LOCKET VERSES         WEEK 51

In this chapter of Isaiah, we see the people of Israel in great distress, trying to find their own way out of trials, thus walking further down the trail of adversity. God reminds them, in verse 20, And though (even though) the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed.... It was because the teachers were kept by God’s power, that the Israelites could finally hear the voice of God’s direction. That was their true need, more than temporary deliverance from their adversity. Even with the loss of some things, God has promised that our real needs will not be taken away, they will be there for each of us. The sifting of our priority needs is a demonstration that in judgment God knows our true necessity. Though the people of Israel had wept in their distress, when they turned their tears into "cries" unto the Lord, they found victory: ...thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee. Isaiah 30:19 In distress, we often lose the focus of our spiritual eyes and our human weeping drowns the still voice of God to our spiritual ears. Yet, always He is there. Our God promises us that He will show us a plan path, He will lead us aright. We must focus our spiritual senses to be attune to His directions. The opened spiritual ears will hear God’s voice. The ears of the Israelites were those of a people who have gone through adversity, those who had wept, but could still hear when God answered their cry, because they knew His voice and had come to an end of their own counsel. Bitterness did not cloud their senses. ...Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts...Psalm 95:7-8 ...the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out...and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice...John 10:3-4 He will not only guide our steps but show us which way to turn. Our Shepherd uses His staff to gently prod us from behind, all the while calling, gently "clucking" and moving us along. From His vantage point, with His infinite wisdom, He sees and knows the road ahead. We are like sheep whose heads are at a lower level then the shepherd, who have never traveled this path before. Like sheep, we would only stumble without the Shepherd. The Holy Spirit is like the faithful sheep dog, who is always circling, always running at the heels of the sheep. Sometimes, the dog must nip the heels of the sheep, but never to wound. Other times he barks his warnings, but often he walks amongst them, reassuring them with nuzzles of calm encouragement and love. We can thank the Holy Spirit that often He is like the "Hound of Heaven," warning, seeking, directing, when we need that ministry to our souls. Yet, at the same time, He is the faithful Companion, gently assuring us with His presence. While the passage contains the phrase "even though," which seems negative and transient to our minds, we must remember that with God, His "even thoughs" are part of a purposeful plan for our lives. If we can remember this fact we will not "faint" in adversity. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. Proverbs 24:10 We will remember that our God is gracious, when we call because He will answer us. Even as we are in the bread of adversity, He is still feeding us. Even in the water of affliction, He is still nourishing us. God will always be our best Teacher and our best Guide. He is the One who will never be removed from us. We have to listen to hear the voice behind us, not jump in surprise or run and flee from an unknown sound. The effects of my brain disease resulted in the lose of my peripheral vision. At first, items would seem to "jump" into my vision field. The car approaching from the lane beside us would appear so suddenly in my vision that I would often even yell and my heart would race. In a store, I would jump with a start when I would suddenly hear a voice of someone standing next to me that I had not seen. I had to teach myself not to overreact to sounds or sights. One of the best ways I found was to be more sensitive to the sounds behind and around me. I started to hear the approaching hum of the car motors, the footsteps of individuals in a crowd, the quiet movements around me. When we "train" ourselves to be sensitive to God’s still small voice of direction, we will not be surprised when He speaks to us. If we acquaint ourselves with the sound of His words and the distinct vocabulary He uses, we will not confuse Him with any other. We will not flee from something that is foreign to our ears, but relax and accept Him into our circle of vision. We will hear Him even when the footfall is soft and gentle. We will be ever aware of His presence. Often in Scripture, God shows us the same pattern: ..But stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God. I Samuel 9:27 When we listen, we will learn to walk in the way that God directs: ...set thine heart toward the highway... Jeremiah 31:21 For God will lead: ..he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:2 That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do, Jeremiah 42:3, and ...to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:79 For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death. Psalm 48:14 As part of God’s promise of direction, He gifts us with spiritual teachers. Isaiah 30:20 He will not hide them in a corner from our knowledge. Each of us knows who and where they are. How often do people in need try every "other" avenue before they come to their pastor? He is there all along, placed by God for our instruction and counsel. Or perhaps it is a spiritually mature lady God has placed in your life, even a godly mother. The advisor is there for us, we need to "look" to them and "listen" to them, be willing to accept and act on their counsel. How like a godly pastor, the picture in Isaiah is. He is truly the good under-shepherd of the flock. He will not push, shove, or "pull" his flock along, but gently, firmly give the word of direction, showing the way, warning of danger, leading to those green pastures and softly flowing waters of God’s Word for feeding. The under-shepherd is there to counsel, but we must have our spiritual hearing aids turned on to hear the voice of instruction to our heart’s path. In one church my husband pastored, there was an older man who was being resistant to the preaching of God’s Word. After the song service and just before the message, he would dramatically reach up and turn off his hearing aid! The message was clear, "I am not listening to the preaching this morning!" Though it might appear humorous, the results to his life were very sad. The joy and growth he could have experienced were lost to him in the confusion of mumbled sounds. He listened only to the voice of his own rebellion and missed the voice of God’s direction. We must be careful not to turn off or even turn down our spiritual hearing aids or allow our spiritual eye glasses to be fogged over with the smudges of sin and self. When we hear the voice "behind us" will we flee from it, ignore it and walk on in our own path, or listen to other voices? Or will we know His voice? Only true sheep hear the True Shepherd and know His voice. We must step out on our life path by faith, faith in our Shepherd of love. As our Heavenly Father, God whispers to our hearts. It is like the parent gently guiding, actively leading, yet desiring his child to step out and walk the path before them with confident steps of their own. The parent is always there, the hand is held out to steady the faltering steps, yet the advise is spoken gently and earnestly close to the ear. "This is the way, my dear child, I so want you to walk in it. I know it is safe and right for you. I will be here whether it turns to the right or the left, right behind you. You do not walk this path alone, though each step is your decision. Place you feet, walk ahead, listen carefully. I am still there, my child, I will not leave you alone. I am always right behind you." Listen for His voice today in your path of life. Before each turn, ask His counsel. Look for His sign posts and follow in the way He has planned for you.

