Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

February 22
Friday


CARRIED IN HIS
STRONG ARMS

READ:
Isaiah 46:1-11
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Missionary couple Ray and Sophie de le Haye served heroically in West Africa for more than 40 years. As she grew older, Sophie suffered from the loss of all motor control of her body. That once-strong servant of Christ, who had carried on a ministry of unimaginable stress, was suddenly reduced to helplessness, unable to button her clothes or lift a cup of water to her lips. But she refused to become bitter or self-pitying. In her moments of utter weakness, she would quietly remind herself, "For this you have Jesus."

Many centuries ago our heavenly Father gave a reassuring message to a burdened prophet of Israel-a message that we need today: "Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,... who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb: Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you" (Isa. 46:3-4).

What an encouraging picture of divine grace! It calls to mind the Good Shepherd bearing a helpless lamb. Whether young or old, we can learn to let God carry us. Weak and burdened, we can lean on His everlasting arms and remind ourselves, "For this I have Jesus." __Vernon Grounds
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```````````````````The King of love my Shepherd is,``````````````
````````````````````Whose goodness faileth never;```````````````
````````````````````````I nothing lack if I am His,````````````````
`````````````````````And He is mine forever. __Baker`````````````
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You can rest in the arms of Jesus__
He'll never let you down.

****************Today's Bible Reading __ Isaiah 46:1-11***********

1 Bel bows down, Nebo
stoops; their idols were on
the beasts and on the cattle.
Your carriages were heavily
loaded, a burden to the weary
beast. 2 They stoop, they bow
down together; they could
not deliver the burden, but
have themselves gone into
captivity.

3 Listen to Me, O house of
Jacob, and all the remnant of
the house of Israel, who have
been upheld by Me from
birth...: 4 Even to your old
age, I am He, and even to
gray hairs I will carry you! I
have made, and I will bear;
even I will carry, and will
deliver you.

5 To whom will you liken
Me, and make Me equal and
compare Me, that we should
be alike? 6 They... hire a
goldsmith, and he makes it a
god; they prostrate
themselves, yes, they
worship. 7 ... Though one
cries out to it, yet it cannot
answer nor save him out of
his trouble.

8 Remember this, and show
yourselves men; recall to
mind, O 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 that are
not yet done, saying, "My
counsel shall stand, and I
will do all My pleasure,"

11 calling a bird of prey from
the east, the man who
executes My counsel, from a
far country. Indeed I have
spoken it; I will also bring it
to pass. I have purposed it; I
will also do it.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Isaiah 46 is a prophecy against Babylon. About 150 years after God
used Babylon to punish Judah, Babylon would be punished by Cyrus
the Persian (v.11). The false gods of Babylon (vv.1-2) are helpless, for
God is sovereign and His purposes will stand (vv.9-10). _SKT