Tag: Isaiah

Posted on

Seeing what seems impossible.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Instead, you will see Zion as a place of holy festivals. You will see Jerusalem, a city quiet and secure. It will be like a tent whose ropes are taut and whose stakes are firmly fixed. The Lord will be our Mighty One. He will be like a wide river of protection that no enemy can cross, that no enemy ship can sail upon. For the Lord is our judge, our lawgiver, and our king. He will care for us and save us.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭33‬:‭20‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Our eyes may not deceive us when we look around and see chaos and its cousins mayhem and misery. Yet, our eyes do not have the ability to see what is beyond their physical realties. How do we see what seems to be impossible? How do we direct our soul, mind and strength towards a future that currently projects itself as futile? This is faith which becomes reality, solid and secure enough to exchange a hellish existence for hope.

Faith believes, hope follows.

Earlier in this passage, Isaiah recorded the precision of which the Assyrians gained and gloated in their plunderous victories. The Assyrian officers took the time to record how many towers they destroyed and their bookkeepers followed up with scrooge-like glee recording each item in their piles of plunder!

Isaiah reminds the leaders and the people of God how far they have strayed that God would discipline them with these “fierce, violent people with their strange, unknown language.” He promises that the people of God would remember that “time of terror!” Isaiah tells them the truth of the days ahead before the truth was even a reality. Is God’s Word truth even before it’s experienced or even believed? Clearly that’s what history teaches us.

One of Isaiah’s famous phrases is “lift your eyes.” And, he’s not talking about physically looking up, but through faith, he encourages us to see with eyes of faith (Isaiah 40:26, 51:6, 60:4). Seeing the truth before us, means that we can, we must, see and understand what is happening around us. Discerning whether it is something of our own doing (sin and disordered desires), an attack from a very real enemy, who actively pursues our destruction, or from God as he lovingly corrects us, leading us to repent and move towards him rather than away from him. Then, the eyes of faith can look beyond current circumstances to see that God is faithful and forgiving.

Isaiah wrote that they “will see Zion,” in a completely new future. Jerusalem filled once again with feasts and festivals. To see it filled with peace and quiet because of the security with its gates, walls and towers!

This passage crescendos with, “The Lord will be our Mighty One” – Our “Yahweh addir.” Where Yahweh is our lawgiver, judge and King! He will “yasha” save us (where the name Joshua/Jesus comes from).

Within the context of what is happening in and around our life, we may only physically see that everything looks like it’s going wrong. My hope is that Isaiah’s words to Israel are a confrontational comfort to us – that things will not always be this way. For us to “lift our eyes,” to Yahweh with faith, like in Psalm 121:1; from where our help comes from!

Prayer

Dad,
So often I only see what is happening around me or to me, forgetting to lift my eyes to you! It always seems to be a challenge to pause and look up FIRST, before fear and anxiety sets in to steal faith, peace and even joy. Help me to prioritize my pause, remember your faithfulness and yield to your ways rather than my own.

Posted on

Global Justice Justified.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people. Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors—none will be spared. The earth will be completely emptied and looted. The Lord has spoken!” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Isaiah writes that things were not looking to good for the planet and its inhabitants. God was about to devastate and scatter. Wipe out the surface of the earth and scatter the people. Sounds apocalyptic and final doesn’t it!

What is Isaiah writing about?
Did it happen?
Is it still yet to happen?

Most scholars agree, this is a future evert known as the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21-22). This chapter is known as the “Isaiah Apocalypse.” Isaiah writes this in the 8th Century BC, almost 3000 years ago!

It is interesting that so many predictions by a man named Nostradamus pop up every so often, but virtually nothing is mentioned about the prophetic promises all through the Old Testament. Nostradamus, a 16th-century French astrologer and physician, is famous for his cryptic predictions, many of which have made their way into mainstream media. It’s estimated that hundreds of references exist across various media platforms. While Nostradamus wrote around 942 prophecies, the interpretations of these predictions are highly subjective, and few if any became a reality.

