Latest / The Divine Worth Podcast / When God Feels Far Away | Become the Repairer of the Breach | Isaiah 58–65 Come Follow Me

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When God Feels Far Away | Become the Repairer of the Breach | Isaiah 58–65 Come Follow Me · The Divine Worth Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever felt like God was far away?
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  SPEAKER_00: Or like you just keep praying and praying and
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  SPEAKER_00: yet you feel like those prayers are not getting through,
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  SPEAKER_00: like you're hitting the ceiling with those prayers?
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  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you feel like you're doing all the right things And yet you're still feeling that gap.
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  SPEAKER_00: Something that has helped me in those times is recognizing and understanding
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  SPEAKER_00: that God is still there.
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  SPEAKER_00: He's not actually the one that has moved.
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  SPEAKER_00: And yet sometimes we still feel that distance.
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  SPEAKER_00: But great news about that and recognizing and understanding
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  SPEAKER_00: that God is still there is that it gives us hope that we can close that gap.
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  SPEAKER_00: And in Isaiah 58, the Lord gives us two tools for being able to close that gap.
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  SPEAKER_00: And He makes a promise to us, to those who use these two tools.
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  SPEAKER_00: He says that will be called the repairer of the breach.
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  SPEAKER_00: Today, we're talking about how to become the repairer of that breach and to close that gap.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Divine Worth Podcast where we are letting go of our fears
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: and our self-doubt and other limiting beliefs to be able to recognize and understand
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  SPEAKER_00: who God sees in us.
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  SPEAKER_00: I am your host, Life Coach Karen Papin, and together we are diving into Isaiah 5.
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  SPEAKER_00: And these scriptures really can help us to understand that God is still there,
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  SPEAKER_00: even in those difficult times,
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  SPEAKER_00: even when we feel that distance, and that there are some things that we can do.
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  SPEAKER_00: Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened,
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  SPEAKER_00: that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear.
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  SPEAKER_00: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God,
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  SPEAKER_00: and your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so that scripture,
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  SPEAKER_00: sometimes we might read that scripture and think,
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  SPEAKER_00: God's distancing me because of my sins.
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  SPEAKER_00: But there's actually great hope In that scripture,
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  SPEAKER_00: in that the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save.
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  SPEAKER_00: That means He is still reaching out to us.
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  SPEAKER_00: He can still help us if we turn to Him.
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  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes we feel like that distance is very strong.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it is our own mistakes and transgressions and sins that we have committed
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  SPEAKER_00: that happens.
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  SPEAKER_00: And other times,
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  SPEAKER_00: it is the struggles that we are facing where our emotions
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  SPEAKER_00: and our thoughts are actually what are keeping us in the dark and creating
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  SPEAKER_00: that distance between us and the Lord.
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  SPEAKER_00: And one thing to remember in all of this is even as we are doing all of the things, there's
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  SPEAKER_00: It's still on the Lord's timing.
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  SPEAKER_00: Doesn't mean that it's not there.
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  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't mean that He's not helping us.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we just don't see it.
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  SPEAKER_00: And other times,
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  SPEAKER_00: it's that there's this waiting period of time that we need to go through to be able
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  SPEAKER_00: to help us grow stronger.
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  SPEAKER_00: In Isaiah chapter 65, the Lord says, I am found of them that sought me not.
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  SPEAKER_00: I said, Behold me, behold me unto a nation that was not called by my name.
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  SPEAKER_00: I have spread out my hands all the day unto rebellious people which walketh in a way
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  SPEAKER_00: that was not good after their own.
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  SPEAKER_00: And there's that thought piece again,
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  SPEAKER_00: but yet at the same time, it's still showing that the Lord is there.
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  SPEAKER_00: He's still reaching out to us whether or not we are seeking Him.
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  SPEAKER_00: And one thing to remember is that That we are still of worth to Him.
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  SPEAKER_00: He's still reaching out to us.
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  SPEAKER_00: We are the ones who are walking after our own thoughts and who are drifting.
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  SPEAKER_00: And yet that distance does not mean that we are any less loved.
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  SPEAKER_00: He still loves us and He still sees our worth.
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  SPEAKER_00: So in Isaiah chapter 62, and that's why I love Isaiah chapter 62 verse 1, where he says,
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  SPEAKER_00: And
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  SPEAKER_00: what I love about that is he's saying he is not going to rest.
