Day 280: Knowing Brokenness

1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13; Isaiah 17-19; Psalm 114

Paul's words are so encouraging. He builds up these followers of Jesus, simply by telling them how happy their faith made him. He was so excited to hear of how God was growing their faith, so much so that he barely mentions his own sufferings, as if they are not important in light of the incredible prosperity of the faith of the Thessalonicans. I feel like sometimes I make my suffering the priority, rather than other people's successes. We sometimes dwell on ourselves as victims, rather than looking for opportunities to encourage others' blessings.

I don't know much about the relationships between Israel, Egypt, and Assyrians. I think it might be tense. Nonetheless, these are the groups that these passages in Isaiah are talking about. When do the Israelites stop worshiping idols? When they are like an olive orchard devoid of any fruit or life, at their lowest. When will Ethiopia come and worship God? When they are like road kill for buzzards and wild animals, when they are basically dead. When will Egypt become followers of The Lord? When they have experienced civil war, are hungry, and feel completely lost, at their most helpless. When do people turn to God? When they have reached their lowest. I don't believe God likes to see us hurt, but his purpose is to draw us to him so that he can heal. When do we know we have been healed? Well, we have to be broken to experience healing. It's awesome that God takes these nations who were broken for various reasons and it is in their brokenness they turn to Him, and he blesses them.