Our verse is like life. In the midst of turmoil, God will have blessing for His children who trust in Him. In the midst of judgment, God’s people can find deliverance. In the midst of trials, we can find a song for our hearts. It was to be so for the Israelites who had found the salvation of returning and rest in the Lord, who had found strength in the quietness and confidence that total trust in God can bring. (Isaiah 30:15) These blessings were theirs, in the midst of devouring judgment on the enemies of God. We must be careful not to set our focus on the swirling tumult of problems that often surround us. Past the storm is a gentle washing of God’s "rain" of blessing. (verse 23) In the midst of a storm, our God is there. He wants our hearts to be ever directed toward Him. So in the midst of a chapter of judgment and fierce indignation, we find this promise verse. Note that there are other promises in the chapter, promises of blessing to God’s people when they have cast off the works of sin and darkness. Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures. Isaiah 30:23 ...in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound. Verse 26 While God is enacting judgment on His enemies, God’s people can have the peace of a quiet pastoral scene, healing in their lives and songs in their hearts. The contrast is clearly painted. The choice given to each in Israel was whether to desire a life of blessing and song, or of judgment and defeat. Immediately after picturing the devouring fire of that judgment, Isaiah tells Israel, and in application, also tells us: Ye shall have a song. It is one that is sung as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept. This is no light hearted humming, but a composition of deep and thoughtful commitment that results in gladness of heart. The vanities of surface happiness can evaporate in the fire of turmoil, but the deep song of commitment will comfort our hearts. Let’s take a "thought" break concerning the words of our verse:

In the night: What kind of nights do we have? Are they peaceful, restful ones, ones full of dreaming, ones of darkness and danger, ones of turmoil and fear? Are there even the nights of our souls when all seems to be despaired of? All of those are the nights when we are to have a song.

When a holy solemnity is kept: Holy: meaning sanctified, dedicated, unique. Solemnity: In Scripture this is the only time the Hebrew word is translated this way. More often it is translated feast (56 times) or sacrifice (3 times). In the night of our song, a holy pilgrim feast is kept. It is the picture of a continuous keeping, reminding us of the solemness of the temple priests, quietly tending the lamps that burned through the night. Through our "nights," God’s lamps still are lit and we must guard them in our own lives with a holy solemnity. We must be such diligent keepers of the holiness in our lives that even the darkest night will not cause us to run from our "duty" as New Testament priests, or fail to keep our watch.

The song is also with gladness of heart: Note the order of the action of the verse: keeping in the night resulting in a heart of gladness. We could understand gladness of heart as the joy of God in our inner man. How do we have this gladness of heart? As when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD. We must go to those sacred places of our heart. That reminds us of the concept of Locket Verses, those portions of God’s Word that we treasure deep within.

Pipe: The visual picture is of the musician coming into the mountain of the LORD. As he approaches God with his song, the pipe is lifted to his lips so the song can be played before the Lord that has already been sung out in his heart. The music of a pipe seems to speak forth the soulful thoughts of the heart, either in joy, contemplation, sadness, longing, indeed all our emotions.

We can also note that the gladness of heart was in the night. Often we let the "night" overwhelm us and we become as dark as its shadows. Instead, God seems to say, "See the softness of the moonlight, the bright twinkling of the stars. Remember, I planned this time for you, just as I planned the night for all of My creation. Without the night, the crops would wither in the constant heat of the day. Without the night, there could be no early morning dew, distilled from the coolness of the night soil as it warms to the rays of the morning sun. Without the night, many of the creatures, including man, would find no rest to their labors, no rejuvenating rest for their bodies. Trust Me in your nights, dear child." In the night, we physically have a restoration of our body cells that have been torn down during the day. As we rest, certain chemicals are secreted that we need to function properly. The night is not to be feared for it is part of God’s plan. We must rest in Him and find rest for our souls and gladness for our hearts. Remember Paul and Silas in the Philippian prison described in Acts 16. It was in the midst of the literal night, and in the midst of the night of their afflictions in prison, that they could sing songs to the Lord. Perhaps they were songs of encouragement to their own minds, songs of commitment to the Lord, songs rehearsing God’s dealings, songs from the Psalms, or even songs of testimony, but were they perhaps also songs of gladness? In the shackles of their imprisonment, they may not have glimpsed the deliverance and the destiny that God had already planned. Could they see the jailor as a soon to be brother in Christ? Could they peer at him and see the little lives of his children at home whose eternal destinies would be altered even before the daylight hour? Could they see the beginnings of the church in Philippi? Or is it probable that all they could see with their physical eyes were the chains that bound them, the grimy walls of the cell and the darkness of the night around. Whatever your night, your chains, your prison walls, peer beyond them to the light of what God wants wrought there. With trembling hearts of praise, commit those nights to Him and find His songs of gladness. For, indeed, He is the mighty One of Israel who offers us His might in our night. The LORD, Jehovah, the "ever existing One," ever exists for us in all our trials and all our blessings. He is called the Mighty One, which also translates as the Rock. It is interesting that the mountain place of promise is where we meet Him, who is the Rock of our salvation. Throughout the study of the entire chapter of Isaiah 30, one recurring thought kept announcing its presence, "We should each be writing our own song of praise to our Lord." It can be ours because we have the rest and confidence and strength promised in verse 15. We know the One to whom we sing, because we have waited on Him and can now exalt His name. (Verse 18) When were these songs sung? They were sung in the midst of judgment, in the midst of adversity, in the midst of deliverance, yet in the promise of His provisions. I wonder, is the little word "a" significant in this verse? It isn’t stated that it is "the" song, but "a" song. While in Heaven, we will all one day join in THE song of all the redeemed of praise to our Lord, each of us can have the promise of an individual song in each of our lives now. My song may be to a different rhythm than yours, and your lyrics will have words unique to your life. But we can all sing them to our Lord. One of my friends, who is very musical, has composed a song for each of the special people in her life and given it that person’s name. She has watched their lives, learned what is important to them and translated it into a unique song for each. Some of them are in a minor key, others in a major. Some have light and airy passages, others contain deep, contemplative moods. But when she plays each one on the piano, it speaks to her of the person for whom it is named, their personalities, their dreams. Perhaps each of us should be busy about composing a heart song for our Lord that speaks of His person, His promises, His actions in our life. Then, as we play that song, others may hear of His beauty and His grace. What sort of song are you composing in your heart today? You do not have to know all the theories of musical progression or even play an instrument. The notes are already in your heart, the song close to your lips. Listen carefully, you may hear its music even now welling up within as you think of Him who is your Lord. Come into His mountain with song today.

