Isaiah 33 (HCSB)
The Lord Rises Up
1 Woe, you destroyer never destroyed, you traitor never betrayed! When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed. When you have finished betraying, they will betray you.
2 Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for You. Be our strength every morning and our salvation in time of trouble.
3 The peoples flee at the thunderous noise; the nations scatter when You rise in Your majesty.
4 Your spoil will be gathered as locusts are gathered; people will swarm over it like an infestation of locusts.
5 The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 There will be times of security for you—a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.
7 Listen! Their warriors cry loudly in the streets; the messengers of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are deserted; travel has ceased. An agreement has been broken, cities despised, and human life disregarded.
9 The land mourns and withers; Lebanon is ashamed and decayed. Sharon is like a desert; Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
10 “Now I will rise up,” says the Lord. “Now I will lift Myself up. Now I will be exalted.
11 You will conceive chaff; you will give birth to stubble. Your breath is fire that will consume you.
12 The peoples will be burned to ashes, like thorns cut down and burned in a fire.
13 You who are far off, hear what I have done; you who are near, know My strength.”
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling seizes the ungodly: “Who among us can dwell with a consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with ever-burning flames?”
15 The one who lives righteously and speaks rightly, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears from listening to murderous plots and shuts his eyes to avoid endorsing evil—
16 he will dwell on the heights; his refuge will be the rocky fortresses, his food provided, his water assured.
17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; you will see a vast land.
18 Your mind will meditate on the past terror: “Where is the accountant? Where is the tribute collector? Where is the one who spied out our defenses?”
19 You will no longer see the barbarians, a people whose speech is difficult to comprehend—who stammer in a language that is not understood.
20 Look at Zion, the city of our festival times. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful pasture, a tent that does not wander; its tent pegs will not be pulled up nor will any of its cords be loosened.
21 For the majestic One, our Lord, will be there, a place of rivers and broad streams where ships that are rowed will not go, and majestic vessels will not pass.
22 For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our King. He will save us.
23 Your ropes are slack; they cannot hold the base of the mast or spread out the flag. Then abundant spoil will be divided, the lame will plunder it,
24 and none there will say, “I am sick.” The people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 15): Father, please forgive me for my far too often poor choice of words. Help me to glorify You both in my actions and my words by speaking Your truth more and using these worldly and sinful words less.
PROMISE (verse 22): You make a promise to us that not only will You return, but that also upon that return all who follow You will be saved by You—our Judge, our Lawgiver, and our King.
ATTITUDE (verse 2): Help me, Father, to no longer depend on my own strength. Help me to wake up every morning and lean on Your strength; to lean on the salvation only You can provide, especially in the times that I am troubled. I cannot do this on my own and must align my attitudes to be dependent on You and not on my own strength and will.
COMMAND (verse 13): You tell us, Father, to know what You have done and to know Your strength. Help me to learn more about You, Lord. Help me to continue to build this relationship with You so that I may always embrace Your truth and Your strength.
EXAMPLE (verses 14-16): You give us so many examples to live by in this chapter, Father. Theses verses in particular, You tell us not to sin, so that we are not afraid; You tell us to live righteously and to speak rightly; You tell us to guard our thoughts by being cautious of what we listen to and watch. If we do these things, You will be our fortress and provide for all of our needs. Thank You, Father, for laying out this blueprint for how we are to live. Help me to remember to follow this example in this life, Father, so that I may live in a way that glorifies You.
*DAILY NOTE: I have a bad mouth on me, Father. Far too often, I give into my upbringing, military background, and the ways of this world in the way I speak. I am sorry for this. Long-lived habits are so hard to break for me. I have gotten better as of late, but I still struggle with the way I speak and my word choices. Please help me become better with this, Father, so that the words that I speak do not disgrace You in any way.
*GENERAL NOTE: I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.
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