Verse of the Day 5/19

Verse of the Day 5/19   

Isaiah 46:9-10   Remember the things I have done in the past.

    For I alone am God!
    I am God, and there is none like me.
¹⁰ Only I can tell you the future
    before it even happens.
Everything I plan will come to pass,
    for I do whatever I wish.    New Living Translation (NLT)

My Old Testament reading has been in the book of Isaiah, one chapter per day.  As I read through the O.T. I look forward to spending time in this great book of prophecy, one that is often quoted in the New Testament.  Today's verses are ones that we can approach like the psalmists who often wrote "selah", to stop and think calmly about what had just been written.

The verses are very informative and instructional.  They start by calling us to remember the Lord, what He has done in the past as recorded in His Word and in our past, what He has done in our lives.  It calls for us to honor and revere Him for who He is, the Creator and as Paul wrote in Philippians "the author and finisher of our faith" (Philippians 1:6). 

The verses also reveal that God has a plan in all of this and we have the assurance that He will bring it to pass, to completion.  Part of this was sending Jesus to offer us salvation and the unfinished part (at least for us) is that He will come again to bring us to our eternal home.

What should be our reaction to this?  I'll leave that answer to you.  But I would like you to consider this old hymn.

Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all; / He is my strength from day to day, without Him I would fall. / When I am sad, to Him I go, / No other one can cheer me so; / When I am sad, He makes me glad, / He's my friend.  (Will Thompson)

Think of what it means to you to have God as your friend, "when I am sad, He makes me glad He's my friend".

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Isaiah 46:8-13 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁸ "Remember this and stand firm,
    recall it to mind, you transgressors,
⁹     remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me,
¹⁰ declaring the end from the beginning
    and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, 'My counsel shall stand,
    and I will accomplish all my purpose,'
¹¹ calling a bird of prey from the east,
    the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
    I have purposed, and I will do it.

¹² "Listen to me, you stubborn of heart,
    you who are far from righteousness:
¹³ I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off,
    and my salvation will not delay;
I will put salvation in Zion,
    for Israel my glory."