We are living in uncertain times. Over the last weeks, the world has been thrown into a whirlwind of panic and fear. The fear of sickness, loss and grief has overwhelmed many of us. Also startling, has been the worry about medical supplies and household resources. It would be natural to ask, LORD, where are you? Is this our new normal? What is my role in your Kingdom today?
The prophet Isaiah had experience living in troubling times too. At first, the people of Israel were rebelling against God’s covenant and worshiping false idols. Isaiah warned the people that if they did not repent, judgement was coming through the rise of Assyria and their ultimate exile in Babylon. But the story of the people of Israel shows us that God’s judgement was not the final outcome; His plan for salvation was sovereignly at work and He was always with His people.
Later in history, Isaiah reminds us that there is hope and comfort. We can have a positive, cheerful expectation of something good—hope for all who repent and trust in the LORD. His message was simple, return to Jerusalem where God himself will bring His Kingdom to pass through His Servant King and all nations will see His glory. The people were not to merely physically return to Jerusalem, but inwardly turn their hearts fully over to the LORD, to follow him and obey His ways.
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength”
Isaiah 30:15a NKJV
From this posture of relationship and rest, the people could extend His mercy and grace to others in times of need. We have a great hope that in times of darkness, God’s light and love would shine out of us. The LORD promises to always provide for us, guide, strengthen and protect us as we give of our material and spiritual resources to comfort those around us.
The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Isaiah 58:11 NKJV
What can you do today? How can you help? The LORD’s counsel through Isaiah is to resist doing things in our own strength and wisdom, and to resist seeking provision only for ourselves. What moves God’s heart is not our outward works that seek the praises of others, but to extend ourselves to the needy, afflicted, fearful and hopeless. To be a witness to God’s supernatural provision in the name of Yeshua who rescued us from sin and death. More than bread, we have eternal hope to share with others.
Sow love, gifts and resources into those around you, sharing with friends and neighbors. We are never closer to Messiah than when we are denying ourselves. We put fear to flight when we give and are compelled by this hope we have in our Savior, Yeshua Messiah, the Hope of Israel, who is Immanuel, God with us.
Remember, just like in the times of Isaiah, hope and salvation was God’s intended outcome.
Reflection:
Today, how might the LORD be inviting you to show love and offer hope in practical ways to those around you?
In what ways might you be holding onto things out of fear instead of trusting God as your provider?
Don’t hold back sharing your needs with others or fall into the trap of fearing the future as Israel did. Allow the Lord to be your quiet confidence. Expect Him to satisfy and refresh you as you refresh others.
For the past nine weeks, as the coronavirus upended the world with fear, stay-at-home mandates, financial loss and isolation, we’ve turned to Scripture for the hope we each need to endure rough times.
Ancient Israel had a hope: to return to the Land God had promised to give her. Yet, she had been in exile in Babylon for so long that I’m sure the hope of many began to wane, if not completely disappear.
Our God is the Master Composer. The intricacies He has purposefully arranged on His grand scale of time are often indistinguishable to the human ear, unless we strain to hear. As we journey through the story of Ezra-Nehemiah in the days ahead, listen in for a pattern, a 3-part harmony, as God composes another movement in His song through the mouths of His prophets. See if you can make out the sounds.
The words God gave to His prophets often told about events in the current time, near future and a time even further in the future. They are always pointing us forward, but what were they pointing us forward to?