If we tracked Isaiah’s prophecies, around 20-30 percent of Isaiah’s prophecies are cited as having been clearly fulfilled historically. The remainder, roughly 70-80 percent, is seen as potential future fulfillments, especially regarding eschatological themes. Isaiah’s end-of-planet, is a massive doom-n-gloom prophecy, yet there are virtually no stories, no mad-max style scripts, no CGI/A.I. effects making to the theaters. The promise of the end of all ends, and there’s barely a peep about it out of Hollywood. There have been hundreds of apocalyptic films released in theaters since the dawn of cinema. Only four of them draw from the Isaiah style theme, The Book of Eli (2010), Knowing (2009), The Omega Code (1999) and the Left Behind Series (2000).

The point is this, God’s track record to fulfill His will, His way, His promises is flawlessly perfect, yet many still don’t take it seriously. Paul in the Book of Romans, uses the phrase, “without excuse” in Romans 1:20. Paul writes about how the invisible attributes of God are evident in creation, making humanity accountable for their disbelief. This implies that the evidence of God’s existence is clear in the world around us, leaving no justification for rejection of Him. So, just as clearly of creation leaving evidence for every human being to see and ask, we also have these prophesies tell of past events that have already happened and that yet unfulfilled ones that will absolutely take place. God’s mercy and love is absolutely long suffering and future events hold the finality of His justice which is also 100% love – evil cannot run rampant forever.

Prayer

​Dad,
I did not come to faith through the loud proclamation of creation nor the proof of promises fulfilled. I came to Jesus through the crushing reality of how my parents lived, knowing it would become my own life if I did not have help and make completely different choices. I came through faith! But, through Your Word, I learned about Your prophetic promises and the perfection of Your plans. I have come to believe there are no excuses, and there will be no excuses, as Paul said. Thank you for your patience and grace towards us.

Posted on

Unprecedented Peace

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Isaiah, writing out God’s prophecies close to 3000 years ago, tells of a future moment where there will be peace among the nations. Scanning the history of the planet over eons of time, this kind of peace would have to be supernatural. Doing a quick search, it seems that historians believe there were some brief couple of centuries of peace. Of course they declared it peaceful because of a few massive global powers that used force to keep it. The first was Rome’s “Pax Romana,” spanning 207 years. There is great book by Tom Holland, called Dominion. Tom believes that Rome was obsessed with law and justice, even to the point of inventing the most hideous means of torture unto death. This sent a message that theft, violence and uprisings would not be tolerated. Crucifixion was perfected by the Romans. In their quest for peace and paradise, they were manipulated into crucifying Christ, who was not only innocent, but he is perfect in all his ways. The second is called “Pax Mongolica” spanning the 13th and 14th centuries. Some would add a third period called, “Pax Britannica,” where British Empire created a 100 year pocket of peace across the globe. All in all, a few hundred years over thousands of years of war, is not much peace. And, none of it was able to last.

Isaiah writes about a peace that will eventually rule and reign from God himself. Isaiah speaks of God’s holy mountain, Jerusalem as the capital of this global peace. We know this has to be futuristic, because Jerusalem has been known for anything but peace. As a global glimmer of hope, Isaiah declares that God will rule and reign over all the earth in all things. Of course God is completely in control of all things and has always been so before creation and time itself. But, God gives free will for humans to govern themselves until the end of days. This is when all things have come to the end, when all things are judged and will come to light. God will bring this unprecedented peace and mediate between nations Himself. No more wars, no more infighting, no more training or preparation for war. God’s peace will rule.

Prayer

​Dad,
With all the wars and rumors of wars there has been a resurgence of fear and hope that the end may be near. In my lifetime, we have not experienced a global war, but there have been conflicts, skirmishes and terrorist attacks around the world. The world is now filled with angry, violent people who spend their time in riots and protests, giving a sense of lawlessness. Peace has been evasive for quite some time. We long for your justice, your judgement, to make all things right. Humankind is not capable of making sustainable peace. We need you!

