Chapter 56 begins with a call to stay faithful to the ways of the Lord because His righteousness will soon be revealed. God has plans that we should be ready for. We don't always know what they are, we are to be ready and prepare our descendants for His ways and His will in their life. In this case they were to prepare God's people for the promised Messiah, the Holy One of God that was to give life and take away the sins of the world. Israel's watchmen (spiritual shepherds) were spiritually blind. Would you want a blind watchman, ship captain or airline captain to be in charge of your loved ones? That's the dilemma the people of God were in.
In chapter 57 we see the Lord preparing us for things that we have a problem accepting. Many times good things happen to righteous, innocent people in our life. He tells us they are taken away to be spared from evil. God knows what they will be faced with next and spares them from from the tragedy that is imminent. Many times we just have to trust Him and rely on Him to get us through our pain as we miss them. They leave a gaping hole in our life that God wants to fill. He will comfort us regardless of who we are. He says in verse 15: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite."
In chapter 58 we see true worship through prayer and fasting.
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? Vs14: then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken. When our prayer life is what God accepts, then it will have a definite affect on our actions. That's when God ministers through us unhindered and that's when we experience the true peace and joy He has designed each of us to crave.
We are told in Mark 13 to watch. We are given signs to interpret as the last days. We should be spiritually ready for the day of the Lord as we are all going to meet Him one day. Whether at the Great White Throne Judgment or the Judgment seat of Christ (for Christians) we are all will have that encounter to ready ourselves for. Will we understand the times correctly? What will that take? I believe it will take an intimate knowledge of God and His character. The only way we can do that is through prayer, fasting and seeking to know Him more through His word. 31"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." These words are always something you can count on.
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