The Fertile Wife of Yahweh “Sing for joy, barren woman; who has not borne! Burst forth into rejoicing and rejoice, she who has not been in labor! For the children of the desolate woman are more than the children of the married woman,” says Yahweh. 2 “Enlarge the site of your tent, and let them stretch out the tent curtains of your dwelling place. You must not spare; make your tent cords long and strengthen your pegs, 3 for you will spread out to the right and to the left. And your descendants will be heir to the nations, and they will inhabit desolate towns…
+ DAILY PRAYER +
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you;
He will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 105:1, 23, 37-43
Psa 105:1 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
Psa 105:23 Then Israel came to Egypt;
Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
Psa 105:37 Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold,
and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
Psa 105:38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
for dread of them had fallen upon it.
Psa 105:39 He spread a cloud for a covering,
and fire to give light by night.
Psa 105:40 They asked, and he brought quail,
and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.
Psa 105:41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed through the desert like a river.
Psa 105:42 For he remembered his holy promise,
and Abraham, his servant.
Psa 105:43 So he brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
Reading for Wednesday February 18th Isaiah 54
The Fertile Wife of Yahweh
54 “Sing for joy, barren woman; who has not borne!
Burst forth into rejoicing and rejoice, she who has not been in labor!
For the children of the desolate woman are more than the children of the married woman,” says Yahweh.
2 “Enlarge the site of your tent,
and let them stretch out the tent curtains of your dwelling place.
You must not spare; make your tent cords long
and strengthen your pegs,
3 for you will spread out to the right and to the left.
And your descendants will be heir to the nations,
and they will inhabit desolate towns.
4 You must not fear, for you will not be ashamed,
and you must not be confounded, for you will not feel abashed,
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
and you will no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood.
5 For your husband is your maker, his name is Yahweh of hosts;
and your redeemer is the holy one of Israel, he is called the God of all of the earth.
6 For Yahweh has called you like a wife forsaken and hurt of spirit,
like the wife of childhood when she is rejected, says your God.
7 I abandoned you ?for a short? moment,
but I will gather you with great compassion.
8 I hid my face from you for a moment, in the flowing of anger,
but I will have compassion on you with everlasting faithfulness” says your redeemer, Yahweh.
9 “For this is like the waters of Noah to me,
when I swore ?that the waters of Noah would never again pass? over the earth,
so I swore ?that I would not be? angry at you and rebuke you.
10 For the mountains may depart,
and the hills may sway,
but my faithfulness shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not sway,”
says Yahweh, who has compassion on you,
11 “O afflicted one, driven away, who is not consoled.
Look! I am about to set your stones in hard mortar,
and I will lay your foundation with sapphires.
12 And I will ?make? your battlements of ruby,
and your gates of stones of beryl,
and all your wall of precious stones.
13 And all your children shall be pupils of Yahweh,
and the peace of your children shall be great.
14 In righteousness you shall be established.
Be far from oppression, for you shall not fear,
and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
15 If indeed one attacks, it is not from me;
whoever attacks you shall fall because of you.
16 Look! I myself have created the craftsman who blows the fire of coals,
and who produces a weapon for his work;
also I myself have created the destroyer to destroy.
17 Every weapon formed against you shall not succeed,
and you shall declare guilty every tongue that rises against you for judgment.
This is the inheritance of the servants of Yahweh,
and their ?legal right? from me,”
?declares? Yahweh.
Lord’s Prayer
Daily Prayer
O God, our refuge and our strength, You raised up Your servant Martin Luther to reform and renew Your Church in the light of Your living Word, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Defend and purify the Church in our own day, and grant that we may boldly proclaim Christ’s faithfulness unto death and His vindicating resurrection, which You made known to Your servant Martin through Jesus Christ, our Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Concluding Prayer
Heavenly Father, send Your Holy Spirit into our hearts to direct and rule us to do Your will, to comfort us in all our afflictions, to defend us from all error, and to lead us into all truth; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
