Has anyone ever let you down...
Made a promise and not kept it,
Broken your heart
Kept secret from you something important,
Left you standing alone and lonely?

Silly questions...
all of them!

Why?
Because we are humans...
flawed, frail, fragile and fractured.
We cannot help but be imperfect.

So we are not capable
of saving others,
of holding them up without fail, nor
of fulfilling their all expectations.
Not really.
We are simply not perfect.

Even the prophet Isaiah warns us...
Don’t put your trust in mere humans.
They are as frail as breath.
What good are they?
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭2:22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So does that mean
we are supposed to live our lives
isolated,
withdrawn,
alone and lonely?

Are we to build high walls
that shelter us from all the
hurling hurts of this world and all it's
flawed, frail, fragile and fractured humans?

Of course not.
That is not a way to live life.
God never intended us to do this alone.

Even in the Garden...
The Lord God said,
“It is not good
for the man to be alone.
I will make a helper
who is just right for him.”
Genesis 2:18 NLT

And then God commanded Adam and Eve
to multiply and be fruitful.
Because God actually desire
that we live in community...
in and around other people.

But what He is telling us through Isaiah,
is not to put our TRUST in mere humans.
Not that we cannot ever trust them.

This word TRUST, in Hebrew means...
to think, regard, value, esteem, be like, and honor.

God doesn't want us to
put our all value in the opinion of people.
Nor to place such weighty expectations
on mere humans
that they let us down.

Like when we put them on a pedestal...
believing they are the fix to our problems,
the answer to our prayers,
the key to our success.

They might be be sent as earthly help by God.
But they are not to be worshipped as such.

When we begin value people's opinion
or esteem of us above God's...
that is actually idolatry.

God... the great almighty Yahweh,
is the only one in whom
we should place this kind of TRUST.

We can still trust humans...
those we choose to be with in community.
But not with the level of TRUST,
or faith that we place in God.
People simply can not
live up to those expectations.
And honestly, we as humans
don't deserve that honor.

For we... are as frail as breath.
And a simple breath,
an exhale of gasses is not enough
to lean upon.
It is not substantial, solid, nor, steady.
Not like our God.

Let us today think more balanced...
not living at either extreme.
Remembering to live, not so isolated
that we rely only upon ourselves,
walled off from the rest of the world.

​But also not be so dependent upon other humans
that we set ourselves up for disappointment.
Believing that people are a greater help
than the great I AM.

Word of God,
train me, today...
to first and foremost, TRUST in You,
as humans are as frail as breath.
to stay connected to community,
for life is too difficult alone.

Lord, I thank You
for those in my community.
My family, friends and neighbors.

You have blessed me
with people that I need...
with whom to share my life.

Remind me not to put up walls
keeping them out,
isolating myself,
fearing hurt and disappointment.

But rather to put all
of my TRUST in You.
For I know that through You
all things will work together for good...
even through the
flawed, frail, fragile and fractured humans
surrounding me.

And even this...
flawed,
frail,
fragile and
fractured human,
that You call Lisa,
can be used to help others
when I put my TRUST in You
and shinie Your light in this dark world.

I will not pretend to understand
all that is prophetic.

But the hopeful words about
a Warrior,
a Leader,
a Guide...
one who proudly gathers us 'round
uniting us to His cause,
that is one I will gladly follow.

Look, He is riding in...
He will lift up a banner
to the nations from afar,
And will whistle to them
from the end of the earth;
Surely they shall come with speed, swiftly.
No one will be weary or stumble among them,
No one will slumber or sleep;
Nor will the belt on their loins be loosed,
Nor the strap of their sandals be broken;
Whose arrows are sharp,
And all their bows bent;
Their horses’ hooves will seem like flint,
And their wheels like a whirlwind.
Their roaring will be like a lion,
They will roar like young lions;
Yes, they will roar
And lay hold of the prey;
They will carry it away safely,
And no one will deliver.
Isaiah 5:26-29 NKJV

What a vision of victory...
our Savior who leads this charge.

I will gladly follow,
not weary, nor lacking sleep.
My belt of truth fastened,
my shoes of peace laced tight.

He has armed me with arrows,
these children at my side...
the daughter warriors, trained well.

And should I get to ride in a chariot...
what a thrill that would be.
My hands holding tight the reigns
as I feel these horses charge forward.
With full force they challenge ahead
the wheels whisking beneath in gravel.

This is not a day to fear.
This is a dream realized.
Finally strong in the knowing
that I will take my position and stand still...
to see the salvation of the Lord.

For we will not be a small force,
but rather surrounded
by a myriad of angel warriors,
trained in battle even since
the days of Elisha in flaming chariots.

Word of God
train me, today...
to embrace all prophecy as
an exciting reality of hope,
to know that You are already in the future,
​working all things for good!

It was in the ninth year of Hoshea,
the King of Israel, when Assyria
besieged the land and took them captive.

Carried away, divided, disbursed...
these children of Israel who sinned
against the Lord their God
were now experiencing the reality
of all the prophets spoke before them.

The words they did not wish to hear,
the tomorrow they thought
would never come,
the light shone on their darkness
revealing the idols of their hearts,
the wicked places they thought buried deep.

