Book of Prophet Isaiah
Chapter 17
1. An oracle concerning Damascus. See Damascus will cease to be a city, and will become a heap of ruins. 2. Her towns will be deserted forever, they will be places for flocks which will lie down, and no one will make them afraid.
(Book of Prophet Isaiah Chapter 17 verses 1 to 2 )
Alert ! Alert to all nations who have willfully decided to reject God Almighty and His teachings. Be aware and careful and repent for as in the case of Damascus, this may also be your experience, for in God we find our strength and existence and life, without Him we are literally like dead stones, existing physically but having no life or soul in us. Amen.
3.The fortress will disappear from Ephraim and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the children of Israel says the LORD of hosts.
(Book of Prophet Isaiah Chapter 17 verse 3)
Oh God, my Father how better the world would be if it would be free of all weapons both nuclear and of all kinds ranging from both sea and air and any other possible source Amen. I pray for peace my God and Father Amen.
4. On that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low, and the fat of his flesh will grow lean. 5. And it shall be as when reapers gather standing grain and their arms harvest the ears, and as when one gleans the ears of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.
(Book of the Prophet Isaiah Chapter 17 verses 4 to 5)
Oh God my Father, there comes a time when we experience desolations, that show us who we really are. You bring us face to face with our own strengths and weaknesses and we will learn to depend on You and not on ourselves Amen.
6. Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten-two or three berries in the top of the highest bough four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, says the LORD God of Israel. 7. On that day people will regard their Maker, and their eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel; 8. they will not have regard for the altars, the work of their hands, and they will not look to what their own fingers have made, either the sacred poles or the altars of incense.
(Book of Prophets Isaiah Chapter 17 verses 6 to 8)
Oh God my Father, how I pray that our focus will be totally on You and not on the ways of the world. May we take pride on living according to Your Will and not according to worldly occupations such as promotions and other accomplishments Amen.
9. On that day their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the Hivites and the Amorites, which they deserted because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation.
(Book of Prophets Isaiah Chapter 17 verse 9)
Oh God my Father we may have many riches and friends, however if we do not have You we have nothing, poor and desolate, for the world offers us a long lasting friendship however this is an illusion, for when we are at conflict with friends or even family they might decide to go back on the word of friendship or even marriage and go their way, and we might end up on our own. During such moments of desolation, we will feel so sorry that we had not had a relationship with You, that the loss will feel bigger. I pray that as much as we invest in our worldly relationships we also invest in our relationship with You, my God and Father.
10. For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore though you plant pleasant plants and set out slips of an alien god, 11. though you make them grow on the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow; yet the harvest will flee away in a day of grief and incurable pain.
(Book of Prophet Isaiah Chapter 17 verses 10 to 11)
Oh God my Father although we try and condition our environment in order to produce more, we cannot condition You so that we may experience You more in our lives. Even though we may have more produce to satisfy our needs and wants and even have a surplus, if we do not have You we will never feel fulfilled Amen.
12. Ah, the thunder of many peoples, they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of the nations, they roar like the roaring of mighty waters! 13. The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the storm. 14. At evening time, lo terror! Before morning, they are no more. This the fate of those who despoil us, and the lot of those who plunder us.
(Book of Prophet Isaiah Chapter 17 verses 12 to 14)
Oh God my Father, the crowd is like a hungry monster, people at times appear to be friends and the next minute they turn against me. This week I had to make an important decision. I ended my friendship with a colleague at work. I had previously made this person aware that at times the symptoms of my asthma are leaving me out of breath and that I cannot withstand lengthy arguments. However time and time again this friend united with other friends at work at ganged against me on issues of religion trying to press the point that You do not exist. Even though he saw me breathless this friend kept on insisting that I give him a reply, and finally I told him that the relationship was off and that he was to find someone else to take him home and bring him to our workplace. I felt hurt and betrayed and I could not take it anymore. During the heated argument, he and others tried to use the words that I include in my prayers in this blog against me and I was really hurt. Oh God and Father, I do not want him to be hindered in his spiritual life as a consequence of anything that I include in my prayers Amen.
