PJP2 PROLOG - 161015 - PROLOG Focus: Isaiah 45:2-3........BILY - Isaiah 44:23 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Sing, O heavens, For The Lord Has Done IT; Shout, O depths of the earth; Break Forth Into Singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For The Lord Has REDEEMED Jacob, And Will Be Glorified in Israel.".... PJP2 PROLOG POST - 161015 - BILY - Isaiah 45:2-3 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."(And God The Father Said)....'I Will Go Before you And Level the exalted places, I Will Break in pieces the doors of bronze and Cut Through the bars of iron, I Will Give you The Treasures of darkness And The Hoards in secret places, THAT you May Know That IT IS I, The Lord, The God of Israel, Who Call you By your name.'".... Each year, as Cindy and I begin our yearly walk through His WORD, we have been, the past several years, trying to use a different Translation than the year before. I am always amazed at the new tid-bits The Lord Shares with me via the different Translations. For example, this year I've been reading through His WORD using the "NIV Rainbow Study Bible (NRSB)". In the Introduction to Isaiah, the NRSB commented that Isaiah is somewhat of a 'mini-Bible'. Isaiah has 66 Chapters, the same number of Books in our Bible today. Isaiah is divided into two parts - Chapters 1-39 and Chapters 40-66. This division splits just like The Old Testament and New Testament. My point of sharing all that 'back-story' is that from Chapters 40-66 The Holy Spirit Inspired Isaiah to Record a LOT of Messianic Prophecy and Statements regards our Lord Jesus' Characteristics and How He would Be with us, and even in His Second Advent. In today's POWS (Isaiah 45:2-3) YAHWEH is actually speaking about King Cyrus, and How God The Father is going to employ Cyrus (a non-believer) to rebuild Jerusalem and re-start God's children repopulating Israel. However, IF we go below the surface, would not Isaiah 45:2-3 also potentially be applicable to our Lord Jesus as well? And one more Thought that The Holy Spirit has Laid on my noggin' today.....Could we not also see Him Employing this very same Principle in our own Lives? BLUF, for me, anyway, the answer to Both these questions is YES....absolutely. I Know over these past (almost) 62 years, there's been any number of times that I've Seen and Witnessed Him Go Before me, as well as those around me, And Done exactly what He States He Will Do for us, Because of His Steadfast LOVE for us, and His Eternal Desire for us to Have a Relationship with Him. Thus, Team, Be Encouraged! Do NOT Let your current circumstances or challenges cause you to fear - He Is With you and He LOVES you, as He Has Continuously Said BOTH By His Written and His LIVING WORD. My Prayer for us today would be to Offer Up a Paraphrase of Prayer and Praise using Isaiah 45:2-3 (ESV/emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Thank You and we Praise You for Your Amazing and Eternal Steadfast LOVE for us. Lord Jesus, as we face the myriad of challenges in our daily lives, Please, Go Before us, and Lead us In Your Way. Holy Spirit, as the mountains of circumstances loom before us, Please Level them and make our Path Straight In You. Father God, should the forces of darkness try to bar our Way In You, Please Break in pieces those doors of bronze. Lord Jesus, as You Cut Through the bars of iron of sin and our iniquity, Open our Inner Eyes that we May Know Your Freedom. Holy Spirit, Open our Inner Hearts and Minds that we May Understand The Treasures hidden by the darkness and Revealed By Your Light. Father God, Open us To Your GRACE that The Hoards of the evil one have tried to keep in secret places. May we Ever, Lord Jesus, Be Your Witnesses! May we Holy Spirit, Ever Proclaim You, that they, who do Not Know You, May Know That IT IS You, our Lord, Who Lives Within us. O Father God, Thank You that You Have Called us By Your Name. Lord Jesus, we Lift Up our Prayers and Praise In Your Holy Name....Amen and Amen....jaj Isaiah 43:1 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."BUT Now Thus Says The Lord, He Who Created you, O Jacob, He Who Formed you, O Israel: 'Fear NOT, For I Have Redeemed you; I Have Called you By name, you Are Mine.'".....