Day 174: God will Be Our Sanctuary When We Are Refined in the Fires of Affliction

Today we read Isaiah 47-49 and Ezekiel 8-9. We are being told to lift up our eyes, to remember that God can take us from the warriors that hold us captive or the idols that have our hearts. And Yes, God can take us, who have become plunder for the adversary, tested in the furnace of affliction, and retrieve us. We are reminded that God is the first and the last. He created it all and it all works together for Him. His glory will not, cannot be denied. We are reminded to come near and listen to the Lord for He teaches us what is best and the direction to go. He gives peace, well-being, a name, and progeny. We are called by God to leave the things that have captured our hearts and declare the joy, be strengthened in the Lord and declare this message of redemption to others for He will provide water from the rock in the deserts we find ourselves in; He will be our sanctuary, our wing to provide shadow and flight. We read that the Lord will not quit on Israel, He will not desert His promise, He will display His glory and honor through His people. He will be their strength. He is their reward. His salvation will be a gift to all the earth and for all time. We are reminded yet again, that judgement, the fire, the desert, the valley of the shadow of death, the storm is intentional but the intent is not harm, it's to refine, transform, hewn us, those around us, and all creation. Not just that, but that God will be with us in front as a guide. He will be our rear guard and He will be our sanctuary in and through it all.  Credits Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.