The plea of God throughout Scripture is summarized in this verse. In the pages of holy writ God calls to His creation in words of love, words that beckon to our hearts, "Come unto Me." As we read our Bibles, we can hear the cry of God’s heart to our hearts echoed back hundreds of times. Even with the first sin of Adam and Eve, God called out into the evening air, "Adam, Adam. Where art thou?" The unwritten plea was the same, "Adam, turn ye unto Me. You are hiding now because of your sin and your guilt. There is only One you can turn to for cleansing. Come out from the bushes and find Me again." We can summarize God’s call unto Abraham, "Turn ye unto Me, away from the idols of Ur, and I will make of you a new nation." We hear His oft spoken words through the prophets of Israel, "My people, turn ye unto Me, there is still time. You can be part of the faithful remnant." And then the words of God the Son, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor, and I will give you rest." Come ...turn ...return to the One who can give your life meaning and direction ...return to the One who can give you new life ...return to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. How sad it seems that the very Giver of life has to even ask any man to turn to Him. It would seem that all mankind would desire beyond all else to live in daily communion with the One who gave them life. Yet, throughout history, all have sinned, all have turned, all have revolted from the Lord of love. And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction. Jeremiah 32:33 To understand the depth of the love of God, we must consider that His pleas have fallen on ears deafened by selfishness and sin. His calls that were aimed at turned backs, were calls that yet continued in stronger urging, always calling, never wavering. It was that call that cried out from the Cross, Father, forgive them. Even in the ultimate betrayal of His love, He still called out. If you have never answered His call for salvation, today can be the day that you can turn unto Him: Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7 With each call of God comes the promise of His abundant mercy and pardon. But His call is not just for salvation, but it can be heard in all our life situations, as God affirms, "Turn unto Me in even this." Many times, even dedicated Christians are surprised to find the areas of their lives that they have not turned over to the Lord. Or, sometimes, there are even those things which once belonged to the Lord, but have now been allowed to drift into the counsels of the world. This can happen so quietly and softly in our lives that we often do not heed the call to turn back to the Lord. Yet the influence in even the smallest area can be the establishment of a foothold of the enemy called "Defeat" in our entire walk. Search your heart and life today. Are there any areas where you need to heed the call: Turn ye unto him? It might even be in the area of attitude. Perhaps the attitude of criticism has crept in, turn ye. Or perhaps it is envy or dissatisfaction, turn ye and find healing and refreshment for your spirit. Whatever is not as Christ would desire, His voice is calling to you. Perhaps it is in your associations or habits or pursuits, the call is the same, turn ye and find the joy of your Lord. Perhaps there are even those areas of Christian life that you know you should be doing in the fullness of the Spirit: devotions, prayer, witnessing, service, giving, and you have drifted away. Turn, reach out to the Person of the call and let Him help you to make a complete renewal. In the context of Isaiah chapter 31, God has been describing the woe [of] them that go down to Egypt for help...[those who] look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD! (Verse 1) Because they had turned the wrong way, they shall all fail together. (Verse 3) Despite the failing of others, God held out His plea. "I am the One from whom others have deeply revolted," the words seem to say, "but you still have a choice. Find the only true help, Turn ye." The research of the Hebrew words gives a plain and direct interpretation of the verse. Turn ye unto, return back again, come back to, him, from whom the children of Israel have deeply, profoundly, revolted, turned away, rebelled, withdrew, defected in moral or legal offences. The sinful turning of Israel had been in a profound way, full of offense against God, yet hope was still in the message of obedience. Loudly in love, warning and mercy, Isaiah 31:6 cries out, Turn YE unto HIM. The turning is personal. Even though a thousand others have rejected and turned away from God and ignored His pleas, you can still turn. In the midst of conflict, the Israelites were called to turn to the only true Leader who could lead them forth in victory. He is the ensign of verse nine, who holds the eternal fire, the Ensign who is Christ. While His faithful shall turn unto Him, the enemies will turn from Him and flee. (Verse 8) In life we are often caught in the midst of a great "civil war." All around us, even our Christian brethren seem to stand on a Mason-Dixon line of lifestyle choices. In every area we must choose whose side we are on. As with Joshua of old, we should proclaim, "As for me, I will serve the Lord, I will turn unto Him." Having the assurance that we have made the initial turning in salvation, let each of us pledge today to turn unto the Lord in all the areas of our lives. Perhaps it will be in counsel, in love, in obedience, in service, or in following. Our Ensign will surely give us the victory that the world can not hold.

