inspiration

I was just remembering... When we can back from our short term trip to Panama in early February of this year, Mike and I were both thinking it would be really awesome to do a DTS. But... I never thought he'd really do it. I mean, that we'd both risk leaving our jobs and doing it. So I tried not to mention it and spent a lot of time reading scripture and praying and asking God that if he really wanted us to go he would give us unity of heart on the decision. I felt that all the scripture I read during that time was really pointing us towards going. This chapter of Isaiah, in particular, spoke really loudly to me.

Isaiah 55

 ¹ "Come, all you who are thirsty,
       come to the waters;
       and you who have no money,
       come, buy and eat!
       Come, buy wine and milk
       without money and without cost.  ² Why spend money on what is not bread,
       and your labor on what does not satisfy?
       Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
       and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
 ³ Give ear and come to me;
       hear me, that your soul may live.
       I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
       my faithful love promised to David.
 ⁴ See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
       a leader and commander of the peoples.
 ⁵ Surely you will summon nations you know not,
       and nations that do not know you will hasten to you,
       because of the LORD your God,
       the Holy One of Israel,
       for he has endowed you with splendor."
 ⁶ Seek the LORD while he may be found;
       call on him while he is near.
 ⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way
       and the evil man his thoughts.
       Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
       and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
 ⁸ "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
       neither are your ways my ways,"
       declares the LORD.
 ⁹ "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
       so are my ways higher than your ways
       and my thoughts than your thoughts.
 ¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
       come down from heaven,
       and do not return to it
       without watering the earth
       and making it bud and flourish,
       so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
 ¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
       It will not return to me empty,
       but will accomplish what I desire
       and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
 ¹² You will go out in joy
       and be led forth in peace;
       the mountains and hills
       will burst into song before you,
       and all the trees of the field
       will clap their hands.
 ¹³ Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
       and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
       This will be for the LORD's renown,
       for an everlasting sign,
       which will not be destroyed."

I tried hard not to say anything to Mike about any of this. Then one night he shared with me some scripture that he had been reading. It was Isaiah 56. The next chapter. Perhaps just a coincidence. And maybe I'm just impatient, but I shared Isaiah 55 with him and about what it spoke to me. Then we started talking about Panama.