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  SPEAKER_00: And that reminds me of Elder Patrick Kieran's talk on how God is...
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  SPEAKER_00: He is in a relentless pursuit of us.
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  SPEAKER_00: He is wanting us to be able to succeed in this life.
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  SPEAKER_00: He wants us to come back to Him.
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  SPEAKER_00: He wants us to be close to Him.
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  SPEAKER_00: And yes,
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  SPEAKER_00: we go through these periods of time where it is a bit of a struggle to recognize
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  SPEAKER_00: and understand that,
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  SPEAKER_00: but He is still there and He is still doing things to be able
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  SPEAKER_00: to bring us back together.
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  SPEAKER_00: So, He has not given up.
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  SPEAKER_00: He's still doing what He can.
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  SPEAKER_00: So, in Isaiah,
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  SPEAKER_00: there are two things that the Lord has given us to be able to help us to turn back
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  SPEAKER_00: to Him and to draw closer to Him.
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  SPEAKER_00: So,
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  SPEAKER_00: The first one is in Isaiah chapter 58.
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  SPEAKER_00: And actually, I'm going to add just another thing.
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  SPEAKER_00: I said two things, but here's another thing as well.
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  SPEAKER_00: In verse 2 of Isaiah 58,
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  SPEAKER_00: it says,
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  SPEAKER_00: Yet they seek me daily,
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  SPEAKER_00: and delight to know my ways,
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  SPEAKER_00: as a nation that did righteousness,
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  SPEAKER_00: So
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  SPEAKER_00: that is one thing that we can do is continually seek Him daily,
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  SPEAKER_00: finding joy and delight in getting to know Him,
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  SPEAKER_00: in reading the Scriptures,
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  SPEAKER_00: in doing those things that help us to better understand Him and to draw closer
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  SPEAKER_00: to Him.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so with that, let's go into verses 3.
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  SPEAKER_00: Isaiah says, Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not?
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  SPEAKER_00: Wherefore have we afflicted ourselves?
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  SPEAKER_00: 1 Corinthians 1, verse 1.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so, just to kind of explain those scriptures a little bit more,
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  SPEAKER_00: what he's saying here is, are
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  SPEAKER_00: There's a deeper purpose to what we are doing here.
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  SPEAKER_00: It draws us closer to the Lord.
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  SPEAKER_00: But yet,
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  SPEAKER_00: sometimes we do see it as a burden and something that we just need to get through
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  SPEAKER_00: on those fast Sundays.
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  SPEAKER_00: Yet, a fast is something that's very special that helps us to better understand
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  SPEAKER_00: that we need the Lord in our lives and it can draw us closer to the Lord.
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  SPEAKER_00: I find it interesting that this is what we're learning about in Tom Follow Me this week.
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  SPEAKER_00: We just had Fast Sunday and as I was thinking and pondering about what to fast
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  SPEAKER_00: about, I just realized I usually try to have a purpose, right?
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  SPEAKER_00: It's not just about going without food and it's not just about donating the money
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  SPEAKER_00: that you would have given,
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  SPEAKER_00: that you would have spent on that food to those who are in need,
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  SPEAKER_00: but there's a deeper purpose.
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  SPEAKER_00: I was feeling that distance and I really wanted to just feel the Lord's guidance
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  SPEAKER_00: a little more in my life.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so I actually fasted for my ability to feel that distance.
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  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes we think, oh, that's kind of selfish.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm doing this for myself, right?
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  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, those thoughts did come into my mind.
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  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I felt that it was important for me to be able to do this.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because as I draw closer to the Lord, it impacts my ability to serve His children.
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  SPEAKER_00: It gives me a greater strength to reach out to others,
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  SPEAKER_00: and it helps me to be able to Create a greater connection with my kids and my family
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  SPEAKER_00: and my friends because I am spiritually strengthened.
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  SPEAKER_00: It gives me that spiritual power.
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  SPEAKER_00: And that is what I felt as I was fasting and started to feel closer to the Lord
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  SPEAKER_00: through that fast.
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  SPEAKER_00: And that can still happen when we're fasting for other people as well,
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  SPEAKER_00: but maybe you need a little bit more power that Maybe you need that power and
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  SPEAKER_00: that strength that comes from fasting and that maybe you're needing to bridge
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  SPEAKER_00: that gap and the power of a fast can help you to be able to do that.
