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Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to Your Nightly Scripture, a Calming

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Speaker 1: Scripture Center devotional podcast designed to help you end each

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Speaker 1: day with God's Word in your mind and on your heart.

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Speaker 1: Right after this short word from our sponsors, we'll reflect

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Speaker 1: on tonight's scripture and Isaiah chapter 50. Tonight's scripture reflection

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Speaker 1: is written by Greg Greenchamp and read by Carrie Eichberger.

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Speaker 1: Isaiah chapter 50. This is what the Lord says. Where

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Speaker 1: is your mother's certificate of divorce with which I sent

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Speaker 1: her away? Or to which of my creditors did I

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Speaker 1: sell you? Because of your sins you were sold. Because

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Speaker 1: of your transgressions your mother was sent away. When I came,

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Speaker 1: why was there no one? When I called, why was

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Speaker 1: there no one to answer? Was my arm too short

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Speaker 1: to deliver you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you?

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Speaker 1: By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea. I

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Speaker 1: turn rivers into a desert. Their fish rot for lack

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Speaker 1: of water and die of thirst. I clothe the heavens

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Speaker 1: with darkness and make sackcloth its covering. The Sovereign Lord

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Speaker 1: has given me a well-instructed tongue to know the word

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Speaker 1: that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning,

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Speaker 1: wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. The

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Speaker 1: Sovereign Lord has opened my ears. I have not been rebellious.

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Speaker 1: I have not turned away. I offered my back to

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Speaker 1: those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled

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Speaker 1: out my beard, I did not hide my face from

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Speaker 1: mocking and spitting. Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I

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Speaker 1: will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face

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Speaker 1: like flint, and I know I will not be put

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Speaker 1: to shame. He who vindicates me is near. Who then

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Speaker 1: will bring charges against me? Let us face each other.

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Speaker 1: Who is my accuser? Let him confront me. It is

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Speaker 1: the Sovereign Lord who helps me. Who will condemn me?

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Speaker 1: They will all wear out like a garment. The moths

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Speaker 1: will eat them up. Who among you fears the Lord

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Speaker 1: and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one

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Speaker 1: who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust

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Speaker 1: in the name of the Lord and rely on their God.

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Speaker 1: But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves

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Speaker 1: with flaming torches, go walk in the light of your

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Speaker 1: fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This

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Speaker 1: is what you shall receive from my hand you will

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Speaker 1: lie down in torment. Trials and struggles are part of

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Speaker 1: this life, as promised by Jesus. Sometimes it's easy to

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Speaker 1: wonder where God is in all of it, or worse,

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Speaker 1: why He seems to go silent in the most challenging times.

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Speaker 1: When it does happen, as it does to all, it

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Speaker 1: often feels so easy for our faith to fade a bit.

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Speaker 1: And yet, those are precisely the times you need to

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Speaker 1: step closer to the Lord. Those are the times you

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Speaker 1: need to lay all of your troubles at His feet

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Speaker 1: and leave them there, trusting in Him to see you through.

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Speaker 1: We trust His divine purpose, even if we don't see

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Speaker 1: it or feel it. Even as far back as the

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Speaker 1: prophet Isaiah, hard times created two options, to trust God

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Speaker 1: or to go your own way and rely on your

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Speaker 1: own abilities to see it through. But that lack of

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Speaker 1: trust is a direct reflection on God's character and on

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Speaker 1: God's promises and reflects a lack of faith in those promises.

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Speaker 1: In Isaiah 50, the Lord makes very clear that He

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Speaker 1: wants us to trust Him. Like the one who walks

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Speaker 1: in the dark, who has no light, trust in the

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Speaker 1: name of the Lord and rely on their God. Yet

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Speaker 1: if you follow your own light, not trusting Him, then

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Speaker 1: the trouble will magnify. Scripture teaches that God has a

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Speaker 1: purpose for allowing trials, that He works all things for

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Speaker 1: the good of those who love Him. Trials are a

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Speaker 1: part of God's plan to help refine your faith and

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Speaker 1: to develop Godly character, drawing us closer to Him. Trusting

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Speaker 1: in God during these difficult times does not mean you

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Speaker 1: ignore your pain. It doesn't mean you need to pretend

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Speaker 1: everything is okay. Trusting in God means you can rely

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Speaker 1: on his promises. You can hold fast to his character

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Speaker 1: and have confidence in his presence, even when he doesn't

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Speaker 1: feel near or when the circumstances don't make any sense

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Speaker 1: at all. Even if you don't feel his presence, you

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Speaker 1: can be confident God is right next to you, holding you.

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Speaker 1: Glorious Father in heaven, you know the struggles I'm facing

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Speaker 1: right now. I know that you are the only one

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Speaker 1: who can help me, who can see me through it.

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Speaker 1: You are the one to give me strength and courage

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Speaker 1: to face what I must. Help me to lean on you.

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Speaker 1: Shine your light into my heart and guide my path. Amen.

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Speaker 1: How did tonight's scripture speak to you? Share your thoughts

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Speaker 1: in the Your Nightly Scripture Forum discussion.

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Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to Your Nightly Scripture. Tonight's scripture

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Speaker 2: was read from the New International Version by Biblica. All

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Speaker 2: rights reserved. Be sure to follow our sister show, Your

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Speaker 2: Daily Bible Verse and Your Nightly Scripture, you can be

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Speaker 2: sure that your day begins and ends today. centered on

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Speaker 2: the Word of God.