Thought for January 14

 History:

• 1528: Anabaptist preacher Leonhard Schiemer beheaded and burned in Austria after making 70 converts
• 1601: Church authorities in Rome burn Hebrew books
• 1690: Clarinet invented in Germany
• 1784: Congress of the Confederation ratifies the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War
• 1878: Supreme Court rules racial separation on trains unconstitutional
• 1900" Puccini's "Tosca" premiers
• 1943: FDR becomes first President to travel overseas by plane
• 1952: "Today Show" with Dave Garroway premiers
• 1954: Hudson merges with Nash-Kelvinator creating American Motors
• 1956: Little Richard releases "Tutti Frutti"
• 1972: "Sanford & Son" premiers
• 2019: Americans chance of dying by opioid overdose is greater that dying in a car wreck
• Born: Mark Antony, Benedict Arnold, Albert Schweitzer, Martin Niemoller, William Bendix, Andy Rooney, Guy Williams [Zorro], Big Daddy Don Garlits, Julian Bond, Faye Dunaway, Carl Weathers, Shepard Smith, LL Cool J
• Died: Edmund Halley, Greyfriars Bobby [Skye terrier who spent 14 years guarding his owners grave], Lewis Carroll, John Francis Dodge, Humphrey Bogart, Peter Finch, Ray Kroc, Donna Reed, Shelley Winters, Ricardo Montalban, Alan Rickman

Thought:

Looking at chapter 7 of Isaiah where I have underlined 7:14, a very familiar verse we just heard read at Christmas. But the setting of this verse is very important to my understanding. Ahaz was king of Judah. Now Ahaz was the grandson of Uzziah, king when Isaiah saw his vision in chapter 6. Judah is under attack from Israel and Syria. The people are afraid, so God sends Isaiah to meet the king with a message--be calm, have no fear because your enemies will fail. [7:4-7]. WOW! This is good news for every believer. 

• God sees our enemies and knows about their attacks. Nothing will happen to you this year that God does not already know about. He knows every failure and every victory. He knows every temptation and provides every way of escape. He knows who or what will attack you---pain, fear, doubt, loss. And He already has prepared everything we will need to meet each day. 
• God tells us to be calm and not fear. This is easy to say and hard to believe. But if we trust and believe, God never lets us down. 
• God assures us that He will have the ultimate victory. Even death cannot defeat you in Christ. So no matter what happens, He will have the victory.

Ahaz hears Isaiah's word from the Lord but has trouble believing--sounds like me. So the Lord says, Ahaz, ask for a sign. Be like Gideon. But Ahaz will not ask. So the Lord says--here is a sign of my promises, here is a sign that every promise is true, here is a sign you can depend on. Reminds me that all God's promises are yes and amen in Christ. "A virgin will be with child and bear a son and she will call His name Immanuel." I need to always remember that the very birth of Jesus was a sign that every promise of God is true and dependable. Now Ahaz would not see the birth of Christ, but I hear God saying, I will give you a sign that only God can perform as proof that you can trust me. 

We just celebrated Christmas--don't forget that the birth of Christ was God's sign that He fulfills every promise. 

Blessings

Larry