1-21-07 Isaiah 33:20

Isaiah 33:20 (KJ21)
Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities; thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

Isaiah 33:20 (NAS)
Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; Your eyes shall see Jerusalem an undisturbed habitation, A tent which shall not be folded, Its stakes shall never be pulled up Nor any of its cords be torn apart.

Isaiah 33:20 (NIVUS)
Look upon Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken.

Isaiah 33:20 (NLT)
Instead, you will see Zion as a place of worship and celebration. You will see Jerusalem, a city quiet and secure.

If you live in a temperate climate, you do not know what it is like to live in a dry desert. You usually have enough water to drink and enough food to sustain you. However, through the media, you probably have seen desert scenes. If you saw the movie, Hidalgo, you saw how grueling and dangerous that climate can be.

Even though you live in a temperate climate, some aspects of your life may seem like a dry desert. Perhaps you are experiencing drought in your family, your career, your finances, or your health. You feel parched and dying on the vine, but that is not how the Lord your God looks at you. He sees you as a signpost and monument of His glory and grace. In His sight, you are bright, preeminent, and excellent. God intends that you be an overseer, superintendent, director, or chief. He has appointed and fixed you in His city; you are betrothed to Him.

Therefore, you should change how you look at yourself and the circumstances around you. Instead of the drought and dryness of a desert, you should see yourself as a spring of fresh flowing water, an oasis in the desert. The Lord Jehovah has made a covenant of peace with you, so that you can be complete and whole. You are in a place of safety in which you are restored and rewarded. You shall dwell in rest and be at ease. You will be quiet and secure.

You will no longer wander around in the wilderness. Permanence and not transience shall be the mark of your life. No one will be able to pull up your tent stakes or pluck you up by the roots. You will not be torn away and separated from the Lord your God. You will have everlasting strength and victory.