Posted on

Water & Spirit poured out.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“But now, listen to me, Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one. The Lord who made you and helps you says: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, O dear Israel, my chosen one. For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭44‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The two powerful themes that thread through Israel’s history in the Old Testament, become a reality for all people in the New Testament. God’s prophetic promises are all fulfilled through Jesus!

The imagery explodes when Jesus begins announcing that He is the river of life! In John, Jesus tells the woman at the well that He is living water that pours out with no end. He also says in John 7: 37-39 “‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” The “living water” ties together a long history of Israel being cleaned and purified by fresh, running water and what will become the permanent illustration that is fulfilled by the Holy Spirit being poured out after Jesus returned to heaven. Tyler Staton writes, “The Spirit of God is described through the imagery of water in the poetry of Psalms and Proverbs; the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Joel; and by the Gospel writer John. But the promise comes alive most clearly in the prophet Ezekiel, who saw a vision of a river that originated in a trickle running down the temple. It grew from a trickle on the steps to a flowing river as he followed the current east.”

Everywhere the river flows, it brings life. Everyone the river touches, brings new life. God promised to pour out His Spirit on Isaiah’s descendants, blessing the children. But the promise extends much further than just the Israelites, beyond Isaiah’s, Jeremiah’s, Joel’s and Ezekiel’s children. It extends to all who will come and freely drink and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out in abundance today and on our children as well!

Prayer

​Dad,
I am not Jewish and have no ancestry connecting me to the promises you made to your people and the prophets. Neither am I a son of Abraham. However, because of Jesus I have been grafted into the tree of life, adopted into the family of God and have all the rights and privileges of being your son. Thank you for giving me life abundantly. Thank you for pouring out your Spirit on me! I am forever grateful for this life I now lead and look forward to the grand adventures yet to come in the Kingdom that has arrived, yet is still to come!

Posted on

What impresses God?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid. Tell my people Israel of their sins! Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me. ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’ Isaiah‬ ‭58‬:‭1‬-‭3‬a NLT‬‬

Basically, God tells Isaiah, “let it rip!” Tell all, tell it loud and clear. Don’t hold back anything when announcing the sins of the nation.

Immediately, God sets out to describe the comparison between how Israel sees themselves and how He sees the state of the country. God says, “look at them, don’t they act so pious!” They act like a righteous nation, sacredly adhering to the laws of God. In their confidence they pray and cozy up to God. Then in the most visible acts of spirituality, they fasted and asked, “God, why aren’t you impressed?” They were impressed with themselves and could not understand why God would not take notice of all the spiritual advancements they had made. What happened? Why such the disparity? How does God see the corporate condition of Israel’s heart? Especially when Israel sees themselves as a smashing success or at least an earnest effort to do so.

God tells the country what he is actually looking for, what makes a nation, a people, physically and spiritually superior. God looks for obedience that affects both the upper echelon of leadership to the lowest of those who were often cheated and abused and used to advance the power and wealth of Israel’s leaders.

God tells them exactly what they were actually doing. “I will tell you why! It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?”

God is certainly not against fasting, penance and prayer. Isaiah tells them “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.” It’s both and! It’s spiritual acts of humility AND physical acts of caring for the least, the needy and poor – connecting spiritual to social responsibility.

So what impresses God? Micah 6:8 tells us succinctly: “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” As leaders in government, business, health, education, protective services, technology and churches, we would be wise to be both spiritually humble and socially active. To be just and merciful.

Prayer

​Dad,
There has been such a tense and active discussion about our spiritual verses social responsibility. These ancient words you spoke to Isaiah, should be just as powerful today as when they were written. Your Word is eternal! I’ll admit, both the spiritual and social behaviors are hard! They are not hard to speak of in words, but oh so difficult to practice in obedience. Help us as citizens of earth and heaven. Help us as leaders who guide others to be just and merciful. Amen.

