I began my blog as a way to continue the healing process from my rape and to encourage others who need healing. The life verse I’m claiming for Break of Dawn is Isaiah 58:8 and it says, “Then your light will break forth like the dawn and your healing will quickly appear…”. And, during the last couple of years of writing, I’ve posed the question several times: what do we need healing from? We need healing from our sins, our past hurts, our addictions. We need healing from our thoughts, from the stresses of daily life or from physical problems such as cancer. This verse starts with a conjunction, the word “then”, which means it ties together two parts. Read Isaiah 58 and see if you can identify what verse 8 is tying together:
Isaiah 58
“Shout it aloud, do not hold
back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the
day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have
chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do
away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the
Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Did you catch it?
What is the word “then” tying together?
In short, this chapter is talking about proper fasting and turning from
our wicked ways. Then, our healing will quickly appear. Here’s the reality: Life is hard and full of adversity. That adversity, no matter how big or small,
can leave us with scars. And, the
farther we are from Christ, the bigger the scars and consequences. It hurts when you have a gaping wound. Don’t you want the healing touch that only
Jesus can give? Do you see your friends
and family members who are in need of some hope?
For the past year, Billy Graham has been promoting a revival
called “Hope for America”. You can find out more information at http://myhopewithbillygraham.org/ Even though this nation-wide movement
concluded on Nov. 7th, you can still continue it. Go to the website to order a FREE DVD where
you can watch the sermon and learn how to evangelize to people right in your
own neighborhood and family circle. Because each
and every day of our lives, we all
need healing and hope. Without sounding
ungrateful or pessimistic, we need to get our heads out of the pit of denial about the state
of this country and our state as humans.
WE-NEED-JESUS! We need to admit that each and every day we
deserve to die, to be sent straight to hell to live eternally separated from
God. The more we sugar-coat our sins (or in our minds
the lack thereof), the farther away our healing gets. We need to humble ourselves, fast and pray
for a revival in our homes and this country.
Each generation grows farther and farther away from God. Why are we as Christians, the lights of this
world, sitting by and letting it happen?
Are you o.k. with your kids or grandkids growing up in a God-less
country? I’m not and I refuse to sit
here and watch it happen because I’m too busy, too scared, too tired, or any
other excuse we like to use! Our mission field is great and includes our children, our spouses, our co-workers, our friends, our neighbors, and ALL people across the world. In any given day, you have the opportunity to fill at least one person with the eternal hope of Christ!
Keep it simple: Pray,
fast, turn from your wicked ways. Then, obey
the command (commands aren't optional) Christ himself gave us in Matthew 28: “19 Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Thank
you, Jesus! Give me your healing. Fill me with your hope. Help me to share that hope with others.
God Bless,
Break of Dawn
