I sit at the feet of Jesus, like Mary. Waiting on Him, just receiving and enjoying His presence. I am a little frustrated by the lack of joy I feel for much of the time. The words of the song “Let there be dancing in the darkness” are going through my mind.
“You have already received all I want to give you. I have given you every blessing in the heavenly realms. I have lifted your burdens, as I have promised. What you need is to see that with the eyes of faith – Yes the world is in darkness, but you are living in a blinding spiritual light. You just need to see it by faith and trust in it, then you will feel like shouting, ‘Jesus is alive’. So don’t allow your inner doubts and Satan’s voice to take away the source of joy, by filling your mind with negative thoughts. Here I am, all of Me – you have Me, appreciate Me and your joy will be complete”.
As we enter Ch 43 of Isaiah, we can pick up a pattern in these chapters with some repetition. As the prophetic voice of Yahweh continues, He presents “His people” to the listener. The way He presents His case is once again pictured as a judicial court. cf vv 9b-12. So what is He trying to prove? In v 7, after presenting the people He created to be His own, he clearly declares His purpose in doing this. Can you see it?
“Everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed an made”. Rounding off this case He once again underlines this purpose in v 21. “The people I formed for Myself that they may proclaim My praise.
Even in His argument in the “court case”, He is “proving” who He is. See what you can pick up there from v 11-13. I am the Lord, There is no other Saviour. I have revealed and saved. I am God, declares the Lord. I am the ancient of days. I not only speak, but I act and when I do ghat no-one can reverse it.
God is unashamedly presenting Himself as the center point of history. The sad thing is that the very people whom He rescued from Egypt and whom He promises He will once again rescue them from the Babylonians v14. Those people to whom He is promising that He is going to do a “new thing” v 19, to whom He is going to give “streams in the desert” v19. That very people, who have the inside lane, as it were on His love and care, are the very ones of whom He says “Yet you have not called upon Me…” v 22.
So He ends the chapter, challenging them to argue otherwise in the light of what history reveals. He goes right back to Adam, since “your first father sinned (V 27) …… They have no leg to stand on, so He declares His judgement in v 28 – final destruction on Jacob and Israel.
Food for thought. How do we see this applying to us? What does Jesus say today? I think it is pretty clear from this passage and the rest of Isaiah, that God wants us to recognize that He is the center-point of history. When he created and still creates, He does it unashamedly for His own glory and wants us to recognize that by, amongst others praising Him. Yet there is more to that. We must recognize every aspect of His nature and appreciate what He is doing, especially as Saviour. We must recognize that He does not only make promises or threats, but that He is a God who acts. Whose will and actions are irreversible.
How are things different for us? Well there is a glimmer of that in the words of the promise of doing a “new thing”. That must surely be a prediction of the coming of the new era of the New Covenant. So we have the benefit of vs 25, forgiveness of sins. We also have the Holy Spirit to help us to glorify Him. Yet, and this is where I sit up and take notice. It is not something that happens automatically. We need to constantly keep in mind what His purpose for each of us, is and make the decision to honour that. This is not a once-off decision, it is a moment by moment way of life.
I find it so encouraging to see how my reading in the scripture ties in with the word I receive when I sit at His feet. He wants us to have joy, but that will only come when we place Him central in our lives and glorify Him, not only with our lips but our whole lives.
I created them for My own Glory ! Isaiah 43 7. Our Holy Lord and Father predestined His children in love for His own glory . Our Holy Lord’s will is that the glory of His grace shall.be praised. Our salvation is for our Holy Lord’s glory! ” to the glorious praise of His grace with which He favored us through the One He loves ” Ephesians 1 6 . ” so that we were first to put our hope in Messiah might be for His glorious praise. ” Ephesians 1 12 ” He is the guarantee of our inheritance until.the redemption of His possession to His glorious praise,” Ephesians 1 14 It is the everlasting Glory of the new covenant of the Spirit in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ which is the Breath of eternal hope for my life. Our Holy Lord’s resurrection proves God’s love and faithfulness. ” By being raised from.the dead He was proved to be the mighty Son of God with the holy nature of God Himself ” Romans 1 4 This is the hope for my life in this dark, fallen world. All.glory and power be to our Holy Lord forever and ever! Amen
Amen, dear sister.
Before Jesus left before He trancended to His Father, He said I leave you My peace. After the Spirit was given, Joy, peace,goodness gladness, was added, as was faithfulness too. All equiping us to lead a life to His glory, living under His new Covenant! Praise to God our Father! Whatever may befaul us, He is the Alpha and Omega!