Posted on

Jerusalem has its day.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭60‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jerusalem had, has and will have its day! God seems to really care about cities, especially Jerusalem. There are more than 300 cities mention in the Old Testament and hundreds more in the New Testament. When Robin and me had the privilege of going to Israel, I realized the importance of geography, specifically the cities where all the people of the Bible have lived. I believe that a third of our theology is found in the geography of the land of Israel. It’s hard to completely understand God’s entire story without having a grasp of the history of the region.

You actually can feel the city’s significance as you ascend into Jerusalem. Millions of people want to visit just to see, even touch a part of the history of these ancient places. Jerusalem continues to play an important role all the way through to the end of days. Revelation mentions the new Jerusalem in Rev 3:12, 21 and 2:10.

Isaiah prophetically predicted the true central, and extraordinarily eternal coming of the Messiah into this famous city. “The glory of the Lord rises and appears,” over Jerusalem and “all nations will come to your light.” The importance of cities has me thinking a lot about my own city of Los Angeles, City of the Angels. Maybe I am being too negative or critical, but LA hasn’t felt all that angelic for sometime. I am very thankful for the myriad of nonprofits and ministries that are helping the poor, the disenfranchised and the homeless, but it is tough work! Our streets of LA and the surrounding suburbs have thousands of mentally ill or desperately addicted men and women pandering and panhandling our streets everyday.

While driving down my own main street a woman crossed the street against the red light, she was not only completely naked, but she had a needle dangling from her arm as she zombie-walked to the other corner. It was crushingly sad to see her in such desperation. We need the light and love of Jesus to penetrate our dark streets of lawlessness, rage and hopelessness. My suburb city and Los Angeles need the angels of God just to bring the possibility of hope. Jerusalem will have its final days, but until then I pray that Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Austin, Detroit, Chicago and Washington DC will have the light of Christ shone down upon us.

Prayer

​Dad,
I see the brokenness within our cities and I pray. I pray that Satan would be banished from our city and that your mighty warrior angels would return to being hope, love, justice and righteousness. I want children to be able to walk their neighborhood in safety. So that single moms can shop without fear of street thugs. So that fathers would quit filling the bars and return home, spending what little money they make on the families instead of their cars, their beer and their drugs. Bring Your light into our dark streets Oh God! May your glory rise once again. Amen.

Posted on

The root survives.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In the language of ancient agricultural days, everyone would know what the “root” represents. In more modern concepts, we might think of it as kind of a sourdough “levain,” or “starter.” Of course using leaven or yeast is probably not the best object lesson because yeast was often compared to sin in the Bible. You can see how this mysterious mold is alive and incredibly enduring, but no one knows why.

The root survival object lesson is much more aligned with spiritual endurance. Plants or tree roots can be dormant for years and even appear to be dead. If you’ve ever cut down a tree in your yard, but did not pull up the roots, you know how durable the tree can be. The root was a common illustration used to describe the nation of Israel, the people of God.

The once flourishing, life- giving tree would be burned or cut down, but underneath there would be this enduring root. In Biblical writings this type of durable root was called the “root of Jesse.” Jesse, being King David’s father, the patriarch that began the kingly lineage so long ago. The unique and amazing thing about the particular family lineage, this “root” survival is that it would endure until its spectacular reemergence as the tree of life, otherwise known as the Messiah – Jesus.

The root illustration always gave the people of God hope, that although things looked awful, dead in fact, they knew that one day a young, healthy, green shoot of life would come out of this root, this promise of God. The reality is this root would not just survive, it would wait until the proper time to burst into new life, thriving, giving shade and bearing fruit for all of humankind!

This is yet another ancient illustration that gives hope still today. Even cooler than that, this glorious tree of life, personified by the Son of God means that we as non-Jews, heathens – Gentiles can be grafted into this tree! This would become our own heritage, our adoption, our salvation! The Apostle Paul extensively writes about this powerful miracle that God planned before the world began in Romans 11. So whether the tree is trimmed, burned or destroyed, the root of our faith – Jesus, yet endures!