But nothing is hidden, really.
Nothing is too far from God.
We can only turn away from God for so long,
getting our way,
living in the shallowness of self.

Why is it we run from the One
who longs to fulfill the emptiness,
that hollow place inside?

Let us not listen to the lie
whispered in the darkness.
Rather turn to the light which calls forth...

"Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword;"
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Isaiah 1:18-20 NKJV

He will always return for us,
for He cannot abandon His creation.
We were made to worship Him
for all eternity.

Word of God
train me, today...
to lean into the light, turning only to You,
to never settle for self, for I alone
​cannot satisfy the longing
You created within me.

Upon reading this prophet Hosea,
I must consider, could it be...
a letter to my own heart?

How prosperous (Lisa) is--
a luxuriant vine loaded with fruit.
But the richer this (woman) get(s),
the more pagan altars (she) build(s).
The more bountiful (her) harvest,
the more beautiful (her) sacred pillars.
The heart of (this woman is) fickle;
(she is) guilty and must be punished.
Hosea 10:1-2 NLT (personalized)

As I live in the prosperity
of this wealthy nation,
do I simply let my lack of need
cause me to rely upon myself
denying that I should be dependent
on the God who wove it all before me?

Does the soil within my heart
grow harder still, each blessing
that I believe was earned within this grace
He so abundantly supplies?

Until one day when He will whisper...
I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness,
and you will harvest a crop of love.
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts,
for now is the time to seek the Lord,
that He may come
and shower righteousness upon you.’
Hosea 10:12

For I should bow to His request.
I should ready my heart before He asks.
Or I will harvest a crop of lies
just as the world around me believes
that all success is by the effort of man's hand.

If I do not bow to the Almighty God,
I will fall to the habits what surround.
They may not be wooden idols, or
pillars of old, burning incense,
but idols nonetheless.

In the rectangular glow
of their false light,
our eyes are transfixed.
We set our gaze upon pictures...
eyes that cannot see,
ears that cannot hear,
lips that cannot speak.
Strapped in by thumbs
tap, tap, tapping out the rhythm
we beat a new worship song to self.

Time is a whirlwind, vanishing.
as we feed upon feed, upon feed...
and yet, we are never satisfied.

How long will you wait, O Lord,
this cycle to repeat once again.
For we should listen to Hosea...
we like Israel of long ago.
We have abandoned worship of You,
for the reckless love of self
and all that reflects our own image.

Word of God
train me, today...
to not succumb to the pressure
of self promotion,
to remain faithful to the worship
​of first, and only... the one true God.

One young heart
must have heard the cry
and taken it seriously.

For he now would sit on the throne.
Hezekiah, King of Judah, son of Ahaz.
He watched his father wreak havoc
on the House of God,
reorganizing the entire sacrificial system
to model it after the Assyrian pagans.
Until finally it's doors were closed.

Now with power all his own,
Hezekiah set himself to right all the wrongs.
He must have heard the prophet speak,
Hate evil,
love good
and establish justice....
Amos 5:15

For after he reopened the temple,
He removed the high places and
broke the sacred pillars,
cut down the wooden images...
2 Kings 18:4 NKJV

And he was a king who did
what was right in the sight of the Lord.

He chose to end a cycle,
change the ways of his family,
affect the lives of his people.

And he left a legacy...
He trusted in the Lord God of Israel,
so that after him was none like him
among all the kings of Judah,
nor who were before him.
For he held fast to the Lord;
he did not depart from following Him,
but kept His commandments,
which the Lord had commanded Moses.
The Lord was with him;
he prospered wherever he went.
2 Kings 18:5-7

Even when decisions were hard,
even when the people were set in their ways,
King Hezekiah set his mind and heart
on following the way of the Lord.

These are not always the easiest choices.
These are not always the popular ways.

When we choose to follow God...
especially at this level of commitment,
with everything we have,
in every area of our life,
not everyone around us will understand.

For like Hezekiah, not all of us
were raised in a household of faith.
Many of us will need to set our minds,
dedicate our hearts, and
choose a path that diverges
from that of our heritage.

It may be a radically different way
from a background of constant strife,
anger, and possibly abuse.

But it could also be
stepping outside of "religion."
The rote, memorized, practiced way
of fitting God into our life
just in case,
to cover the bases,
to check the box,
to do what has always been done.

It has lost emotion,
lacks our passion, and
leaves us feeling more empty than full.

But still it's hard to leave.
Because it's all we have ever known.
And family ties...
bind us to it.

But when we choose to follow God...
especially at this level of commitment,
with everything we have,
in every area of our life,
not everyone around us will understand.

But God promises it will be worthwhile,
for He will prosper us.

Word of God,
train me, today...
to make the right choices today,
trusting first in You, Lord,
to make the hard choices today,
​holding fast to You, God.

Lord,
show me the high places
in my life
that need to be removed.

For surely these
are prideful places
which hinder
my relationship with You.

Help me break from
the things I hold sacred
and the worldly idols
I keep from You.

Let me open my hands
and my heart
so You have access
to every area of my life
so that I never depart
​from following You.