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.
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?