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  SPEAKER_00: Verses 6 and 7 of Isaiah 58 says,
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  SPEAKER_00: Is not this the fast that I have chosen to loose the bands of wickedness,
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  SPEAKER_00: to undo the heavy burdens,
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  SPEAKER_00: and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
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  SPEAKER_00: Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry,
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  SPEAKER_00: and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house,
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  SPEAKER_00: when thou seest the naked,
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  SPEAKER_00: and thou cover him, that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
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  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so there's our purposes right there as to why we are fasting.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's to loose those bands that are binding us.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's to break the yoke that is It's to help lighten that load,
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  SPEAKER_00: reaching out to Him,
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  SPEAKER_00: showing Him that we are humbling ourselves so that we can allow Him into our lives.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then there is that component of,
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  SPEAKER_00: okay, and we are also doing this so that we can strengthen those who are in need.
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  SPEAKER_00: So take a moment to think, why is it that I am fasting?
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  SPEAKER_00: Is this something that can help me to be able to bridge that distance
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  SPEAKER_00: that I am feeling between myself and God right now?
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  SPEAKER_00: And I love what he then says that as we do this,
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  SPEAKER_00: as we continually reach out to him,
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  SPEAKER_00: as we are fasting to be able to bless the lives of others,
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  SPEAKER_00: but also to be able to draw closer to him.
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  SPEAKER_00: Then in verses 8, And so the Lord is saying here, it's like,
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  SPEAKER_00: Turn to me.
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  SPEAKER_00: Fast with a purpose.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then that light shall break forth.
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  SPEAKER_00: The healing will come.
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  SPEAKER_00: The Lord will be there with you.
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  SPEAKER_00: And he shall say, Here I am.
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  SPEAKER_00: And we will start to recognize and feel the Lord there with us.
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  SPEAKER_00: And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul,
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  SPEAKER_00: then shall thy light rise in obscurity and thy darkness rise.
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  SPEAKER_00: I love the analogy of lightness and darkness.
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  SPEAKER_00: When it comes to the gospel and the world and the things that we're going through,
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  SPEAKER_00: the gospel really does bring a light into our life.
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  SPEAKER_00: And he's saying, okay, strengthen this connection that we have.
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  SPEAKER_00: Turn to me.
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  SPEAKER_00: Humble yourself and turn to me.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then go forth.
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  SPEAKER_00: And be a light unto others and help the hungry and those who are afflicted.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so it's like, take action, arise, let that light break forth.
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  SPEAKER_00: And we are doing that as we are seeking to serve others.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so we're kind of pulling ourselves out of focusing in on the things
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  SPEAKER_00: that we are facing and our own circumstances.
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  SPEAKER_00: Difficulties and struggles and turning to see, okay, how can I help another person?
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  SPEAKER_00: And then what happens is that that darkness becomes lighter and lighter,
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  SPEAKER_00: even so much that it's that, as he says, and thy darkness be as the noon day.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then in verse 11,
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  SPEAKER_00: and the Lord shall guide thee continually and satisfy thy soul in droughts.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so He's going to bless us greatly as we continually turn to Him and receive
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  SPEAKER_00: that strength and power through these fasts that we do.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then as we are doing them with the right intention, with the right purpose,
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  SPEAKER_00: To draw near to Him and to serve and then to go out and serve others.
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  SPEAKER_00: And as we do these things,
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  SPEAKER_00: we are bringing more light into our lives to the point that our garden is going
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  SPEAKER_00: to be watered and full.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then in verse 12, I love what he says here.
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  SPEAKER_00: And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places.
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  SPEAKER_00: They'll shall raise up the foundations of many generations.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so he's talking about as you do these things,
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  SPEAKER_00: you're going to be building others up And thou shalt be called the repairer of
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  SPEAKER_00: the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I love that phrase, the repairer of the breach, because that is what we are doing here.
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  SPEAKER_00: We are repairing that breach between ourselves and the Lord,
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  SPEAKER_00: and we are repairing that breach for others as well,
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  SPEAKER_00: as we allow His light to come in,
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  SPEAKER_00: and we move forward in that light,
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  SPEAKER_00: helping others to be able to see that light as well.
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  SPEAKER_00: Here is another thing that the Lord tells us that will help us to be able to bridge that gap.
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  SPEAKER_00: Bridge that gap.