Prayer

​Dad,
As I have discovered in the later days of life, your stories are VERY long. To think about the eternal story-arch of the Bible is amazing, yet hard to grasp. This idea of our human effort and cyclical failure, even after Jesus’ work on the cross is both expected and disappointing. We are broken, and healed… but not yet fully so. It does make me ache for finality, fulfillment and truly an end to my ​constant disorder desires and failures. Come quickly Lord Jesus! Amen.

Posted on

Fading floral beauty.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“A voice said, “Shout!” I asked, “What should I shout?” “Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field. The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the Lord. And so it is with people. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Isaiah writes to the people of Israel about their future. There are many that believe that Isaiah’s prophetic promises of God had dual fulfillments. The words given were to bring both a stern, sober look at the current state of the nation, but also, a happy ending for those who turned back to God in obedience.

Just a few verses down the “voice” tells Isaiah to shout the news – “Your God is coming!” Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.” We only see this as a fulfillment of the coming Messiah, which would take place in another 700 years! God was also speaking through Isaiah about their very current hope and future. Here in Chapter 40, God gives Isaiah an eternal truth about humanity and how fragile we are in comparison to God’s own word. “People,” God says, “are like grass, and flowers.” Not in inherent value or worth, but in the passing facade of beauty.

In California, after an intense rainy season, our state explodes with a vast array of beautiful flowers that cover the fields and mountains around us. Even our own Death Valley desert has these rare “super bloom” moments that are stunning! These bursts of beauty become an instant tourist attraction, and are so popular they have caused traffic jambs for miles along the highways. Our own human beauty is seen as quickly passing like the fragile floral super blooms. If you have ever seen photos of our famous movie stars in their youth – you know exactly what this looks like. Youth and beauty go together, just has silver hair and wrinkled skin goes with wisdom. What we see in beauty of youth or silvered wisdom is not who we really are! Unlike flowers that fade, we are eternal beings, made in God’s image. Thus the soul of our existence is born but does not die. Death comes to our bodies, like it does to the physical fading of a flower 🌼.

Here’s the miracle – the Word of God is not just true and trustworthy, it is eternal – no death and no end. This makes God’s promises something that can be foretold in 700 BC and be faithfully fulfilled and delivered years later – and beyond. These promises were foretold to give hope. These promises were fulfilled to give definitive proof that God is real and quite capable to stand up against the scrutiny of disbelief. God loves the atheist and the agnostic, Jesus died for them. God’s promises are not fulfilled to bring guilt or shame, but hope. These promises, in God’s word have been openly available to all for thousands of years! Even while Church attendance is down significantly, Bible sales are up 22% over last year, about 80 million new Bibles are printed each year! Clearly, the Word of God stands forever.

Prayer

​Dad,

As Ecclesiastes says, everything has its own time. I remember a time as a teenager when I was bored because time and life seemed to move so slowly. Now, on the other side of old, life moves at lightning speed! Flowers fade and our human life is but a puff of smoke. But your Word – wow – it is eternal. It is not only enduring it is powerfully effective to accomplish your will! I am so grateful for the Bible. Amen.

Posted on

Who labors for bitter fruit?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter. ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Isaiah poetically writes in object-lesson clarity. He writes of this song about a beautiful vineyard and all the sweat equity he devotes in making into a sweet return on investment. He finds it, builds it, works it and waits.

But instead of reaping the sweet rewards of a job well done, he finds soured results! What happened? Where did he go wrong? The land was rich and fertile. It was cleared of stones. He chose to plant pristine vines from the finest in the area. He provided security with a stone wall and a guard tower to keep it clear of opportunistic pests. What could have gone wrong?

Isaiah notes in this story that the neighbors begin to judge the farmer – there must have been something he did wrong, something he missed. He admits, go ahead and judge me, saying “What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?” After all the planning, all the work, all the investment he must admit the facts – something was amiss, the soil, the weather? It does not matter – it was a total loss. So the farmer does a deconstruction of everything he built. He tears down the hedges, breaks down the protective walls, and lets it go wild! Now thorns and thistles grow in its place.

