Isaiah 62 Today's Daily Bread & Lena's Journalin' too

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God Bless You Today, Lena B
Isaiah 62
Isaiah's Prayer for Jerusalem
1Because I love Zion, because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.
2The nations will see your righteousness. Kings will be blinded by your glory. And the LORD will give you a new name. 3The LORD will hold you in his hands for all to see—a splendid crown in the hands of God. 4Never again will you be called the Godforsaken City F126 or the Desolate Land. F127 Your new name will be the City of God's Delight F128 and the Bride of God, F129 for the LORD delights in you and will claim you as his own. 5Your children will care for you with joy, O Jerusalem, just as a young man cares for his bride. Then God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.
6O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray to the LORD day and night for the fulfillment of his promises. Take no rest, all you who pray. 7Give the LORD no rest until he makes Jerusalem the object of praise throughout the earth. 8The LORD has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength: "I will never again hand you over to your enemies. Never again will foreign warriors come and take away your grain and wine. 9You raised it, and you will keep it, praising the LORD. Within the courtyards of the Temple, you yourselves will drink the wine that you have pressed."
10Go out! Prepare the highway for my people to return! Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders; raise a flag for all the nations to see. 11The LORD has sent this message to every land: "Tell the people of Israel, F130 'Look, your Savior is coming. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.'" 12They will be called the Holy People and the People Redeemed by the LORD. And Jerusalem will be known as the Desirable Place and the City No Longer Forsaken.
FOOTNOTES:
F126: Hebrew Azubah, which means "forsaken."
F127: Hebrew Shemamah, which means "desolate."
F128: Hebrew Hephzibah, which means "my delight is in her."
F129: Hebrew Beulah, which means "married."
F130: Hebrew Tell the daughter of Zion.

Have you ever loved someone so much that you will not give up on them until you see God in them?
That is a love beyond human feelings. That is the love of God. Do you know God does not give up on giving us offers to love and serve Him, until the day we die or we just tell Him flat out NO? This is how He is after His promised bride. He loves her, the church, with an everlasting love. He doesn’t ever let go of the hope that she will also love Him in return.
How much do you love who God loves?
I love the promise here of a new name!
Old names aren’t always so good. Think names as being reputations. What have people related to your name, related your name with? When your old name is spoken in their hearing, what is said or is there an underlying tone or attitude expressed in the hearing of your name? If not so good, it’d be wonderful to be given the opportunity of a new name, wouldn’t it?
His name on us, is our new name. It was given to us freely, free because our free wills can choose it or not, but it is not without cost. In fact to wear His name on us, will cost us our lives. He gave all and our reciprocation is giving all in return. It is the only appropriate response!
Many professed “Christians” want all of God’s blessings, which many also count as His love. His love is always there, His blessings may not be. When we give to Him, His blessings come. It is the giving/receiving principle in action. He gave, we respond, we give, He responds. This is the cycle of blessings. His love is there if we never give any part of our life. He still gave us all of His.
Why is a wife given or a bride taken? I’m not speaking of human cultural ideas about the need for companionship, or physical attraction or chemistry, or sexual desire to be fulfilled.
She is His helper, His other piece, His way to make more of them, to have and raise children and grandchildren with, to demonstrate being one and the result of oneness with.
He’s not alone with her, not left alone, not counted alone. She is His joy, the one He gets to lavish His love upon, giving Himself to.
Are we, as a church, getting ourselves and our homes ready for God’s chosen beloved bride to return to Him and be in our fellowship and tutelage? Are we moving mountains for her, because we know how important she is to Him? Are we willing to be seen, even scrutinized, so He may be seen in and through her, pure and holy? Is she able to be undefiled by someone looking into our lives? Are we willingly being undefiled by worldliness, so we can touch His with no agendas or hopes of putting in and on her who we are naturally speaking?
Do we expect His examining eyes to come our way and look into the motivations of our very souls?
Can we allow the fire of His eyes to purify us inside out? Even judge us now, that we’d pass judgement later on with flying colors? Or do we shun that word?
It is always up to us.
And what we believe.