To Undo Heavy Burdens

I am convinced that the only way to know our Father’s will for our family is by spending much time in prayer and study of the scriptures. The more I try to understand the words and themes of the Bible the more convinced I am that God has a definite plan for us to be more directly involved relieving the suffering of others.

Isaiah chapter 58 has provided much food for thought the last couple of days. One can read with the heart and clearly see our duty as the people of God. Many blessings are promised for those who spend their energies loosening the bonds and heavy burdens of the oppressed. We are told that “we need to study more carefully the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah. This chapter marks out the only course that we can follow with safety…” 4BC 1149.2

Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor that are cast out? When you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you hide not yourself from you own relatives?

Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your health shall spring forth speedily: and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Then shall you call, and the LORD shall answer; you shall cry, and He shall say, “Here I am”. If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness; And if you draw out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall your light dawn in obscurity and your darkness be as the noonday:

And the LORD shall guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones: and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

And you those from among you shall build the old waste places: you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called, The Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Paths to dwell in.

Isaiah 58: 6-12

Precious are the promises given to us in these verses. When we obey we will be given direct access to heaven so that when we call the Lord will say to us, “Here I am”.

All my fears are melting away. Should the Lord see fit to open the door for us to help orphans He will be there to provide the wisdom and patience necessary to see their needs met. He will meet the needs of our family and our girls. He will be close to us and work with us. The promises covers all the bases and I have nothing left to fear.

The only thing that I am having trouble with is that every door I have tried thus far won't open. There seems to even be a lock on WACAP's door. I have their packet, I have received great emails, and answers to my questions and everything. After all the research they seem to be the best suited for our needs...except for one thing. They do their training classes on Saturday and they are not able to change that...and well, you know the rest of Isaiah 58!

Beauty for Ashes

I was reading in Isaiah during the Sabbath hours and I was impressed by the first verses of chapter 61. It seems pretty clear that we have been given a commission to go and help other more unfortunate people and exchange their heavy spirits for praise, their mourning for joy, and the ashes of their ruined lives for beauty. One Bible version actually says, "Give them bouquets of roses for their ashes". Obviously, we must be anointed with God's Spirit to be able to do this and in fact He is the one who will do the work through us.

Can you think of more brokenhearted and bound captives than the orphans of our land? When you think of children, particularly older foster children, doesn't their brokenheartedness come to mind? Aren't they bound by fear and trauma, captives of circumstances and their parent's poor choices and totally in need of comforting? What a blessing it would be to exchange their ashes for beauty, their mourning for the oil of joy, their heavy hearts for ones of praise, and to train up these broken little twigs to become trees of righteousness.

The good tidings is that Jesus loves each one of these little children and He is able to make good come out of the mess that miserable humans have inflicted upon their lives.

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
ISAIAH 61:13