Oh God my Father I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-
Oh God, my Father I long for the day or moment of Your second visit. Many People and including myself at times are so unreliable. At times we are full of Spirit and have the appearance of angels and at other times we turn into evil spirits and cause harm to others and to ourselves. I pray oh God my Father that You baptise the world and cleanse it from our sinful nature and renew our hearts so that we can start fresh in our relationships with others, with You and even with ourselves. I would like to pray for those who ridiculed me because of You, my God and Father at work. Even though I became mad at the time, now I feel proud to have been persecuted and ridiculed because of Your Name Amen.
3.The fortress will disappear from Ephraim and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the children of Israel says the LORD of hosts.
(Book of Prophet Isaiah Chapter 17 verse 3)
Oh God, my Father how better the world would be if it would be free of all weapons both nuclear and of all kinds ranging from both sea and air and any other possible source Amen. I pray for peace my God and Father Amen.
4. On that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low, and the fat of his flesh will grow lean. 5. And it shall be as when reapers gather standing grain and their arms harvest the ears, and as when one gleans the ears of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.
(Book of the Prophet Isaiah Chapter 17 verses 4 to 5)
Oh God my Father, there comes a time when we experience desolations, that show us who we really are. You bring us face to face with our own strengths and weaknesses and we will learn to depend on You and not on ourselves Amen.
6. Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten-two or three berries in the top of the highest bough four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, says the LORD God of Israel. 7. On that day people will regard their Maker, and their eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel; 8. they will not have regard for the altars, the work of their hands, and they will not look to what their own fingers have made, either the sacred poles or the altars of incense.
(Book of Prophets Isaiah Chapter 17 verses 6 to 8)
Oh God my Father, how I pray that our focus will be totally on You and not on the ways of the world. May we take pride on living according to Your Will and not according to worldly occupations such as promotions and other accomplishments Amen.
9. On that day their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the Hivites and the Amorites, which they deserted because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation.
(Book of Prophets Isaiah Chapter 17 verse 9)
Oh God my Father we may have many riches and friends, however if we do not have You we have nothing, poor and desolate, for the world offers us a long lasting friendship however this is an illusion, for when we are at conflict with friends or even family they might decide to go back on the word of friendship or even marriage and go their way, and we might end up on our own. During such moments of desolation, we will feel so sorry that we had not had a relationship with You, that the loss will feel bigger. I pray that as much as we invest in our worldly relationships we also invest in our relationship with You, my God and Father.
10. For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore though you plant pleasant plants and set out slips of an alien god, 11. though you make them grow on the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow; yet the harvest will flee away in a day of grief and incurable pain.
(Book of Prophet Isaiah Chapter 17 verses 10 to 11)
Oh God my Father although we try and condition our environment in order to produce more, we cannot condition You so that we may experience You more in our lives. Even though we may have more produce to satisfy our needs and wants and even have a surplus, if we do not have You we will never feel fulfilled Amen.
12. Ah, the thunder of many peoples, they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of the nations, they roar like the roaring of mighty waters! 13. The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the storm. 14. At evening time, lo terror! Before morning, they are no more. This the fate of those who despoil us, and the lot of those who plunder us.
(Book of Prophet Isaiah Chapter 17 verses 12 to 14)
Oh God my Father, the crowd is like a hungry monster, people at times appear to be friends and the next minute they turn against me. This week I had to make an important decision. I ended my friendship with a colleague at work. I had previously made this person aware that at times the symptoms of my asthma are leaving me out of breath and that I cannot withstand lengthy arguments. However time and time again this friend united with other friends at work at ganged against me on issues of religion trying to press the point that You do not exist. Even though he saw me breathless this friend kept on insisting that I give him a reply, and finally I told him that the relationship was off and that he was to find someone else to take him home and bring him to our workplace. I felt hurt and betrayed and I could not take it anymore. During the heated argument, he and others tried to use the words that I include in my prayers in this blog against me and I was really hurt. Oh God and Father, I do not want him to be hindered in his spiritual life as a consequence of anything that I include in my prayers Amen.
Oh God my Father I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-
Oh God, my Father I long for the day or moment of Your second visit. Many People and including myself at times are so unreliable. At times we are full of Spirit and have the appearance of angels and at other times we turn into evil spirits and cause harm to others and to ourselves. I pray oh God my Father that You baptise the world and cleanse it from our sinful nature and renew our hearts so that we can start fresh in our relationships with others, with You and even with ourselves. I would like to pray for those who ridiculed me because of You, my God and Father at work. Even though I became mad at the time, now I feel proud to have been persecuted and ridiculed because of Your Name Amen.
