OUR DAILY BREAD : ANSWER THE CRY

[cimi]

January 24
Saturday


ANSWER
THE CRY

READ:
Isaiah 30:15-22
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[The LORD] will be very
gracious to you at the
sound of your cry.
__Isaiah 30:19
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When my grandchildren were young, my son took them to see the stage production of The Lion King. As the young lion, Simba, stood over his father, King Mufasa, who had been killed by his evil uncle, little Simba, afraid and alone, cried out, "Help, Help, Help!" At that moment, my 3-year-old grandson stood on his chair in the hushed theater and shouted, "Why doesn't somebody help him?!"

The Old Testament contains many accounts of God's people crying out for help. Although their trouble was often self-imposed due to their waywardness, God was still eager to come to their aid.

The prophet Isaiah had to deliver a lot of bad news, but in the midst of it he assured the people that "the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion....How gracious he will be when you cry for help!" (Isa. 30:18-19 NIV). Yet God often looked to His own people to be the answer to that cry for help (see Isa. 58:10).

Today, people all around us are in need of someone to take action to help them. It is a high privilege to become the hands of God as we respond on His behalf to cries for help. __Joe stowell

`````````````Lord, remind me that You desire to show compassion `````````````
````````````to those in need and that you often call on us to be the````````````
```````````instruments of that compassion. Give me an opportunity```````````
````````````today to show your love to at least one person in need.````````````
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Show that God cares by lending a helping hand.

*********************Today's Bible Reading __ Isaiah 30:15-22********************
15 For thus says the Lord
GOD, the Holy One of Israel:
"In returning and rest you
shall be saved; in quietness
and confidence shall be your
strength." But you would not,

16 and you said, "No, for we
will flee on horses"__
therefore you shall flee! and,
"We will ride on swift
horses"__therefore those
who pursue you shall be
swift!

17 One thousand shall flee at
the threat of one, at the threat
of five you shall flee, till you
are left as a pole on top of a
mountain and as a banner on
a hill. 18 Therefore the LORD
will wait, that he may be
gracious to you; and
therefore He will be exalted,
that He may have mercy on
you. For the LORD is a God
of justice; blessed are all
those who wait for Him.

19 For the people shall dwell
in Zion at Jerusalem; you
shall weep no more. He will
be very gracious to you at the
sound of your cry; when He
hears it, He will answer you.

20 And though the Lord gives
you the bread of adversity
and the water of affliction,
yet your teachers will not be
moved into a corner
anymore, but your eyes shall
see your teachers. 21 your
ears shall hear a word behind
you, saying, "This is the way,
walk in it," whenever you
turn to the right hand or
whenever you turn to the left.

22 You will also defile the
covering of your images of
sliver, and the ornament of
your molded images of gold.
You will throw them away as
an unclean thing:; you will
say to them, "Get away!"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Isaiah was a prophet who spoke comprehensively about the coming
Messiah. In fact, he spoke about the Deliverer more than any other
Old Testament figure did__which makes his name very appropriate.
Isaiah means "the Lord is salvation."