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  SPEAKER_00: In verse 13 and 14,
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  SPEAKER_00: So here he's giving us something else that helps us to start to recognize
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  SPEAKER_00: and understand that he is there even in this darkness.
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  SPEAKER_00: And that is the Sabbath day.
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  SPEAKER_00: And
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  SPEAKER_00: What does he say to do concerning the Sabbath day?
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  SPEAKER_00: He tells us,
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  SPEAKER_00: turn away from doing thy pleasure on the holy day,
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  SPEAKER_00: from thine own ways, thine own pleasure, thine own words, and delight in the Lord.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so, what does that mean?
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  SPEAKER_00: What does it mean to turn away from doing thy pleasure?
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  SPEAKER_00: This reminds me of Proverbs 3 verses 5 and 6 where it says,
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  SPEAKER_00: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, lean not unto thine own understanding.
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  SPEAKER_00: In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
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  SPEAKER_00: And that is true,
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  SPEAKER_00: and we recognize it and see it within this chapter as well,
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  SPEAKER_00: that That fasting and the Sabbath day and focusing in on what the Lord wants from us
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  SPEAKER_00: on the Sabbath day versus on what we'd rather be doing,
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  SPEAKER_00: those are things that will help us to receive that strength.
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  SPEAKER_00: We are setting aside time on Sunday to be able to truly focus on the Lord
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  SPEAKER_00: and what He wants for us and seeking to let go of all the other things
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  SPEAKER_00: that distract us from Him.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's not to say that we don't strive to be able to constantly have him
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  SPEAKER_00: with us throughout the rest of the week.
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  SPEAKER_00: And yet the Sabbath day is really re-energizing,
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  SPEAKER_00: recharging for us to be able to carry us through the different demands
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  SPEAKER_00: that occur throughout the rest of the week.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I love that it talks about It's also a privilege that we have to be able to fast
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  SPEAKER_00: and turn to the Lord through that.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so those are the
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  SPEAKER_00: Things that are going to help us to repair that breach,
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  SPEAKER_00: to close the distance that we feel between us and our Heavenly Father.
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  SPEAKER_00: And we do that as we fast,
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  SPEAKER_00: as we make the Sabbath a delight,
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  SPEAKER_00: re-centering ourselves and re-centering ourselves and aligning ourselves with
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  SPEAKER_00: the Lord's will,
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  SPEAKER_00: and then moving forward,
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  SPEAKER_00: striving to help others to recognize that the Lord is there for them.
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  SPEAKER_00: In Isaiah 61 is one of those things that tells us the blessings that come
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  SPEAKER_00: from trusting in the Lord and holding on to the hope that He brings even
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  SPEAKER_00: in those dark times.
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  SPEAKER_00: It says in verse 1,
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  SPEAKER_00: starting in verse 1,
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  SPEAKER_00: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me
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  SPEAKER_00: to preach good tidings unto the meek.
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  SPEAKER_00: He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
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  SPEAKER_00: to proclaim liberty to the captains,
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  SPEAKER_00: and the opening of the prison to them that are bound,
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  SPEAKER_00: to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God,
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  SPEAKER_00: to comfort all that mourn,
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  SPEAKER_00: to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,
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  SPEAKER_00: to give unto them beauty for ashes,
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  SPEAKER_00: the oil of joy for mourning,
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  SPEAKER_00: the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,
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  SPEAKER_00: that they might be called trees of righteousness,
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  SPEAKER_00: the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
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  SPEAKER_00: And here, Isaiah is actually talking about the Messiah.
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  SPEAKER_00: He's talking about our Savior and how He has done all of these great things for us.
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  SPEAKER_00: And when we are holding on to the hope that He brings,
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  SPEAKER_00: this is what happens where He binds up our broken hearts.
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  SPEAKER_00: He liberates us from captivity.
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  SPEAKER_00: He opens the prison that holds us back.
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  SPEAKER_00: He is helping us to repair that breach.
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  SPEAKER_00: So hold on.
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  SPEAKER_00: Keep the faith.
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  SPEAKER_00: He loves us.
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  SPEAKER_00: He loves you.
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  SPEAKER_00: And He is continually reaching out to you.
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  SPEAKER_00: He wants to be able to bind up your broken heart.
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  SPEAKER_00: He wants to be able to create beauty from those ashes and to give you the garment of praise.
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  SPEAKER_00: In verse 10,
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  SPEAKER_00: So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all nations.
