Daily Reflections for Isa. 57:14-21 (From Mourning to Praise)

As the leaves begin to turn and fall enters the scene, lining up a put gets a little more challenging. The greens are still manicured as usual, but the wear and tear of of all the ball marks, traffic, new hole placements begin to take their toll. On top of that, the leaves don't stay on the trees and come floating down onto the once smooth verdant surface. And with the falling leaves often come various other debris like twigs and acorns. It makes putting a little more difficult.

I have often thought about bringing a leaf blower with me to the golf course in the fall, but that means I would have to take the chain saw out of my bag that I normally use to get rid of inappropriately placed branches and trees. The little things on the green that cause your ball to hop, change directions or even stop are an irritation at best. They can cause your score to go up and in fact make it difficult to get the ball in the cup. The only chance you have of making the put is if you remove the obstacles.

That's exactly what God does for us through Jesus Christ. He removes the obstacles that lead to Him and lasting relationship with Him. God really isn't into punishing they way many people think. Yes, God will and does punish us for our sin. He has to because He is just. But God's desire is to restore, to renew, to create.

According to Isaiah 57, those who are contrite of heart and return in complete dependence upon Him, God will revive their hearts, forget His anger toward them, heal them, guide them, comfort them, create an inner joy for them, renew their hope, bring inner peace to their life. If we show an inkling to come back to Him, God makes it possible. And when we do come to Him in full surrender, He embraces us with His fullness, love, mercy, grace and riches.

God, I don't want to be like the wicked who can't find peace. I want to experience your renewal and refreshment and peace in my life. Remove the obstacles that keep me from you. Prepare the path that leads to you. Look deep into my heart and see my contrition. Remove my curses. Show me your face. Heal my heart. Turn my mourning into praise.