Many of the verses of Isaiah chapter 32, paint a beautiful picture that should cause a yearning in our souls for the perfect work of righteousness to be seen in our world, in our land and in our own lives. We know that this work will not be evident in the world until the king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. Isaiah 32:1 That great and mighty day will be the time when Christ returns to rule this world at His second coming. The work of righteousness has been promised to a nation that meets the conditions of II Chronicles 7:14: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Our prayers should go up daily for the spiritual health of our land. Intercession should be make continually for our nation to turn unto the Lord and find His peace. Even though we might not be in a literal military war, the lack of peace in our land is very evident. Only the true work of righteousness can bring internal peace to our nation, a work that can only be wrought when people turn to the Lord and heed the call of Isaiah 31:6: Turn ye unto him. The excitement of our verse for today can also be found in the personal application to each of our lives. The yearning within us should be that the perfect work of righteousness would be found within our own hearts. With that work comes the peace and assurance that each of us desires. Lives that were before full of turmoil, can become examples of peacefulness when Christ is invited in as Savior. Situations that seem hopeless and full of ominous prospects, can be faced with peaceful hope when placed at the feet of the Lord. Minds that are racked with troubling thoughts and fears, can find peaceful asylum as their trust is renewed in the Giver of Peace. Jesus said, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27 God’s work of righteousness in salvation is manifest daily in each of our lives in the present world, while giving absolute assurance of eternal peace for eternity. We must never forget the many "fold" applications of the work of God’s righteousness, and that they always result in peace. To set the beauty of the picture painted by this chapter, read these three verses together: Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places. Isaiah 32:16-18 Read the verses slowly, and feel the yearning deep within for the beauty of the situation, the pleasantness of the "land." Let God etch the engraving deep within your heart and in the gallery of your mind so that at any time you can go there to gaze at the peaceful scene that you can enter when you allow God’s righteousness to rule and reign in your life and in all its situations. The context of our verse is of great significance, but so are each of the individual words of the verse. Work is a word that can be used for intricate work, like needlework, as well as for any labor. It gave me thought of the intricate work of righteousness and the many threads that it weaves in lives: peace, quietness, assurance, plus purpose, confidence, stability, freedom, liberation in forgiveness, and so much more. Each hue of the weaving beautifies the life of the believer. When just one thread is not given over to the Master Weaver, the pattern will not be complete. The loose frayed ends of purposes not submitted to the righteous King, those of peace not sought, of stubborn warring against His way, will draw the eye of the beholders away from the designed pattern of peace to view with dismay the frays. I have often viewed a cross stitch piece that was done incorrectly or allowed to decay and fray. I only seemed to notice that which was wrong or out of place. Yet a piece that was done with the care of a skilled needleworker, was a thing of great beauty, every thread neatly in place, every detail done in harmony to the whole. Once I did a project for my mother that was a stitchery recreation of a botanical print of roses. It had multiple hues of rose, red and pink, weaving in and out of each other. When they were all stitched, the design was still not totally visible until the dark threads of outline for each petal were applied. When that was done, it looked like an oil painting. Yet if I had not obeyed the directions, or chosen to put in different colors, or had stopped before every detail was added, there would have been no harmony and no beauty. I had to be willing to trust the master needleworker who had designed the piece as I purchased the threads. I had to agree that they were right, that her plan was just the one to allow the beauty of the project to be seen. So we must trust God, the Master Weaver of lives, that each of His directions are righteous and each thread He places in our lives is just and pure. We must let Him have His perfect work in us. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. Deuteronomy 32:4 It is exciting to realize that He allows us to be active participants in His work in our lives: [He will] Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Heb 13:21 The work of our verse is the work of righteousness, a word that can be used of God’s attributes as well as of justice, truthfulness, and righteous acts. All righteousness flows from the character and plan of God. The resulting peace speaks of a completeness and soundness filled with welfare and peaceful friendship. The action of God’s righteousness in salvation gives the believer a peace where there had been enmity. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity,...so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body, having slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you which were afar off , and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Ephesians 2:15-18 The work of righteousness in our lives each day gives us a peace within and a cessation of warrings in our attitudes. This peace is the work of righteousness. The effect of righteousness is seen in the next phrase of our verse. Effect is a word that means service, labor, or tillage. It is the labor, the hard work, that makes a cultivated field. Here, too, the field must have the full work of the Husbandman for there to be a fruitful crop. In the San Joaquin Valley, a prime example for cultivation of crops, one can view the "full" work of the farmers. At the start of the season, fields will lie barren and dry. Their dust clouds can often seem to obscure the sun. But patiently, the farmer begins to plow up the fallow ground, which before his labors lies sterile and unproductive. In fact, without the cultivation of this land, it is practically a desert. The tractors dig deep, the ground is turned over and over to expose the most fertile parts. Then the farmer sows the seed in the ground and covers it carefully. He irrigates on a precise schedule. As the sprouting crops emerge, he is ever vigilant to destroy the weeds, foreign crops and pests. He often prunes the growing plants and fertilizes them to increase their yield. The success of his labors is found in the produce gathered from the plants at the end of the season, the harvest. In John 15, Jesus gives the perfect picture of the true Husbandman, His Father, who desires fruit in our lives. That fruitful yield will only be seen as we abide in Him. This is an interesting comparison to the verses that follow our Locket Verse in this chapter of Isaiah, where the concepts of abiding are oft mentioned. The effect of this patient labor is seen also in James 5:7: Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. The effect of righteousness is quietness, an undisturbed tranquility, where one is still and not working, and assurance, an assured safety. Take notice, the work is not ours! We are the recipients of the work and effects of righteousness, we can never successfully effect that work in ourselves. For indeed, all our righteousness is as filthy rags, and rags can not dig a furrow. The term "rags" seems to denote something that is on its way to decay. Yet the perfect effect of God’s righteousness is for ever. What a marvelous concept for ever has in its meaning: as long as everlasting, perpetual. Note the division of the words, for and ever, not as we usually write it in modern English. It is important to view it as written. The for means as long as, the ever means everlasting and perpetual. The emphasis in this form seems so much more than to just quickly say "forever." We can sing worldly love songs that promise we will love someone forever, but only the eternal God can give a promise "for as long as everlasting." In our word study, we should also take note of some words from the next verse in the chapter