Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 214: Today, I am grateful for our "rear guard." To be guarded is to be fiercely protected. It is not casual. The guardian will do whatever it takes to insure the safety of the one in their care. It is a serious matter. Think team sports, Secret Service, or well-hired security teams. "Who has your back?" It matters.
I was drawn to this image for the colors... and then I read the passage. It is so upbeat. Then I went to read the Isaiah, to make sure I was not grabbing a passage without context. What a chapter! Most of us love the happy verses. This chapter is half reprimand and half a reminder of God's deep love for us.
“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people; Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
"Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the Lord will answer. 'Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply". -Isaiah 58:6-9
I have been praying, brewing, and studying the huge concept of "holy." I am far from done. "What do I know of Holy?" is a song from Addison Road.
There is so much to unwrap. Isaiah 58 declares who God is, what pleases him, and what he will not tolerate. His love is... as I often say... deep and wide. But there are things His Holiness cannot tolerate. He longs to keep us on the straight path because it is safer, pleasing to Him, and easier to walk. He is our rear guard when dangers arise. The enemy's arrows may hit, but the wounds will heal. He can manage our brokenness, but we have to release it to Him.
He's got our back!
Today, I am grateful for our "rear guard."
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