Isaiah 1

Having just completed an in depth, but by no means exhaustive studies of Habakkuk and Zephaniah, I've turned my attention to the book of Isaiah. There are many verses in this large Old Testament book that have spoken to my heart just when I needed it. It almost felt daunting to begin a study with this book because for some reason I've allowed myself to believe that somehow I don't have the skills to dig into the major prophets of old. Ezekiel, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, Isaiah and even the prophecies of Daniel have always seemed like heights of understanding my puny brain could never comprehend.

Well, I was wrong.

After all, anything is possible with the help of Jesus and His Spirit, right? (see Matthew 17:20) So I promised my ADD brain that can become so easily overwhelmed, that I would break this book down into manageable "chunks" and I would take it slow. Already, God's Spirit has been faithful to glean for me some truths of which I need to be reminded...and the first one began in the introduction of all places!

It seems Isaiah is broken down into 66 chapters, just as the Bible is broken down into 66 books. Even better, chapter 1-39 fall under the theme of God's Character and Judgment...much like the 39 books of the Old Testament. Knowing this, would you now be surprised to learn that chapters 40-66 pursue the theme of God's Comfort and Redemption? Probably not if you're familiar with books 40-66 of the Bible...which perhaps, not coincidentally...are the books of the New Testament. Are you sensing a pattern here? And I can't take credit for this revelation. It was explained very well by the author of the introduction in my Bible.

Moving along to Isaiah 1, I could easily become disheartened with the reproving statements God had Isaiah deliver to Jerusalem and all of Judah. He was using Isaiah to lay out the plan for God's judgment on His idolatrous children. But tucked away, almost in the middle of chapter one was this amazing call to purity that His Spirit wanted to embed in my heart two days ago when I read it. As He often does, the message He wanted to share was already being brought to my mind and to my heart by the God that just won't let me go. [Is there a Hebrew word for that phrase? Not trying to be sacrilegious, but I like "El-Holdemtightah"] He's amazing like that, isn't He? Sometimes we just have to have the lesson come to us from a few different places before we believe it's Him. Why is that? I think that's another post entirely.

What His gentle Spirit had been sharing with my heart for about a week was a reflection over the last year in the lives of the single women we know. Many of these women I have no more contact with them than to see an occasional post on Facebook about the struggles in which they wade through hoping just for a few moments to get their head above water. God had been making a mental list of all their trials and victories for me to celebrate and lament. I've admittedly been floundering for a few months trying to figure out just where this ministry's headed and what He expects from us as a family when it comes to serving single moms and their families.

I've felt from the beginning of this ministry a year ago that God's Spirit wanted to take the credit for all provision for us, Boundless Ministries, and the single moms through Him we are able to bless. The year before, when we "just wanted to help", we did ask for donations and gift cards for moms when a need arose. We sent e-mails, posted on the blog or even on Facebook, when we knew of a need and we knew someone could probably provide it if we just asked. Sometimes people stepped up and sometimes they didn't.

But last summer, when we felt God calling us to more...to a place where He wanted us to leap and watch Him catch us...I felt very strongly that He was asking for complete trust and that meant a call to pray...first and foremost and almost exclusively, for needs as they arose for single moms, us or this ministry. So that's what we've done. Initially, we stepped back and watched as God proved time and time again that He was more than capable of not only providing for single moms but us as well. We've always been very upfront that 25% of donations are used to support us as we minister to single moms. I still feel confident that His plan as He laid out in the beginning is what He wants. I have to be honest though that as He's called us to a deeper walk with Him, the "obvious" blessings have become very scarce. What I've struggled to get my American-cultured brain around is that His blessings are not always going to be monetary. We may not always be able to give a single mom money or gift cards, it may be some extra groceries or time that we have instead. I've been very open on this blog that I've struggled with this idea that I may not have the freedom to anonymously send a mom a huge monetary blessing...it might just be a few boxes of pasta, sauce or some beans and rice. Why can't I rejoice in that just as much as handing over a few hundred dollars worth of gift cards? Hmmm...seems to be a flaw in me...not the One who's providing.

And I've found myself whining about this a lot. Worse yet, I've begun to doubt God's original leading about seeking only His wisdom and will on fund raising and provision. My enemy has caused many fears that I'd "missed something" or "heard Him wrong".

Truth is, I haven't. I think God's overall lesson on trusting His provision completely is spot on. I'm not supposed to run to my e-mail or my Facebook page first to solicit support for those in need. No, I need to run to my Abba. And possibly most of the time, that will be where my part ends...but on occasion He may ask me to speak up and speak out for the ladies we know. That may involve requesting prayer (as we attempt to do with our Prayer Partners and bi-monthly prayer request updates), it may be a special post on our personal or ministry Facebook page, calling all brothers and sisters in Jesus to intercede on behalf of a need and still more rarely, it may mean asking those we know to step up and give...even sacrificially...for a mom that just can't "do-it-herself" this time. Sometimes, God will want those donations to go through Boundless Ministries, and sometimes He won't. And I need to be okay with that. After all, it's not my blessing to give...it's His.

After this lengthy epistle you're probably asking yourself: "What does all of this have to do with Isaiah 1?" Well, remember I said God had been formulating a list of remembrance regarding all of the trials and victories we've witnessed over the last year? I already was planning a blog post that would essentially be a list of the needs I know that single moms have. Instead of the last two prayer updates, I wanted a special "call to prayer" on behalf of these ladies. Having this already on my heart to do soon, imagine my joy when I read this two days ago in Isaiah 1:16-17

"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
Cease to do evil, 
Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless,
Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow."

Isaiah was commanded to tell Judah how God wanted them to wash their hands that were "covered in blood". The two verses above are the prescription for how to accomplish this. I'm reading a book that is greatly challenging me about social justice and care for the poor. It appears God's Bible isn't a place where I can escape from that challenge.

When I put it all together, it seems I'm on the right path...defending the orphan and pleading for the widow. Sometimes that will entail pleading with God and sometimes whether you like it or not, that will mean pleading with you. I've washed myself clean with the blood of the Messiah that shed it so I can be clean. Now as I plead for the widow and the orphan I've got to let God work on removing the evil from His sight that is within my hearing. My prayer is that I quit listening to the evil one that has me perpetually second guessing the call to serve single moms. It couldn't be more plain. Unfortunately, I keep getting tripped up on the how...but that was never my problem to figure out in the first place.

Amen!