that speak of where my people shall dwell. It will be in a peaceable habitation. The word for habitation here is the same as abode, as with a shepherd’s abode. It is the place that is a secure complete abode, completely fitting for its inhabitants. They will also dwell in sure dwellings, places of confident hope and refuge of security. This word is also used to denote the word tabernacle, and, glory of all glories, the Ever Living God has chosen to tabernacle with us who believe! The people will also dwell in quiet resting places. They are in quiet, at ease and secure in their resting places. These resting places are understood just like the literal words, they are a place where we can lay down our heads and sleep in peace. Out in the open in the elements of the world, where we have to be on guard for danger, we can not find complete peaceful rest. But when we are within our "resting place," at home in our own abode, we can rest secure, and find sweet slumber to refresh our body, souls and minds. When our resting place is in Christ, we can rest assured throughout all our spiritual "nights" as well as the sunny "days" of our lives. In considering the impact of our verse for today, there were many thoughts winging through its poetic scenery. One spoke of the ultimate work of righteousness, the Cross on Calvary’s hill. It was there that the work of the LORD Our Righteousness was labored on our behalf to give an entrance into everlasting peace. It was also the full basis for all the subsequent works of righteousness in our every day lives that alone can work perfect peace. The effect of our accepting that work on our behalf is quietness and assurance forever. While the ultimate application of the cross is in salvation, its effects can be viewed in every aspect of our lives. In Christ, everything is, indeed, made right. Without Him, we are that barren field, unproductive for the Husbandman. With Him, we can be cultivated for His purposes and His blessing of fruitfulness. Another thought revealed a glimpse of Isaiah 32:2-4, where we view that man who is an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, [who brings]... rivers of waters in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. The Man must be Christ and Him alone. Yet as His ambassadors in this "weary land," could it be possible that we, too, could bring refreshing to others and a place of refuge in counsel and friendship? Christ is the King, yet we are His subjects. We will not only dwell in peaceable habitations, but can be the ones who lead others through the doors of their awaiting abodes of surety and rest. In that pleasant place of "living with the Lord," there are rivers that watered the places that were dry before, and shadows for comfort in what would otherwise be a weary land. The King reaches down and gives sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, knowledge to the unknowledgeable, clear speech to the stammering tongue, and peace to a land and people of turmoil. In His realm all of His subjects are made whole. That which in the previous chapter was described in decay and discomfit, can now be part of His glorious Kingdom. The contrast is as night and day. Another winging thought is that this glorious peace can be for each of us who choose the work and the effect of righteousness to be applied to our lives. As we view the scene of the chapter, the winging voice of the Spirit calls to us: "Sow beside the still waters. Find rest and peace in the fruitful fields. Dwell with the LORD our Righteousness. Live in peace in His peaceful valley of promise." And then came the thought for my missionary self, from verse 20: Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass. I thought of the significance of all waters. "Go ye into all the world," our Lord commanded. "Sow beside all waters," for indeed all places need to be watered. When my lawn sprinklers are not set properly there always seems to be one corner that does not receive watering. While the rest of the lawn may be green and lush, that one corner can become dry and brown if I do not go out and adjust the direction of the sprinklers so it too can receive the life sustaining irrigation. Sometimes, we set our sights on giving to the far away foreign fields and seem to neglect our own little corner of the world. Our neighbors and our relatives are part of the "all." Is there some corner God would have you sow in today? That, too, is part of the work of righteousness in His peaceful Kingdom. Join in the labor, receive His blessing, sow beside all waters, while you also help to send forth laborers into His fields afar.

How often do we pray this prayer, "O LORD, in Your fullness and power, O LORD, be gracious unto us." It seems that every day in one way or another we pray this prayer for ourselves and those we love. Once an individual has recognized that The Lord is exalted; for he dwelleth on high..." (Verse 5), the uplifting of prayer for God’s gracious dealings seems natural. It is the often repeated plea for help from the only One who can truly help. But we must notice in our verse the situation that proceeded this prayer: waiting on God. When we make our petition, can we claim that part of the verse. Have we waited on God in our every situation, in our every fear, in our every relationship? I wonder, could we add the little word "because" to the verbalization of this verse as we apply it to our personal lives? Could we speak it to God in this way, "O Lord, please be gracious to me, I ask this because I know that I have waited upon you in this situation." How would that effect our spiritual lives, if indeed we could claim that part of the verse in verity. Of note is also the little word actually found in the verse, the little word "us." Though we could apply this verse individually, it is really a corporate prayer. How often do we pray for the "us"es in our life: family, spouse, friends, church brethren, relationships in the world, neighbors, co-workers? Do we really take time to stop each day and plead God’s gracious dealing with them, or are we a self centered prayer concern. Perhaps this would be a good time to stop and make a list of all the "us" relationships in your life and see what special prayer concerns there should be for each one individually and also for the areas where you enter into the "us" relationship in a very personal way. In researching the words, we have waited for thee, I found the words mean just what they say, God’s people had waited for God. They had waited for Him to move in their situation and had not tried to run ahead of His plan. They had waited for God to act and reveal His will. What a true sign of surrender to the Lord is seen when His people wait for Him. Throughout the years of war and battle described in Isaiah, the faithful had waited for God’s deliverance, not doubting His workings. We wait for what we cannot see, but the confidence is that always God is working, always He is there, always He is active in our every life situation. The challenge to our hearts is whether we are willing to wait for Him in those situations, wait even when we can not understand or visibly see His end result. Every day, my dog would wait for us to come home. He had the confidence to know we would walk through the door. He did not know what we did when he could not see us, or what areas of work we had been involved in, he just knew that the place of blessing was to wait for us. His faithfulness was always rewarded. As a Pastor, my husband has often remarked, "Oh, that people could show the devotion of faithfulness that dog had." If we did, then truly our waiting would be rewarded by our Heavenly Master. The prayer goes out, be thou their arm, "Lord, be the strength in our lives. We are too weak to lift these burdens, we are too untrained to fashion the solutions, be thou our arm of strength and cunning." The prayer is not just for our own life, but for the others in the "us" relationship. Again, beautifully, the prayer for needed strength is not a self centered prayer. God’s Divine Arm is reached out for His people. God had spoken before to Israel of His arm of deliverance: Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: Exodus 6:6. With great power He reminds us: The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee... Deuteronomy 33:27 The help that we wait for can only come from Him. It is available for us every morning. Whether it is at the dawning of a problem, or early at the rising of each day, He is there. When we consider the "us-es" we