and the work He wants to do here.

God bless and I love you all.