recounting the Lord's mercies

Hi all,

I hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather that the Lord is giving us. It is a beautiful day here in Fargo and the Lord reminded me this morning about how I am to enjoy Him. So, I wanted to share with you a little of what He showed me this morning from Scripture and what it means for all of us!

I was reading in Isaiah again this morning and chapter 63 revealed the Lord's voice to me. Starting in verse 7, it says:

I will tell of the kindness of the Lord,
the deeds for which he is to be praised,
according to all the Lord has done for us -
yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel,
according to his compassion and many kindnesses...

In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. - Isaiah 63:7;9b

Our God has been good to us.

In these verses Isaiah does tell of how the people of Israel have grieved God and turned on Him, but he is calling all of us to remember how good He is to us. He is faithful, though we are often not to Him.

Have you recounted lately how good God has been to you?

Have you taken the time to think about all He has brought you through? Do you see His goodness at work in your life?

Do you trust Him to be that good to you?

God is calling all of us to think about Him. He is not working for evil, but for good. He wants us to turn to Him and think about all He has done for us, and for this world. There are immensely good things going on in this world! But, there are hard things.

I know this in my own life. I want to take immense joy in God because I have known how good He has been to me. I struggle with being joyous in Him and remembering though. And then when I look at the world and all the hurt and it's hard. I see the circumstances around me and not what the big picture is.

I have to fight for my joy in Him. I have to fight to remember His compassions in my life. But He is calling us to fight! If we truly enjoy Him and all He has done for us, we will fight! The fight is intense, it's hard, but it's for our good. I have to remember that all that comes into my life is passed through His sovereign hands and Jesus is always working for good in my life. He is not plotting evil, and I need to take stock in recounting the Lord's mercies.

I'll start now with what He has done in my life:

1. I am alive and can speak (or, in this case, write) about His truths.

2. I have access to His word and I can read it.

3. He has brought me into a relationship with His Son, Jesus.

4. He has given me a job that I love and enjoy doing.

5. He has given me relationships I don't deserve all so I could see Him more.

And that's just the start! How wonderful God is! I love the title of the Kirk Franklin song "It Would Take All Day" and what the song speaks about. This is to be the heart of all Christians. We are to enjoy God and tell of how great He has been to us.

What a good God we serve. Truly, He is good.

If you're struggling with joy and you need help loving Him, read on in Isaiah. I'll close with Isaiah's prayer in Isaiah 63 - 64, and just ask that you pray it by yourself. This is a powerful prayer and God will do wonderful things as He opens your heart to joy as you turn to Him.

In His Love,

Brandon

Look down from heave and see
from your lofty throne, holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal and your might?
Your tenderness and compassion are withheld from us.
But you are our Father,
though Abraham does not know us
or Israel acknowledge us;
you, O LORD, are our Father;
our Redeemer from of old is your name.
Why, O LORD, do you make us wander from your ways
and harden our hearts so we do not revere you?
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes that are your inheritance.
For a little while your people possessed your holy place,
but now our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary.
We are yours from of old;
but you have not ruled over them,
they have not been called by your name.
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains would tremble before you!...

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand. - Isaiah 63:15 - 64:1;8