ISAIAH 43:16-21

March 24 , 2013

Miriam Pia

Focusing Scriptures:  Isaiah 43:16-21

16Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, 17who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: 18Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. 19I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 20The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, 21the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.

Commentary:

In the 21 st century, I believe that this passage advises us to understand the nature of how God’s assistance can come to us. Many of us are relatively spoiled in certain ways - but often enough, not in all ways and people suffer nonetheless. God’s assistance may not have the form that our Hollywood trained minds might imagine but we need to be able to recognize it when we receive it. Personally, I do not know myself whether or not God uses all the modern devices to help his flock. I would not be surprised if He does. I also would not be surprised if many times his help comes in such simple forms that the critic and the skeptic may not notice it - because it was so natural or simple or even humble.

God is a living God, not a dead one. This is probably as important to remember as the 10 Commandments and main teachings of forgiveness of sins (the key to all healing) and kindness and forbearance to others noted in some aspects in the very basic but always useful Lord’s Prayer.

Personally, I believe that given that there are approximately 2 billion living humans who are some type of Christian that: the good news is that this means that on a really rotten, bad day where the Christians aren’t doing well, there are still over 35 million actions taken because of Jesus Christ and the love of God by Christians. I also believe that on each and every good day - let’s say a best day, then 1.7 billion living humans take actions in their daily lives on the basis of lessons brought to us by Jesus Christ and the God he described as His Father. Think about that…every day that you do or do not do even 5 or 10 little things from your relationship with this guru, our spiritual teacher Jesus Christ, you are adding to our actual world’s condition. We can often do far more than 5 or 10 little actions, decisions…that add up to actually making the world a better place and more like the Kingdom of God right here on Earth as in the prayer. I hope you find that encouraging. I know I do.

Prayer: 

Our Father, who art in Heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy Kingdom come, 
Thy will be done
On Earth
As it is in Heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we may forgive those
Who trespass against us 

For thine is the Kingdom
And the power and the glory
Forever
Amen. 

You may know the alternative stanza in which trespasses are described as debts. That works to. In fact, the basic idea covers all sins. 

Sins, by the way, are all errors and accidents of ignorance in addition to all intentional wrong doings of all kinds. 

Miriam Pia