should pause and think of our loved ones awakening, going off to work, facing the new day. Has our prayer gone out for them to seek God’s strength for their decisions and labors? Not only is God our help, He is our salvation also in the time of trouble. Salvation must first be sought of the Lord in the eternal sense, in the salvation of our souls by the appropriation of the price for that salvation paid on Calvary by the Lord Jesus Christ. Once that salvation is ours, we must also remember to claim and recognize that the Lord is "also" our salvation in times of present trouble. He alone can be our Deliverer from the turmoil of life, the complexity of questions as to direction, and the real battle with Satan, the enemy of our souls. The plea of the verse seems to be an acknowledgment of the true character of the Lord. He is our salvation also in the time of trouble and we should know that right well, and ahead of time. One of the basics of self defense training is to know and practice ahead of time what you would do in any given situation. You are shown and then practice and think through possible scenarios of danger. You equip yourself with weapons of defense or actions of defense that could help deliver you from a foe. Over and over, you practice until it becomes "second nature." If an assailant were to come at you while you are on your way to your parked car, the result of defense training would prepare you to know what actions you should take. In the many scenarios of our lives’ pathways, we need to be equipped with spiritual weapons of defense and the action of turning to the Lord for our deliverance. We need to acknowledge this and train in the arena of spiritual prayer and submission to His Lordship in order to be ready for what life may bring. Then when the times of trouble come upon us in the dark alleys of danger, we will not be caught unaware. We will be well trained in the art of spiritual self defense because we know the Master Instructor. My husband is a 5^th Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. He is a very capable practitioner of this martial art. I have absolute confidence in his physical abilities to defend me. I have often joked to my friends that if I was alone and anyone backed me into a dark alley, I would boldly say, "You better not mess with me, my husband is a Black Belt." Even with my philosophy of confidence, my husband has instructed me in different self defense techniques for my protection, just incase he was not with me at the time of danger! As amazing as I think he is, he has reminded me that he might not always be there! Yet, our Lord, the God of our eternal and present salvation, is always there! No alley can be too dark or foe too strong to stand against His vigilance. His "belt" is made of Heavenly gold and girds Him about for the practice of His Divine Art. So that we can boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Hebrews 13:6 When life forces us into a corner, we should not be like the people of Isaiah 33:3, who fled at the noise of the tumult. We should stand firm, bold even, assuredly confident in His salvation, no matter what life holds. One day, through the kitchen window, I was watching my oldest son who was three and a half years old at the time, as he played in the back yard by himself. Suddenly, Sean stood straight and seemed to face an invisible foe. With a clear loud voice he said, "You get out of here, you old Devil, I’m Jesus’ boy." Having said that, he calmly sat down and continued his game. I never asked him what conflict had happened in his mind or what battle he had seen waged. It was too personal, and too precious, to question. The battle had been won, and I knew in my heart that God was equipping his little soldier for the other battles that life would hold for him in the future. I rejoiced that he had obviously listened during our many talks and our times of devotions, and understood that the Lord was his Deliverer in times of turmoil. I had actually held my breath as he voiced his challenge. Afterwards it seemed I could breath more confidently as I watched him grow. It seemed no surprise years later when he came to me and asked if we could pray together because he knew that he needed God’s saving grace in his life. I think I held my breath again as I heard his earnest little prayer that night. Quietly, confidently, the young voice spoke to the Lord asking for God’s grace in forgiving his sin and allowing Jesus to dwell in his heart. Without wavering, he entered into that eternal relationship and firmly said, "Amen." Softly I breathed again, and prayed words of gratefulness to "our" Lord. After a hug, my little son walked to his room and continued on his path of life. I knew God’s promises were real and that Jesus would never leave him or forsake him (Hebrews 13:5). Do you have that confidence today in your eternal salvation and also in the salvation for the tumultuous trials of your "every" day? If not, while we hold our spiritual breaths, you, too, can confidently call upon the Lord who is ever ready to deliver you. Lord, we come before You in prayer for all those in our sphere of relationships. For those who have not come to You for eternal salvation, we most earnestly plead. It is our desire and burden that they find refuge in Your everlasting arms and the forgiveness of Your gracious Spirit. For those who are in eternal fellowship with You, we plead for present salvation in each of their troubles. We pray that they will have the faith to wait for You. We praise You ahead of time, for the graciousness of Your dealings with each one. Lord, help us to wait for Thee, no matter what situations come into our lives today. May we awake to the realization that You alone are the Strength of our lives. Help us not to trust in our own weak arms of effort, but totally lean on Thee. Be Thou our present salvation from life’s trouble, even as You are the eternal salvation of our souls. Dear gracious Lord, "we" are trusting in Thee!

When I started to write on this verse in my journal, I used one word: "Wow!" What had struck me about Isaiah 33:6, was its formula for stability. This essential item of life is something that we all need. Especially in these modern times, it seems people are always looking for stability of "their" times because of all the turmoil and flux of "these" times. Following one of my surgeries, when everything in my life seemed to be changed, when it was hard to find any constant outside of pain and suffering, I started to dream of calmness. I envisioned it in a mystical kingdom of time when my life and that of my missionary family would all be rooted in one place, when everything would be predictable and pleasant. For days I seemed to find solace and escape in my imaginary place, lost in time and mist. The house in the dream was the one that had been my favorite when the children were small, where time had seemed to stand still in family memory, marked only by the blooming of the old apple tree outside the dining room window. What began as an escape of fantasy started to bother me. I worried that I was being consumed by imaginings and then I realized that what I really desired above all was to please the Lord and to dwell in His wisdom and knowledge for my life at the moment. With deep reflection, I realized that what I was really longing for was stability in the midst of trial. While for me, that stability could not be found in a place, or a situation of life, it could still be found in the Lord. No matter what the turmoil or change in life, the stability that the Lord offers transcends all. He is our constant, He is the Never Changing One. For I am the LORD, I change not... Malachi 3:6 His everlasting arms are ever under us, supporting us. In Him is no decay, only strength. Recently, I saw the destruction of an old barn. A young couple had purchased a property with a lovely 100 year old barn that they hoped could be renovated to give them the family home of their dreams. They had envisioned the beauty of the weathered wood enclosing lofty spaces full of light and joy. But to their grief, the reconstruction experts found that the structure was entirely rotten. The decision was made to tear down the barn. After dismantling the siding and roof, the work crew attached three cables to the support beams. With one strong pull, the entire structure collapsed. Everyone expressed disappointment, noting that the damage was due to neglect over the years. It reminded me of the lack of stability in the things of the world and in