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  SPEAKER_00: Isn't that beautiful?
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  SPEAKER_00: He is wanting to clothe us in the garments of salvation.
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  SPEAKER_00: And as we truly embrace the atonement in our lives and recognize and understand
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  SPEAKER_00: the things that the Lord has done for us,
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  SPEAKER_00: even those small and simple things that we can look for each day,
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  SPEAKER_00: it starts to give us that little more hope.
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  SPEAKER_00: And the more that we look for Him in all our ways,
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  SPEAKER_00: acknowledging Him in all our ways,
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  SPEAKER_00: the more that we do that The more we allow this joy to come into our life
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  SPEAKER_00: as we recognize and understand that He truly is there and He is helping us.
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  SPEAKER_00: In Isaiah 64 verse 8 gives us a great perspective of all of this,
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  SPEAKER_00: of the struggles that we face and how the Lord is helping us in those struggles.
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  SPEAKER_00: It says, But now, O Lord, Thou art our Father.
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  SPEAKER_00: We are the clay, and Thou our potter.
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  SPEAKER_00: The Lord is creating us into these beautiful works of art.
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  SPEAKER_00: Put your faith and trust in Him.
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  SPEAKER_00: He is there.
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  SPEAKER_00: He is guiding you.
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  SPEAKER_00: He is calling you to rise and rise.
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  SPEAKER_00: Arise and let your light shine.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because as you do so, even in the midst of your struggles, He is there to comfort you.
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  SPEAKER_00: He is there to bind your broken hearts.
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  SPEAKER_00: He is there to give you the strength to be able to be the light that He asks you to be.
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  SPEAKER_00: In Isaiah 63 verse 9,
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  SPEAKER_00: In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them.
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  SPEAKER_00: In His love and in His pity He redeemed them.
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  SPEAKER_00: And He bared them and carried them all the days of old.
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  SPEAKER_00: And the Lord continues to redeem us and to carry us as well.
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  SPEAKER_00: Let us work on creating that bridge between us and the Lord.
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  SPEAKER_00: Let us find joy and delight in the fasting and in the Sabbath day.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: Let us recognize and understand All the little ways that the Lord is reaching out to us.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes it really is something small, like a gentle breeze, yet it is still from Him.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: He is still reaching out to you.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: And in 62,
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: verse 12,
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_00: And they shall call them the holy people,
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: the redeemed of the Lord, and they shall be called, sought out, a city not forsaken.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord has not forsaken us.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: In those hard times that you are struggling to see Him,
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: just hold on and keep doing what you can to seek Him in your life,
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: and you will find Him.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so,
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: one thing A small and simple thing that you can do to really seek Him this day
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: to take a moment and just close your eyes and start with a few deep breaths
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_00: and picture the Savior there in the room with you.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: And then just notice how far away he is.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: For some people, it may feel like more of a movie screen.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: For some people, he may be right there with you.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: For some, it may just seem like he is on the opposite side of the room.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: And just notice where he is.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: And then imagine yourself moving closer to him.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: And him moving closer to you.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: Ask what's standing between us and write down what comes to your mind
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_00: and picture yourself taking one step toward Him.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_00: What is that one step that you can do to be able to bring yourself closer to the Lord?
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: What I love about Isaiah 58-65 is that repairing the breach isn't just
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_00: about getting close to God.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's about being strengthened.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's about being restored.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's about creating beauty from those ashes and being reshaped by the potter's hands.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's about becoming more whole through the Lord.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: And so if you are interested in learning more about being made whole through
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: the Savior,
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: be sure to check out the Divine War Summit,
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: whose theme is So that you can be that light that He is calling you to be.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's free to register.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_00: We do have an access pass that you can also purchase to be able to go deeper
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_00: and join the live workshops as well and really apply these things to your life.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_00: And so be sure to check that out.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_00: You can go to karenpapincoaching.thrivecart.com forward slash summit 26.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll also put that link in the show notes.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: And so come join us.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: Be made whole with us.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_00: And close that gap that you are filling between yourself and the Lord.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: And so that you can recognize that He's not just across the room.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_00: He's actually closer than you think.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_00: He's right there with you.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_00: I know that He is.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_00: I know that He is in that relentless pursuit of you.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: And He wants you to recognize and understand that you are loved.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_00: That you are of worth.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_00: That you have a purpose.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I will see you next week.