Verse of the week -- Isaiah 58:11
It's almost here. No avoiding it, maybe postponing it, but no escaping it. Whatever plans we have formed or not formed, books we have read or not read, and supplies we have bought or not, will have to suffice. The start of the school year lies in wait just around the next corner.
For the record, I love the start of school. Everything seems fresh: ideas, books, motivation, curriculum, organization techniques, schedules. However, some things always seem undone. One more book I wanted to get in this summer, one more getaway, one more revision of this or that, one more project around the house, etc. Regardless of what to-dos I have done, the school year begins. And, for a time, all is well.
Then, sometime late September (or late in the afternoon of day one . . .) frustrations crop up. Children bicker, concepts challenge our fortitude, schedules lag behind or press breakneck speed ahead, distractions crop up like weeds in July! This week, God gave me a special verse for those times, and to keep me out of denial now. No matter how grandiose and perfect my plans seem now, they cannot stand firm against all that my finite children will throw at them (I'm never a part of those problems . . .)
I have taken my time in savoring the book of Isaiah again recently and have arrived at one of my favorite chapters. Isaiah 58. I have much more to say on this chapter, but I kept clinging to one verse in particular as I read this just now. "And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." Isaiah 58:11.
When those rough days come, as I can guarantee they will, God offers a satisfying spring of water to carry me through as nourished as the ground in April. Of course, this response is for the obedient, those laying down their life at His feet. I can't go charging ahead with my own agenda and purpose and expect Him to pick up the pieces (although He graciously does that at times as well.)
He will satisfy us when we call out to Him and when we put our faith to work caring for others in need. We don't need to fear giving so much of ourselves that we run out or run dry. He will provide waters that fail not as we step out of the picture and let Him take charge.
I love this promise wrapped up in this verse. I know I will fail, I will lose my focus, I will get caught up in the temporal and forget the eternal, I will skew my priorities, and yet, when I return to Him, I will remember that He has all I need. Available for the asking, guidance for the day, strength for all that He has called me to accomplish, and forgiveness for my many shortcomings.
Thank you, Lord God, for watering my soul once again, and the promise to continue to do so as I call on You and walk by Your ways. ~Amen
For the record, I love the start of school. Everything seems fresh: ideas, books, motivation, curriculum, organization techniques, schedules. However, some things always seem undone. One more book I wanted to get in this summer, one more getaway, one more revision of this or that, one more project around the house, etc. Regardless of what to-dos I have done, the school year begins. And, for a time, all is well.
Then, sometime late September (or late in the afternoon of day one . . .) frustrations crop up. Children bicker, concepts challenge our fortitude, schedules lag behind or press breakneck speed ahead, distractions crop up like weeds in July! This week, God gave me a special verse for those times, and to keep me out of denial now. No matter how grandiose and perfect my plans seem now, they cannot stand firm against all that my finite children will throw at them (I'm never a part of those problems . . .)
I have taken my time in savoring the book of Isaiah again recently and have arrived at one of my favorite chapters. Isaiah 58. I have much more to say on this chapter, but I kept clinging to one verse in particular as I read this just now. "And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." Isaiah 58:11.
When those rough days come, as I can guarantee they will, God offers a satisfying spring of water to carry me through as nourished as the ground in April. Of course, this response is for the obedient, those laying down their life at His feet. I can't go charging ahead with my own agenda and purpose and expect Him to pick up the pieces (although He graciously does that at times as well.)
He will satisfy us when we call out to Him and when we put our faith to work caring for others in need. We don't need to fear giving so much of ourselves that we run out or run dry. He will provide waters that fail not as we step out of the picture and let Him take charge.
I love this promise wrapped up in this verse. I know I will fail, I will lose my focus, I will get caught up in the temporal and forget the eternal, I will skew my priorities, and yet, when I return to Him, I will remember that He has all I need. Available for the asking, guidance for the day, strength for all that He has called me to accomplish, and forgiveness for my many shortcomings.
Thank you, Lord God, for watering my soul once again, and the promise to continue to do so as I call on You and walk by Your ways. ~Amen
And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
~Isaiah 58:11~
~Isaiah 58:11~
Comments
I'm not so sure about the fat bones though! :) I've always wanted skinnier bones, hahah.
Thanks for sharing.
Amy
Trujillo, Peru
http://homeschoolblogger.com/amada