lives left to spiritual neglect. Though they may look appealing on the "outside," inside is filled with decay. The least strong pull of trial can bring the empty shell to ruin. Yet in Christ, the solid Rock, the support beams are secure against the storms of life. While the wood of the barn did not last 100 years, our building "framed without hands," has stood the test of all eternity. The desire of every heart is for stability and this verse tells us where to find it in an absolute "shall" way. By the silence of non-mention, God tells us what does not give stability. Not mentioned are money, success, fame, status, family standing, and earthly rewards. But what is mentioned is wisdom and knowledge. These two disciplines of godly reward are the promised formula ingredients for stability of thy times. The key word, stability, deserves close scrutiny. The dictionary defines it as fixed, firmly established, stable, unaffected by heat or chemical change, having firmness in position, endurance and permanence. The word study Scripture guide, notes faithfulness, firmness, fidelity, steadfastness. The thesaurus adds: balance, durability, equilibrium, firmness, perseverance, persistence, reliability, security, soundness, steadiness, tenacity, and tolerance. Each of these words of clarification could involve a study in itself. Reread the lists slowly and apply them to our God and to the stability of faith He desires in us. Nothing can change our Lord, He always abides faithful and true. Oh, that we could grow in faith and in wisdom and knowledge of Him, so that we could have lives in each of our "times" that are steadfast and firm, never being swayed by trials of change. This growth will also result in strength of salvation. The root word for strength is an unusual word here, used only five times in the Old Testament. It means riches, treasure and wealth. The word for salvation is used uniquely for the salvation of deliverance, but can also mean prosperity. Could we understand this little phrase to mean not only that true wisdom and knowledge shall be the strength of our deliverance but also the treasured riches of our prosperity? It certainly corresponds to the final phrase of the verse, which follows a colon and could be understood as a deep explanation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure. The awe, respect, and reverence for the LORD is part and parcel of the strength of his salvation. The capital letters of LORD remind us that it is the personal name of God: Jehovah, the self existing One! It is proper name of the one true God, which is used 6519 times in our Bible as He reveals Himself to us. Truly in Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:3 The fear of the Lord places before us a storehouse of treasure. As we evidence that fear in our lives, God’s storehouse is opened for us. It is always full, it has complete supply. We never need or want when we enter there. How significant the little word "And" at the beginning of our verse. It points to the fact that everything we have learned from our study today is a natural outgrowth of the verse that precedes it. Because of verse five, therefore..because..AND, we can have the blessings of verse six. Isaiah 33:5 declares: The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness. And, therefore, because of this, wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times. Could we trace a thought backwards in our lives? If we do not have the stability of mind or emotions or life, could it be because we have not exalted God on high in our lives. Perhaps we have not placed Him "on high" as "dwelling" as Ruler over all in every area of our life. Have we sought and allowed Him to fill us with judgment and righteousness? Are the thoughts and actions of our lives done with God’s judgment in the forefront, and are they works of righteousness? Or is there sin lurking in the corners of our "kingdom?" If we have personally applied verse five and become that ruled province for the LORD, then we will have stability as His wisdom and knowledge controls and fills our lives. In our kingdom of life, the doors of His treasure house will be opened to us. His strength will be our strength. But we must look back to verse five. We must know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Lord is exalted in our lives. It is an examination to last a life time through all our "times." Verses two through six of this chapter seem to be a song to the Lord. We could read this song as alternating phrases sometimes referred to as echoing verses. As you read them together can you hear in your imagination the Israelites echoing back to each other the truths of these verses as a song unto the Lord. One group of worshipers declares the first phrase, the other group voices back their response. Oh, that our lives would be an echoing response to the Lord as He declares His glory to us. There is one more word for us to think on from our verse: "his." Can we understand it to mean that the person who has found stability in wisdom, knowledge and strength of salvation realizes that the fear of the Lord has become "his" treasure? This is a possibility and a deep truth. Or is it as English grammar implies: The fear of the Lord is "God’s" treasure. Truly, too, it is His gift to us. This unique grace gift of value is held out to those who have searched and found that in the Lord is wisdom and knowledge. Before those He places the signposts guiding to His mine of treasure. Be a prospector in God’s gold fields of riches today. In your times, no matter what they may hold, let Him guide you on the path of stability and true success.

If there was just one promise verse in the Bible that we could keep before us to reassure our hearts of the future hope of heaven, this would probably be it! The two "shall" verbs in the verse are a double assurance of our future hope. In our spiritual ears, we can hear God’s voice declaring with the promise of affirmation: Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off. It is interesting that all the words in this verse mean simply and directly just what they say. Eyes are eyes, the king is the king, beauty is beauty, behold is behold, land is land and far off is far off! As I turned to each word of the verse in the Hebrew, I was amazed that most of them had just the one word definition, the very word that is written in English. Even those with longer lists of words had just synonyms, giving words of the same meaning. How straight forward God is in this verse...His promises are all yeah and Amen. For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 2 Cor 1:20 No wonder the hymn writer penned the words: "Blessed Assurance!" Heaven is our blessed assurance in Christ. "We Shall Behold Him!" another hymnist writes. The King in all His beauty will stand before us in that day when our eyes look straight forward into that land where we will dwell for eternity. Oh blessed hope, oh precious promises, they are ours in Christ the King and in Him alone! The depth of the two verbs add a richness to their impact. Shall see means shall behold and perceive with intelligence. Shall behold means shall inspect, observe, look upon and distinguish. These are the actions of those who shall dwell in that land that is very far off with the king in his beauty. These are not casual actions, they both carry with them a great intensity and purpose. Think of waiting and planning with great expectation for a trip to some famous city. You would study the guide books and choose the correct clothing to pack in your suitcase. You would map out the journey and draw up an itinerary. All these actions are in preparation. But think also of the excitement of actually arriving in that place, of viewing the great sights, enjoying the cuisine, speaking with the inhabitants. Those experiences would be what guided all the hours of preparation. When I was an older teen, my mother and I spent a summer in Europe. My mother spent months planning every detail. Each item we packed in our suitcase was well thought over, the routes, time schedules and places of destination were chosen. The preparation was spread over more weeks than the actual trip. But when we got there, every moment of labor was worth the reward! We had a marvelous time. I will never forget viewing the works of the old masters of art and sculpture, of participating in other cultures and seeing those things that I had only dreamed of before. What we had planned became a reality when we stepped off the plane on European soil. It