My daughter and I have been doing weekly accountability bible verses for almost a year. She writes a favorite verse daily that she finds in a daily devotional, bible study, or anywhere in the bible. At the beginning of September I decided to use my old bible that I used in the 80s to share favorite verses. I felt led to share from Isaiah. I started with Chapter 1 and I'm now almost finished, in Isaiah 63, three more chapters to go!
My old bible:
I'm feeling I should share some personal things in my private life. My first husband left me and our children in 1981 and he divorced me in 1982. I was devastated. Being a Christian I felt prayer would make things alright, and bring my husband home. I believed God would answer my prayers (plus a lot of my friend's prayers for me and my family.) I started reading and studying Isaiah. I marked up my bible a lot, and dated verses that I thought spoke to me. So, back in September (2018) when I started reading the bible that I used in the 80s, I started noticing the dates beside some of the verses that I had circled and dated.
In the margin on the right is my birthday, a promise I was given!
(Isaiah 62:11) It has the word "forsaken" in it.
As I posted weekly verses I noticed a pattern of promises in Isaiah that I had circled. As I wrote some of the circled verses this past week I saw clearly that the Lord had indeed spoken to me through scripture, giving me hope and encouraging me. Some people don't think this is possible, claiming "don't take scripture out of context...., etc." I beg to differ. The Lord had placed me in a church who taught that the Lord can speak to you in many ways, especially through scripture. I also believe that when we have faith to believe the Lord and what the bible says, your prayers will be answered.
This past week as I was writing the daily verses I felt I heard the Lord tell me to share this on my blog, not just the weekly verses on FaceBook as I usually do. Not sure I have told this private story before, my children may never have heard it either. In one and a half years I'll be 80 and I want to tell it before it's too late!
Can you read the verses here:
Try clicking on it to see if it will enlarge.
Some excerpts: "Instead of shame you will have double portion, and instead of humiliation they will shout for joy!" "Everlasting joy will be theirs." "I will faithfully give them a recompense." "I will not keep silent....I will not keep quiet." "You will be called by a new name..."You will no longer be called Forsaken or Desolate." "You will be called My Delight, and your land Married." "I have appointed watchmen day and night, they will never keep silent." "You who remind the Lord, take no rest and give Him no rest until He establishes and make Jerusalem a praise in the earth." "You will be called sought out, a city not forsaken." Keep in mind, these are excerpts from the verses I chose this past week. Back in the 80s I had felt shame and humiliation from being divorced, forsaken and desolate. I wanted to be married, and I felt the "your land married" was a message that I would marry again. The watchmen will never be silent meant to never stop praying and believing. I would "remind" the Lord constantly about His promises, (praying the parable (in Luke 18:5) about the widow nagging the judge to give her what she was asking.)
My prayers were not answered for a long time! I was single 16 years! Yes, sometimes I was depressed, yes I was discouraged and impatient, and sometimes angry, but I hung in there and in 1994 I finally met a man of God. I had been praying for a husband who would go to church with me (the first one didn't.) We have been married almost 22 years now. I'm not saying marriage will solve all problems, as contentment and joy can come in many forms, but I was in my early 40s when divorced and felt too young to remain single.
I feel I have been truly blessed to hear from our Lord in this way and many other ways. He has had His hand on me most of my life, maybe since I saw his face in the clouds when I was about 8 or 10 years old. I praise God that He has protected me and my family all these years! I'm very thankful!
If you would like to talk to me about this subject, leave a comment of how to contact you and I will send you my email address.
One of my favorite verses:
Above: One of my daughter's hand designed bible verses.
My daughter has a blog where she shares the handwritten verses she writes in calligraphy, along with a short bible study and an Etsy store where the verses are sold on cards, mugs, tee-shirts, etc. When you join (free) her group writethemonmyheart.com you will receive a free frameable verse or card weekly. Having different bible verses displayed all over your house is a real blessing and reminders of His love for us, and His forgiveness! Praise You Lord!
Do you have stories of how you communicate with the Lord? I would love to hear them!
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3 comments:
Thank you so much for sharing your heart and reminding me that God truly does answer our prayers. It may be right away, it may be at a later date and it maybe a no but his plans are always what's best for us.
Sweet lady, thank you for sharing your story and for being so real. Oh yes, God's Word always speaks to us if we allow it too. I love how you put different dates and circled things in your Bible. I do the same thing. I even started some years back of writing different things that really stood out to me or made an impact that someone would say. Whether it was the pastor, teacher, or etc. I cannot tell you the times I have looked back and have seen how the Lord was speaking to my heart. Thank you for sharing, Made me smile so big this morning with Joy. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
We've been away again and I'm trying to catch up. I love how you shared your story and how God speaks to you and give you direction. He speaks to me through His Word and I don't want to miss my daily time with Him. My mother's Bible is so marked and underlined with notes added in the margins. I treasure it and I learned early that God will speak to us when we read His Word and listen for His voice.
~Adrienne~
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