What a sad story about this beloved vineyard, as his love song turns to a dirge. Isaiah brings it home with a stinging application. The vineyard, the beautiful garden is none other than Jerusalem and Judah – God’s own people. Isaiah tells the religious and political leaders that God planted a pristine crop expecting good, sweet results, but got something different, “He expected a crop of justice, but instead he found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of violence” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬).

Bitter fruit is nasty enough on its own, but when one has worked so hard to plant sweet, healthy vines and gets bad. Well it’s even more egregious! Not to Jesus’ juke us here, but we are so valuable to God, that He gave us His son to live, die and resurrect for our broken lives, our bitter results. While we were yet sinners… (sour, nasty tasting fruit) Christ died for us.

Prayer

Dad,
Wow! Isaiah’s poetic punch is so apropos to our current state of humanity. So much has gone into making us into something that could produce the sweetness of your love, grace and mercy, but our own sin has soured the end results. Even from my perspective of the work that goes into a project to produce good and it makes something bad, is apparent and frustrating. You have done everything to give me the ability to make sweet fruit, and I recognize that I do things that turn my own field (my life) sour! Forgive me. Help me to produce good works, good fruit, even eternal fruit for you. Amen.

Posted on

The gift of God’s liberator.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations. You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons. ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭42‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Story of God has always been about making promises and His ability to keep them. From the very beginning, God promised that He would personally repair and restore the breach that humans made and He has consistently done that ever since creation began.

Isaiah is filled with future-casting the Messiah, the savior, the liberator for humankind. These particular prophetic-promises come into view at two very popular holiday seasons: Christmas and Easter, winter and spring. This spring, 2024, our world is experiencing enormous chaos. We have a two global conflicts or wars simultaneously happening. One in the Ukraine, the other in Israel. Russia, wanting to reclaim Ukraine, invaded the country in February, 2022 and it continues on today. Hamas, a terrorist organization, invaded Israel in October 2023 and it also continues on today. Plus, the always struggling nation of Haiti has recently been taken over by Haitian Gangs, who closed the entire country! On top of all that, the U.S. is heading towards yet another highly divided presidential election in just a few months and we are still trying to climb out of the effects of the 2020 pandemic. Nothing is the same and no one has any idea what the future holds for our world in crisis.

Celebrating Resurrection Sunday this year in the United States, means doing so with a massive exodus of those who have left the Church because of “church hurts,” or “deconstruction” of their faith. God knew there would be cycles of darkness and deep disturbances in human affairs. When the promise of the Messiah arrived at the turn of the calendar from B.C. (Before Christ) to A.D. (Anno Domini), it was very tumultuous. And, by the time Jesus became of age to officially become a Rabbi in the Jewish faith, Rome had bullied their way into what the citizens considered to be peace (Pax Romana).

The cost for peace was enormous and the social, religious experiment of a pan-theistic belief system was constantly on the brink of revolt. The Jews were itching for a champion, a warrior like King David to reclaim their country and God-given right to their own land and way of life. Even the early church, completely believed in Jesus’ resurrection, but persecution and mayhem was so horrific they also believed He was returning soon!

Our world has gone through many cycles of desperate despair to the exhilaration of hope that the end has come! We are in another cycle right now! Yet, with each plunge into apparent chaos, there is simultaneously a search for God, for meaning, even for eternity. That time is now! The story of God’s liberation and promise-keeping ability gives us hope. We may all be in a perpetual, even cyclical Good Friday, but God always has a glorious resurrection Sunday coming. Behold God comes… always… to make all things new!

Prayer

Dad.
Our lives may be filled with trauma-troughs, ruts and pits of pain, sin and suffering, but even then You are with us. And, in each and every dark moment, or sunless season, you bring peace and comfort to our hearts. Thou art with me! Even in those down-cycles of fear and the unknown, you can lift me out of the depressions of what is seen all around me to the vistas of your view, your perspective and your plans. Thank you God, for you are my refuge and my hope.