seemed each day was a feast for our eyes, minds, and, yes, stomachs! I can remember my eyes straining to see every detail of a painting, every curve of a statue, every outline of the scenery. There was no casual gazing, I wanted to soak in all I could. Our life is one of preparation for a journey to that land that is very far off, to the city bright and fair. Every day we are, in essence, packing our bags for the departure. We should be studying the Guidebook and consulting the Agent of Travel so our planning will be fruitful and proper. At night, we should dream of the sights we will see. The map of our journey and our itinerary has been planned in advance by our Agent. He has even paid for the fare. The ticket was secured in our name on the day of our salvation. When we at last depart this land and step out on that peaceful shore, our eyes will behold delights that we could only imagine here below. Our minds shall perceive that which we could not fully apprehend in our mortal frame. Think of the feast for all our senses there! And the banquet, and the companionship. But, oh, think of the King in all His beauty. With all the glory of the landscape around us, our eyes will focus on His lovely face, and "oh, that will be, glory for me"... and for you! This day, and tomorrow, and tomorrow’s tomorrow, are the only times that we can prepare. Certainly, my mother would not have thought to just buy the tickets and do no preparation for that European trip which had been of great cost to my parents. She certainly would not have thrown just any garment into a suitcase, or ignored the opportunities she carved in her busy days to gain time to labor in preparation. It was worth it all when we arrived. God has given us this time on earth to prepare for our journey. While we know that the ultimate price was paid at great cost by our Lord, and that our garments of righteousness were purchased by Him, still there is much that we must do in preparation for that great journey. Every moment that we spend laboring for the Lord as we await our departure, will be worth it all when we see Him! These thoughts are enough to fill our day today and beyond, and to impel us to "work for the day is coming!" But there is even more in this chapter of Isaiah where this verse sits nestled. God calls to those that are far off,...and...that are near (Isaiah 33:13), to hear His warnings and His promises if they are to be among those that travel further to that land that is VERY far off. There are two groups of people: the fearful sinners and those that walk righteously. The one shall dwell with the devouring fire and the other shall dwell on high.(verses 14-16) The question resounds "Who among us?" (Verse 14) It is reassuring to know that if we are in Christ, our destiny is sure. But what about the others that dwell among us? Where is their destiny? Are you persuaded of the eternal dwelling place of each of your neighbors, of your family, of your friends? Have you invited them to take the blessed journey with you? Oh, that the burden of the cry would reach our spiritual ears and lodge within our hearts. My mother planned the European journey not just for herself, but for me as her companion and daughter-friend. Think of the grief she would have had if I had not been at the station on the day of departure. A great part of the joy of that journey was the fact that we were together. We should be overwhelmed with burden for those we love, to make certain that they are going to share our destination joys together with us. Think of the grief of a wife, a mother, a child, a friend, in not being able to share eternity with a loved one. Are these the cause of the tears that have to be wiped away by our loving Lord? Let us renew within us this day our purposeful labors to reach those others that dwell among us in our present "land." This chapter of Isaiah gave me many other thoughtful considerations. In verse fourteen, Isaiah asked the question: "who among us shall dwell with the everlasting burnings." Somewhat out of context, I thought about two ways we could look at this concept. As I first read from the middle of verse 14, I thought of the phrase of the everlasting burning of God in a positive sense. Our God is a God of "burning." For our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:29 His everlasting burning is a symbol of His divine presence and power. Could there be an implication of dwelling with Him? To answer the question of my mind, I noticed the word "everlasting" burnings. If this was a natural burning or fire, it would be consumed and burn out. But only the fire of God is everlasting. So should our fire of zeal be towards Him, ever burning. In a positive, spiritual sense, we can question ourselves as to whether we are dwelling in the power of the everlasting burning of God in our hearts and lives. But then I looked at the verses again and saw the negative meaning of the phrase: who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings. It is this second understanding that is more consistent with the context and the use of everlasting burnings elsewhere in Scripture. Always it is used in the negative sense in speaking of the sinners, the fearful, and the hypocrites who are those that shall have their part in the everlasting burnings of judgment fire. Here Isaiah reminds us that there are even those "among" us, who have their destination, their part in those burnings. He spoke of those in Israel, but sadly there are even those among us in our lives today, perhaps even in our own church, family or neighborhood. The burden should increase our zeal of fire within our bones that longs to cry out, "Turn from these fires to the security of Christ." This meaning is emphasized in the contrast made with those that will dwell on high. Verse 16 Who are they? The answer is given: He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth...evil. (verse 15) All the verbs of this verse give the meaning that he who does the action must perform it himself. Every verb agrees in this case and could lead us to understand that these people have to walk righteously themselves, they have to choose to do so. But the next verse has a change of verb tense, for that person can not make himself to dwell on high, no matter what good choices he has made. It is God that makes them to dwell on high. The difference between the verbs is dramatic and continues as the list of blessings is made. In that dwelling place, bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. (Verse 16) God requires of His people to make choices in this life. While we must surely be enabled by the Holy Spirit to do anything that is right and good, in a unique way we must perform the doing of it, we must daily make the choice. But while the choice is ours, the blessings are all from Him. God takes us to dwell on high, feeds us with the living Bread and gives us to drink of His sure waters. We must walk and speak uprightly, shun and despise evil. God will perform the doing of His good work, He will make His waters sure. The person who has placed his trust in this God of promise will find his assurance secure in Christ. He is the Path, the Way to that land that is so far off. In that place his eyes shall see the King. Think of all the Fanny Crosby hymns that spoke of seeing! Her eyes had been blinded on earth, yet she knew she would see Him one day, not only with spiritual eyes, but those that would be healed of all their diseases. In reality, all our spiritual eyes are blinded by the earthly, yet they are opened to see Him in salvation. Along with that opening, we shall have the additional glorious benefit of seeing Him face to face in all His glory one day in that land that is very far off. It is a land that is too far for the tower of Babel to reach, too far for any self effort to achieve, too far for any mind "chants" to open or any meditations to disclose. But, it is oh so close to those that know the Keeper of the door! When we enter that golden city, we won’t see a fierce people there (verse 19) or those that cause us terror, but we will behold the Prince of Peace and we shall dwell in peace with Him. What a glorious hope and blessed assurance is ours. Our future is secure. But we still have the choices of the present to make. Lord, let me choose this day to walk before You righteously. Let others see the beauty of Christ in my life. And Lord, help me to see You in Your beauty in my world and in my city and in the lives of others. Lord, help me to behold You in every area of my day today.