Today’s Readings:
Psalm 60
Isaiah 65-66
18 As you wait for the reality of what I am creating,
Isaiah 65:18-19
be filled with joy and unending gladness!
Look! I am ready to create Jerusalem
as a source of sheer joy,
and her people, an absolute delight!
19 I will rejoice in this new Jerusalem
and find great delight in my people.
You will no longer hear
the sound of weeping or cries of distress.
The place name Jerusalem (pronounced yerushalaim in Hebrew) is a combination of two words. The first is yeru meaning “flow”. This word has several applications such as the flowing of water in a river, the throwing of something as being flowed out of the hand or as the flowing of a finger in the sense of pointing out the way one should go. This last use is the use in the name yerushalaim. The shalayim is from the word shalam meaning complete and whole (the word Shalom is also derived from shalam, while it is usually translated as peace it more means to be complete or whole). When these two words are put together they mean something like “pointing the way to completeness”.
https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/names/Jerusalem.htm
The Lord says,
I Am the God of surprises. I Am the God of the unexpected. Though I Am unchanging, I specialize in the unexpected. I delight in surprising you, in pushing the boundaries of what your mind believes is possible. I delight in contradiction, in the unlikely, in unexpected packages.
I Am bringing refreshing in a very unexpected package. I Am bringing life and delight and awe in the form of a great surprise. I Am bringing it to your house, and the package may seem too big for your home to contain. The surprise will be a new revelation of Emmanuel, God with us. The surprise will be like a matryoshka doll, with many surprises inside. The sum of them will be a revelation that I Am with you, I Am for you, that I have never left or forsaken you. You will say and know in the deepest part of your being, that I Am indeed with you.
12 For Yahweh says:
Isaiah 66:12-14
“I will extend to her prosperity like a river
and the wealth of gentiles like a flooding river.
You will nurse from her breast, be cradled in her arms,
and delightfully bounced on her knees.
13 As a mother tenderly comforts her child,
so will I tenderly comfort you,
and you will find comfort in Jerusalem.”
14 When you feast your eyes on this,
your heart will leap for joy and be revived;
your body will flourish and sprout like grass.
The mighty power of Yahweh will be revealed,
resting on his servants,
but his fury will be shown to his enemies!
Delight and explosions of joy will bound forth with the uncovering of this gift, this surprise, this unexpected package. You won’t know what to make of it at first. It will confound many. But as the sweet melodic sounds of truth come forth from it, the tune of truth will resonate with many hearts; and it will set feet to dancing. The people will desire to open the outer layer and see what else is inside. The people will find many layers of profound truth — some that stun, some that puzzle, some that anger, some that bring long-awaited answers, some that leave them gasping for air. But the melody and the notes of truth will ring and resonate in their hearts.
As the layers of this gift are removed to reveal the next and then the next, wisdom will flood in. Minds will be saturated with new understanding, and eyes will be opened, as if washed clean from the inside. Ears will hear the truth clearly. This progressive unwrapping of the truth will cause a great solemnity in hearts. It will cause a great quiet to fall upon the land.
16 For whoever pronounces a blessing on the earth
Isaiah 65:16
will do so in the name of the God of Faithfulness.
And whoever swears by an oath on the earth
will invoke the name of the God of Faithfulness.
The failures of the past
will be forgotten;
they will be hidden from my eyes.
Hearts and minds will begin to connect the dots and put the pieces together. Though many mistakes were made, though many deceptions had reigned, though many lies were believed and mockeries of truth had previously been passionately made, the people will see and will know the truth. They will know what part their minds, or mouths or hearts or hands had in evil. They will see the part they played in the great widespread deception of deceptions. It will be somber, but My light of truth and the refreshing wind of My grace will be there. The people will bask in these. They will regain strength and life from these.
They will say in awe, “surely the Hand of God has revealed this to us. Surely the very Hand of God has protected us from ourselves. Surely the Hand of God has been with us all along. He is here now, and He is mighty to save.” And the people will worship and bow down. The gift of truth upon truth upon truth will be lauded and revered. It will be held in high esteem. And it will be marked for remembrance by the people for themselves and for future generations.
4 You have given miraculous signs to those who love you.
Psalm 60:4-5
As we follow you, we fly the flag of truth,
and all who love the truth will rally to it.
Pause in his presence
5 Come to your beloved ones and gently draw us out.
For Lord, you save those whom you love.
Come with your might and strength!
The truth will fly like a flag over the people, and it will serve as a reminder of what was nearly lost and as reminder of My faithfulness to the people.
How to Respond
- Worship is the right response.
- Praise and thanksgiving are the natural response to the Lord’s gift of truth.
- Declare that the Lord is bringing giant unexpected gifts to homes – gifts of layered truths that bring wisdom, open eyes and ears and resonate in the hearts of the people.
- Declare that the Lord is bringing truth that washes minds with wisdom and causes the people to see again.
- Declare that the time for the arrival of truth is here.
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