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1. Ah, you who make iniquitous decrees, who write oppressive statutes, 2. to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be your spoil, and that you may make the orphans your prey!
(Book of Prophets Isaiah Chapter 10 verses 1 to 2)
Oh God, my Father as much as You judged Your people with these accusations if You look on to me and my society I am sure that You would find much more accusations by which to judge us. Therefore, let us all stop judging others' faults and start focussing on our shortcomings and pray for help to change our ways Amen.
3. What will you do on the day of punishment, in the calamity that will come from far away? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth, 4. so as not to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain? For all this his anger has not turned away; his hand is stretched out still.
(Book of Prophets Isaiah Chapter 10 verses 3 to 4)
Oh, God almighty to whom can we go but You. You are my tower and my refuge. In You only can I ever find my security and not in the ways of the world. You are my insurance policy, that does not have small print terms and conditions that try to scam me when the time of testing arrives and I need to claim with my insurance. All the wealth in the world cannot buy heaven or persuade death not to visit us. It is there for the rich and for the poor, however for those who are humble death is a peaceful moment, while for the evil and crooked it is a moment of fear and gnashing of teeth.
5. Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger the club in their hands is my fury! 6. Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him to take spoil seize and plunder, and to tread them down like mire of the streets.
(Book of Prophets Isaiah Chapter 10 verses 5 to 6)
Oh God, my Father, we are also sent to fight against a godless nation. Our society has become more secular than ever. The weapons that You give us are the powerful message of the 'Good News'. You give us the power and authority to trample and plunder the devil and all his evil spirits down to a state of no -existence. I pray oh God that You keep on empowering us to plunder our enemy and claim one victory over another over ourselves and the traps of the evil one.
7. But this is not what he intends, nor does he have this in mind; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few.
(Book of Prophets Isaiah Chapter 10 verse 7)
Oh God my Father as much as we can be like You in the sense of being creative and of help to one another we can also be destructive and of harm to others. If left to our own devices we end up destroying each other and end up in a state of nature. In order to have an idea of this state of degeneration please click on the following link:-
Video clip Lord of the Flies
8. For he say: "Are not my commanders all kings? 9. Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? 10. As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols whose images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria 11. shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols what I have done to Samaria and her images?"
(Book of Prophet Isaiah Chapter 10 verses 8 to 11)
Oh God, You strictly ordered us in Your commandments of love, that You were to be our only God, and that we were to have no other god but You. You love us so much that You wish to have the first place in our lives and that nobody was to eve challenge that place be it a person or image. You love us so much that You tolerate no form of competition.
12. When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride.
(Book of Prophets Chapter 10 verse 12)
Oh my God and Father nobody can escape Your wrath. Nobody kills and humiliates or rapes or beheads or kills by means of bombs Your sons and daughters and remains free from Your jurisdiction or condemnation. Even though the forces of evil seem to have the other hand as witnessed by the events that are currently taking place in Brussels and other parts of the world, You oh God will have the final victory. Hail and Glory and Victory to the King of Kings.
13. For he says: "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding; I have removed the boundaries of peoples, and have plundered their treasures; like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones. 14. My hand has found, like a nest, the wealth of the peoples; and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken so I have gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved a wing, or opened its mouth, or chirped."
(Book of Prophets Chapter 10 verses 13 to 14)
Oh God, my Father there is nothing that takes place in the world that is beyond Your knowledge and awareness. Indeed, like a hen You watch over us and tuck us under Your wings of love and kindness. You have done great achievements in our lives, even those that we were not aware of. Even though there were times when we may have felt helpless and alone You were working on our issues and were closer to us than we ever can be close to You my God and Father. I thank You for being so loving and caring. Amen.
15. Shall the ax vaunt itself over the one who wields it, or the saw magnify itself against the one who handles it? As if a rod should raise the one who lifts it up or as if a staff should lift the one who is not wood!
(Book of Prophets Chapter 10 verse 15)
Oh God even though the chainsaw can never turn against the person who is holding it, we still manage to sin against You time and time again. Forgive me oh Father for I am still weak and prone to sin Amen.
16. Therefore the Sovereign, the LORD of hosts will send sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire. 17. The light of Israel will become a fire, and his Holy One a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and briers in one day.
(Book of Prophets Chapter 10 verses 16 to 17)
Oh God may my faith also burn like a hot furnace like the boiler of a train so much that it will melt away my sins and negative desires Amen. May I be reborn again with a clean slate and may I be empowered by our relationship so much that it would not even cross my mind to sin against You my, God and Father. Amen.
18. The glory of his forest and his fruitful land the LORD will destroy, both soul and body, and it will be as when an invalid wastes away. 19. The remnant of his forest will be so few that a child can write them down.
