Isaiah 55: 11-13

As I was having quiet time today I was just reading scriptures on purpose and preparing my heart for my trip to Italy and I came upon this verse and it is really speaking to me specifically about this trip. I wanted to share it with everyone and it is my prayer that you make this your prayer for our team as we are in Italy and throughout Europe this summer:

vs. 11 "My Word will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

My interpretation: My team and I are His Word that He is sending for a purpose. We will not return empty, but through Christ, we will be used to accomplish all that He has sent us to do in Italy and throughout Europe. My team and I will be used to achieve His purpose.

vs. 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."

My interpretation: I am believing for perfect peace as I travel and for the duration of time I am there. We are in a very beautiful part of Italy and when we are in the Will of God, I believe all of heaven and nature rejoices. I believe that I will be joyful in every circumstance and anything that comes my way! I believe that we will have favor with each and every person that we come into contact with and that the Name of Jesus will be made famous in Italy and through Europe!!!

vs. 13 "Instead of the thorn bush 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."

This verse 13 is really neat and I began to dig into it a little more. In Luke 8: 1-15 we read about the parable of the sower. Verses 7, 11 and 14 relate specifically to the thorn bush: "Other seed fell among the thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants" (v. 7)..."The seed is the Word of God" (v. 11)..."The seed that fell among the thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature" (v. 14).

The organization that we are working with is called Operation Mobilization and they put a little snippet about what Italy looks like today... "The majority of Italians are Roman Catholic, yet most do not know and understand the Gospel and few have read the Bible themselves. Occult is widespread and the northern city of Turin (Torino) [this is where I am going to be] is a world-renowned center for Satanism, boasting a 'church' dedicated to Satan worship. High immigration (esp. from North Africa) as well as problems with drug addiction and prostitution are some of the other challenges facing this European nation." After reading the verses about the thorn bush, I began to see that although this nation was once Christian, the Word of God has been choked out and people are immature in their knowledge of God and are following their own selfish desires.

Operation Mobilization also gave these few facts about Italy:

• Evangelical Christians make up only 1% of the population of Italy.

• Although primarily Roman Catholic, less than a quarter of the Italian population attends mass regularly.

• Over 100,000 practicing magicians live in Italy, and the city of Turin has one of the largest satanic churches in Europe.

• With the rising numbers of immigrant minority groups, Islam is the second largest religion in Italy today.

• In over 31,000 Italian villages, there is no evangelical witness.

There is obviously work to be done in this nation and God is crying out for us to be the voice and to be witnesses in a nation that is turning away from Him.

Also in verse 13, I began to look up definitions and descriptions of some of the various words within the verse. Briers: a prickly plant or shrub; a tangled mess of prickly plants; a thorny stem or twig. Myrtle: a shrub of southern Europe having evergreen leaves, fragrant white flowers and aromatic berries; anciently held sacred to Venus and used as an emblem of love. Pine Tree: pines are long-lived; Christmas Tree is a form of pine and Martin Luther established the pine tree as the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden.

Putting that all together, I have changed the verse around a little bit into my own translation and this is my declaration for Italy (Isaiah 55: 11-13):

"My Word [Niccole and the FCA team] will not return to Me empty [without spiritual growth and without achieving the purpose for which they have been sent to Europe], but will accomplish [all] that I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent [them]. You [FCA team] will go out in joy and be led forth in [perfect] peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you [you will have favor with each person you come into contact with and will be protected and covered by the Blood of Jesus wherever you go], and all the trees of the field will clap their hands [because you are doing the work of the Lord]. Instead of the thorn bush, [which has choked out the Word of God so that people no longer hear or mature in their walk with God], will grow the pine tree [the Tree of Long Life to all that eat of its fruit], and instead of briers [calloused hearts; a nation of people who are guarded by thorns, which prohibit the Word of God from taking root] the myrtle [everlasting agape love...the God kind of love] will grow. This will be for the Lord's renown [for His glory and fame], for an everlasting sign [to proclaim to all nations], which will not be destroyed [but which will have life and life abundantly as they make Jesus the Lord of their lives]!"

WOW!!! This is so amazing! I'm eating this stuff up! Let this be your prayer for the nation of Italy as we go over there to bring life and love to hearts that have turned from God.