March 26, 2021: The Garbage in Our Lives Can Be Turned into Joyful Singing If God Is in Control.

In today's "Our Daily Bread", we see a glimpse of God's hand in the lives of the children of Israel through the eyes of the prophet Isaiah in chapter 35 of the Book of Isaiah. In this chapter Isaiah speaks of the coming joy for the people of Israel after all the horrific devastation that has and will happen to them.

Many times, God must allow bad things to happen to His people to bring us to our knees to be able to see His love for us. Not until we can take our eyes "off ourselves" can the "doors of joyful singing" be opened, and our eyes start to see God's hand at work in our lives.

Isaiah 35: 1-2 (NIV)

The desert and the parched land will be glad, the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom, it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

Our greatest obstacle in our lives can be our own selfish wants and desires. God already knows what we need, and He will provide them in His time. All He ask of us is to trust and wait upon Him.

Isaiah 35: 3-4 (NIV

Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way,

4 say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear, your God will come,

He will come with vengeance, with divine retribution,

He will come to save you.

There are times in our lives that we begin to think that God is not at work in our lives, and He is not listening to us, that He does not care. But He does care and love us, but it is us who gets in the way of being able to see His love for us. We must come to the point of "giving up control of our own lives" and "absolutely surrender" everything room to Him. Then and only then will our eyes and ears be opened to God's leading.

Isaiah 35: 5-6 (NIV)

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Water will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.

PERSONNAL COMMENT:

Are you tired of the all the garbage and junk that is lying around in your life? Do you feel that this garbage cannot be removed from your life? Well, the good news is that it can. If you are willing to "die-to-self" and "surrender all" to God, then He can begin to open the "doors of joyful singing" in your life.