Chapters of His Heart: Isaiah 9

I know, I know….I'm late. To be completely honest I've been a bit distracted by the new white world outside and Friday morning completely flew by. If you've been watching the weather the past few days then you probably know that Ohio is buried somewhere under, at least, five inches of ice and snow. So I'm calling it a snow delay. Maybe some pictures will make up for my forgetfulness. :D (Scroll down to see the winter wonderland. Well, after you read my post…)

Isaiah 9 is a refreshing and hope filled reminder that God is not all doom and destruction. It reminds us that He is a God of peace and He offers His hope to all who will accept it. Here are a few of my favorite passages from this chapter.

"Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever….The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine….For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders….The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and it's peace will never end, He will rule with fairness and Justice from the throne of His ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven's Armies will make this happen!"

Such hope, such glorious hope! Hope of a future, hope of glory and light, of harvest and freedom, of peace and end to war, hope of a Messiah. Hope to one day live in His everlasting reign of peace. Such is the hope that belongs to those who wholeheartedly trust the Lord, to those who follow His commands. Yet such is the nation's pride that such a hope is lost to them. Never will they experience such hope through their pride-blinded eyes. Pride says "In our strength…" or "Look what we have done.." but hope comes to those who say "It is only by His strength…" or "Look what He has done".

When we boast of our accomplishments without giving credit to the one who gave us the abilities to accomplish things, we are just as pride-blinded as the Israelites were. Instead of choosing to trust in His strength they choose their pride, and instead of being rewarded with The Great Hope, they were punished with a great anger. Their arrogance did not go unnoticed and neither did it go unchecked. God's heart longs to fulfill His promise of hope, but until our pride is thrown away and replaced by a repentant heart, there will be no hope. He is waiting, and when we come….oh such hope.

As promised, here are some pictures I took this morning of the snow. Enjoy!

The pond behind my house.

 

This is my puppy, she loves the snow!