Survivors will be honored

ISAIAH CHAPTER 4

Isaiah says few men will be left in Jerusalem when the Lord judges them. They will be fought over by the women.

But in the future, Israel - the branch of the Lord-will be lush and beautiful. All those whose names are written down, who survived the destruction of Jerusalem will be holy people.

The Lord will wash the moral filth from the women and cleanse Jerusalem of its bloodstains.

Then a canopy of smoke will cloud the day and clouds of fire at night will cover the glorious land. It will be a shelter from daytime heat and a hiding place from storms and rain.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: The "branch of the Lord" might refer to the Messiah, but some believe it refers to Judah.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? The point of this was that some people are destined to be set apart and protected by God's loving grace.Their distinctive mark will be their holiness, not wealth or prestige. These people have a sincere desire to obey God and show wholehearted devotion to him.

Evil will not always continue as it does now. The time will come when God will put an end to all evil and his faithful followers will share in his glorious reign. Can't you hardly wait for that to happen? Don't you want to be in the section of people who have kept a desire to obey God and be devoted to him?

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH: Pray for Gabe.
Pray for Janice Long’s parents, especially her mother who faces another round of chemotherapy and her father with Alzheimer’s and now her mother in law also with Alzheimer’s. Their family is feeling the strain both emotionally and financially. Pray for them. Update on this family: Her mother-in-law is being taken to Oklahoma to live with an aunt who will care for her.
Pray for Arlene’s nephew David and for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life.
Pray for Carolyn’s brother Ronald who has cancer and for her sister Wanda’s soul which went to heaven.
Pray for our friend Michelle who was diagnosed with MS.
UPDATE on Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, she has her speech back and is home , but continues to have a problem with one arm and hand. Thanks to your prayers, she is able to hobble without a cane and has been granted disability. She still has surgery scheduled on her hand, but I saw her recently and her attitude is fantastic.
Pray for Robert Sargent who is quite ill with lung cancer.
Pray for Gary Summers, my friend from church, who has cancer.
Pray for Judy’s husband who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Pray for her too, that she can deal with the side effects of his illness.
Pray too for Charly’s husband Robert who is undergoing chemo for his prostate cancer. Update on Robert: he has one more treatment and then three months of waiting for his psat test to come back clean.
Pray for John’s recovery from a heart attack and for the doctors who have difficulty diagnosing his other symptoms.
Pray for James’s sister Cynthia whose chemo has lost its effect as the cancer grows powerful.
Pray for another friend named Carolyn whose faith remains strong, but is lost and confused about where and how to spend her elder years.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter, Brian
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, survivors of Japan’s earthquake, survivors of the devastating tornadoes in our southernmost states and Joplin, Missouri. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.