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Day 212, or July 31. I am here for you.

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Our thoughts today are rooted in Isaiah chapter 65 verse 2. All day long I have held out my

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hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations.

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And now the big picture surrounding this verse. Isaiah, author of the longest prophetical

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book in the whole Bible, has been called the St. Paul of the Old Testament, and his output,

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style, and considerable vocabulary back this up. Isaiah's last three chapters bring his

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prophecy of groaning and glory to a close, with the final chapter concentrating on the

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seven times. Towards the end of Isaiah's life, King Hezekiah died, and was replaced

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by the most wicked king who ever ruled in Judah. He was called Manasseh. Despite having

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a very godly father, Manasseh veered away from everything connected to the God of Israel,

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and probably gave Isaiah a hard time for the last years of this outstanding prophet's

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life. And now today's action step.

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It was a cynical but dim celebrity who looked at the wonderful statue of Christ the Redeemer,

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standing on top of the Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, and

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laughed. He went on to say, If Jesus is shrugging his shoulders and hopelessly spreading his

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arms wide, thinking, I don't know, do I? What hope do we have? How could he have missed

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the point so miserably? Isaiah would have recognized the symbol immediately—a powerful

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Christ holding out his arms as wide as they will go, to an obstinate world. It's a similar

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gesture to a child describing how much they love you, or a shepherd ushering sheep into

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a fold not wanting any to wander and get lost. Wherever you go in Rio, you are never far

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from Christ the Redeemer, with his welcoming arms. And that is so true for all of us, wherever

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we are. Isn't it about time you came back to him to receive his protection and forgiveness,

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but most of all, his unfathomable love? This is another opportunity to listen to Day 21

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again for more help.