Isaiah 40:1-2

Comfort for God's People

40 zComfort, comfort my people, says your God.

2 aSpeak tenderly to Jerusalem,

and cry to her

that bher warfare1 is ended,

that her iniquity is pardoned,

that she has received from the Lord's hand

double for all her sins.
I'd thought I'd share on Isaiah 40.  I have been realizing when meditating and singing this passage that one of the reasons why it is so difficult for me is because it is not mainly about me. It is about the nation of Israel- God's chosen people. This passage is for Israel to encourage them that they can be comforted now because the Messiah they have been waiting for has come and will come again, his name is Jesus.

I've been struggling how to personalize it after I realized this. And though this passage is for Israel,  and as Gentiles we don't replace them, we are grafted in to the vine. 

God's character never changes.  So I can see God's character. Also the Bible says God doesn't have favorites. God is faithful to complete the promises He makes.  

I have been wrestling and grappling with this passage, still working on understanding it, but that is part of the fun and joy of the Word! Its been  interesting to view a passage for someone else and not for me.

Sermon on the Mount

Hey all!
Mike Bickle has started teaching on the Sermon on the Mount- Matthew 5-7. It is really good! I'm recommending it. I'm realizing the importance of knowing this passage well.  Here is the link to look at it:
http://mikebickle.org/
and on the left hand side it will say recent messages. They should have "Sermon on the Mount" like titles or "Kingdom living" or such.

Class: Basic Christian Beliefs, & KeysETT

A little update, the class I was going to take (Sermon on the Mount) was switched to this class: Basic Christian Beliefs. It is taught by Jono Hall.  We are reading the book Doctrine by Mark Driscoll.
We've learned a lot about christian history and following the history of thought in regards to God. Crazy stuff. It is a really good class!

In my KeysETT class (Keys, ear-training, and theory) I am learning new harmonized scale voicings and currently we are looking at the song, “I’ve Got the Victor Living In Me.”-> Really Fun! Maybe I can upload a video!! We are also continuing to grow in sight reading and singing.

In my Prophetic Singing class we are meditating on Isaiah 40. Every week we take 1-2 verses and read it, write it, sing it, pray it, paraphrase it, and cross-reference it. This has been amazing for me. I feel like I’m digging deeper into the Word and letting it soak into my heart by wrestling over words and phrases, and talking to the Lord about the verse. “What does this mean?” Its so amazing, I highly recommend you doing it. Perhaps we could even do the same passage together? We will be hanging out in Isaiah 40 until March.

In that class I am also learning technique and correct singing, while at the same time being encouraged as a prophetic singer that hears from the Lord and declares through song His heart.

I am also on what we call a “Harp & Bowl” worship team. If you go to IHOP.org and click on the “Prayer Room” tab, you can take a look at what I am being equipped to do and learning. Currently I am singing on a team and learning how to serve the team musically.