What Comfort Zone?

About two weeks ago I really started praying for God to put a desire in my heart to read The Word daily. I wanted it to be a craving, something that I couldn't stop thinking about or longing for. Well, God answered my prayer. Over the last few weeks I have had an unsatisfiable need to be in The Word. I've been reading on the bus, before class, during lunch, and on study breaks. It's the first thing I reach for in the morning and the last thing I look at before I sleep. What a powerful and almighty God we have!!! All it took was for me to honestly lay down my own life and be completely available to Him.

Through the pass few weeks, God has had me jumping around Scripture but one book I am reading through consistently is Isaiah. This is a HUGE leap of faith for me. I like books like Ephesians and Romans. Books that have those "inspirational" bible verses you could easily paste on a poster. Isaiah is not one of those books. BUT it's a MAJOR contributor to so much of the New Testament. Often when reading through the New Testament I'd come across those lower case subscripts. You know the ones...you look down at the bottom of the page and it gives you the book the quote was taken from and you think to yourself "Oh, that's cool it all ties together." Isaiah was a prophet, a poet, and a politician. He literally stood on street corners while his nation was at a crossroad. Unafraid and without apology, Isaiah confronts his people with harsh and unyielding words of warning and God's power. God, as portrayed in Isaiah, honestly scares me. He's not the jolly Father-figure I imagine, sitting in a rocking chair with a Santa Claus beard. He's angry and hurt by people who continually refuse to obey Him, despite His desperate love for them. Israel didn't see a need for God. Israel was rich, powerful and successful....sound familiar? God had had enough and Isaiah wasn't afraid to talk about it.

So what have I gotten out of this? A huge reminder of the wrath that I deserve as a sinner. This is the God I deserve to face when I die but because of Christ and His complete sacrifice I will be forgiven. My sins have been justified through the death of one man, the true Savior of man kind. I can never be worthy of this. HOW AWESOME IS OUR GOD?

Isaiah will go on to warn surrounding kingdoms of God's power.But he won't stop there, Isaiah will also provide hope. A hope that he will prophesy comes through a "suffering servant".

God doesn't want to fit into my comfort zone. God is so much bigger than my comfort zone. He doesn't want to be placed into a box. Something that I find myself praying, literally every time I pray, is for God to break down the walls in my heart to allow me to openly soak in everything that He wants to teach me. It's in these intimate times with Him that I feel the most at peace. My heart seems lighter and my world seems so full of joy. I was guided to Psalm 90:14 at church on Sunday:
"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days."
I literally just wrote this on my mirror because this is the prayer of my heart. I never want to lose the craving that I have to spend time with my Father. Open your heart honestly to God, you'll be amazed at how He changes your mind set and provides you with loving comfort.