(Book of Prophets Chapter 10 verses 18 to 19)
God is able to bring to an end all our achievements and make us rub our noses in the dust in order to humble us and make us aware that the purpose of our life is to follow Him and not our personal agendas. Our goal is to inherit our place in heaven and not to increase our bank account or yearly revenue and stocks. If You oh God sees that we need a raise in our income You will permit it to happen, however if money or the drive to earn more takes His place then something heeds to be done and God will intervene in order to save us from calamity Amen.
20. On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on the one who struck them, but will lean on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. 22. For though your people Israel were like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. 23. For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in all the earth.
(Book of Prophets Chapter 10 verses 20 to 23)
Oh God, my Father it seems that not all of the people who were saved from the bondage of Egypt entered the promised land. Throughout the process of the conquest of these lands many died because of their sins and because they were called and not chosen. Only a few or portion of that people did enter the land You promised t to them. I am also like such people oh God, in the sense that I received your calling to follow You, and I responded in obedience to Your call, but I was not chosen to be a priest or friar and live a life of poverty as I wished to be. Time and time again each time the doors You closed in both cases, the Friars of St. Augustine and the Brothers of Mother Theresa by whom I was also refused to join. Although I am married I still wish to do something nice and helpful for others. I even graduated as a Social Worker but again You called me but did not choose me to work in this area. I thank You for giving me the opportunity to pray on Your Good News and share it with others. I believe that all the rejections were for my own good Amen.
24. Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: O my people, who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians when they beat you with a rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did. 25. For in a very little while my indignation will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction.
(Book of Prophets Isaiah Chapter 10 verses 24 to 25)
Today our God is telling us that the situation or person that has been persecuting us, will soon exist no more, for He will deal with it with his might love and power and it will cease to exist. Therefore, we are to remain firm in our love for You and have blind faith that You are going to handle our situation of Egypt or trial or tribulation. Praise be Your Name oh God my Father. Amen.
26. The LORD of hosts will wield a whip against them, as when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb; his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it as he did in Egypt. 27. On that day his burden will be removed from your shoulder, and his yoke will be destroyed from your neck.
(Book of Prophets Isaiah Chapter 10 verses 26 to 27)
Oh God my Father even though in our perception of reality, Your timing seems to be slower than slow, especially when compared to our stress anxiety and personal agenda, in truth it is perfectly planned according to the plan that You have fashioned for me. When the appointed time that is according to Your will arrive, and only then I will see Your hand at work. Your whip will break down my sinful self and all the barriers that stand between us. One day we will be Father and Son and nobody will hinder me from being in Your presence Amen.
28. He has gone up from Rimmon, he has come to Aiath; he has passed through Migron, at Michmash he stores his baggage; 29. they have crossed over the pass, at Geba they lodge for the night; Ramah trembles, Gibeah of Saul has fled. 30. Cry aloud, O daughter Gallim! Listen, OLaishah! Answer her, O Anathoth! 31. M\admenah is in flight, the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety. 32. This very day he will halt at Nob, he will shake his fist at he mount of daughter Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
(Book of Prophets Isaiah Chapter 10 verses 28 to 32)
Oh God on reflecting and typing these verses in the back of my mind I was listening to the theme song of the cartoons 'Superman' during which the sons refers to the following question, 'is this a bird is this a plane it is Superman!
Who but You oh God can create such fear and panic in the hearts of mankind but Your second coming for those who do not believe in You. However during 2016, many people believe more in the threat of Isis, Aids, the fall in the economy, the increase in the price of oil, global warming, more than You oh God my Father which is a big mistake.
33. Look, the Sovereign, the LORD of hosts, will lop the boughs with terrifying power; the tallest trees will be cut down and the lofty will be brought low. 34. He will hack down the thickets of the forest with an ax, and Lebanon with its majestic trees will fall.
(book of Prophets Isaiah Chapter 10 verses 33 to 34)
Oh God my Father blessed are the humble people, for they shall inherit the kingdom of God. I pray oh God that You will trim my boughs and always keep me down to earth so that I will never feel proud over others in the sense of feeling superior to them. Help me God to adopt an attitude of humility that places me in a not knowing position in the presence of others so that I will be sure not to be tempted in the snare of pride, haughtiness or superiority over others.
I ,therefore, wish to offer the following prayer, my God, and Father:-
Oh God and my Father, if I look deep down into my sinful self, I find nothing that makes me feel superior to others. Even though I have been meditating on scripture for fourteen years I do not consider myself as being an authority. My greatest profession is that of a sinner my God. I thank You on the other hand for any goodness that You have given me for it is not my own but given to me by You Amen.
