Isaiah 55:3Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. Did you catch the part about the ears being wide open, not the eyes? We normally say our eyes were wide open, but this is different. Why ears? Have you ever watched a scary movie (or Jaws or something similar) with the sound down so you can’t hear? If you try it, you’ll notice that it’s not nearly as scary without the sound. The ominous theme song, the little noises in the background that you don’t consciously recognize, the creaking board…. all these add to the feeling of suspense. Without them, it’s just not the same. We get a lot out of our ears. A lot of what we hear we don’t even register. God wants our ears open. Not just subconsciously, but truly open and listening. He wants to speak, but it’s so easy to miss His voice if we’re not listening, if our ears aren’t wide open and paying attention, taking it all in. The life of our soul is at stake, and if we miss His voice so many sad things can happen. There are lots of times in my life when I wish my ears had been wide open and I’d been listening because then, maybe, I could have avoided some of the messes that I found myself in. God doesn’t yell (at least not often). His voice isn’t in the fire or the wind or the thunder. His voice is a whisper, and if we don’t pay attention, if our ears aren’t wide open, then we’ll miss those gentle words. It’s so easy to go through the day focused on ourselves and what we have to say. It’s much harder to keep an ear tuned for God’s voice speaking in our ears.
Isaiah 56: 6I will also bless the Gentiles who commit themselves to the Lord and serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who have accepted his covenant. I’ve often wondered how we know that the promises of the Bible apply to all believers and not just to the Israeli people. And here in Isaiah God talks about how He will bless the Gentiles, too. I am not a child of Abraham – not by nationality or bloodline. But, by adoption, because God has chosen to bless Gentiles too, I am part of God’s special, chosen people. Therefore, the promises of God apply to me as well. That’s really nice to know!
Isaiah 53:4-5Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down… But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped and we were healed! Isaiah gave a remarkably accurate prophecy in this chapter. The whole chapter is about Jesus, talking about his life and his death. I think this part is beautiful. All my weaknesses and all my sorrows, all my sin, and all my sickness was placed on his shoulders. I wonder if, in addition to the weight and filth of my sin, if he also felt the pain and regret that accompanies the consequences of our stubbornness. How horrible that must have been! It says later that “When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied.” (vs.11). Jesus went through hell (literally) and chose to suffer (even though he knew it would be excruciating) to bring us peace and to allow us to be counted righteous. All because of His choice. How could you but love someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to be with you? That is love.
Isaiah 45:3…I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name. It’s funny how little phrases can stick with you. I’ve heard over and over how God knows the names of the stars, the hairs on my head, and all that, but I thought it interesting that God uses that phrase as part of His name. He doesn’t just say, “I know your name” or “I call you by name.” Part of His name is actually, “The One Who Calls You By Name.” So, what’s the point? Well, whose name do you know? Do you know the name of the girl who scanned your groceries or pointed you to the aisle where the popcorn is hidden? Why do stores put name tags on their employees? Why should it matter to them? Our names are important. Knowing peoples’ names creates a bond, even a small one, that helps us to connect and feel more friendly towards people (generally speaking). When you go to a hotel and the staff uses your name, they are trying to make you feel comfortable so you’ll want to come back. At the grocery store, if you strike up a conversation with “Maria” who is scanning your groceries you’d be surprised at how much you nicer the experience is. You can make her smile by using her name and talking. If you find out your servers name and speak to him or her like a human being, using his or her name, you’ll be surprised at how that makes them feel appreciated. Names are important. God in the one who calls us by name. We know the names of our friends and family. If a person is important, we learn his or her name. We use name tags, too, when we don’t know people but want to feel friendlier towards them. In ancient times people believed that names had power. Some cultures even gave themselves two names – one was public and the other was secret. God knows our names. He knows the name of every person on the planet. There is not one person that is less important whose name He has forgotten or doesn’t know. He believes that we are important enough, He loves us enough, to know our name. And not just to know it, to use it. He doesn’t say, “Hey you!” He says, “Amanda,” or whatever your name is. Names are used to express endearment, discipline, excitement, to get our attention, and so much more. How amazing that the God who made everything and everyone knows my name! And, He thinks that’s important enough to make it part of His name.
Numbers 27:5-7So Moses brought their case before the Lord. And the Lord replied to Moses, “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You must give them an inheritance of land along with their father’s relatives. Assign them the property that would have been given to their father.” One of the men who had died in the wilderness only had daughters. When land was being doled out among the tribes, it generally went to the men of the tribe and their sons. But this man had only daughters, and because of that, they would get no land. So, the decided to petition Moses to have land assigned to them. And, God said that they were right and that in the future, any man who died without sons would have his inheritance go to his daughters and so on. A couple of cool things – first, they were brave enough to ask. It’s not clear to me if their father died of natural causes or was one of the men who was killed in one of God’s plagues or what, but whatever happened, they came and asked. And God gave them what they asked for, and in the end, it benefited all the women in Israel. Sometimes we need to remember to ask. Be brave enough to come and ask. I tell my students all the time that if they don’t ask me, I don’t know they need something. Granted, God knows what we need before we ask, but He wants us to come to Him and ask. It helps us remember that we need Him and can’t do it on our own. In a book I read by a woman who used to be an anchor at CNN, she says that the worst thing someone can say is “no.” And what does that hurt? So, I try and remember to be brave enough to ask. It doesn’t hurt anything, and there’s a good chance that you will get what you ask for. But you’ll never know if you don’t ask. Second, their request gave women some ability to own land. That doesn’t seem very important, but in a society that was so male-centric, women didn’t get land or property. She lived with her father, then with her husband or his family. If she had sons, she lived with them if her husband died. But, if a man only had daughters, his name would die out and his daughters, traditionally, got nothing to survive on. This request changed all that. God said that if a man died without sons, the inheritance should go to his daughters. If he had no daughters it would go to his brothers, and so on. I think this is part of the law that Ruth called on when she asked Boaz to redeem the inheritance of her husband. Anyway, God loves the daughters as well as the sons, and changes the law to give them a way to survive if there was nobody left to care for them. God’s good like that.
Isaiah 43:10b-11, 25There is no other God; there never has been and never will be. I am the Lord, and there is no other Savior… I – yes, I alone – am the one who blots out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again. I don’t think you can get much clearer than that! God is God and there is no other like Him. There is no other Savior (not money, not stuff, not a job, not a politician) but Him. But this last bit is so awesome! He blots out my sins for HIS own sake and NEVER thinks of them again. He doesn’t forgive me for my own sake. Sure, He loves me and wants me to be able to be with Him, but forgiveness comes because He loves me, not because I love Him. It’s nice to know that I don’t have to be good enough or nice enough or pretty enough to get Him to erase my sins! And He will NEVER think of them again. I wonder if there are times when we (I’ve done this) are reminded of a sin in our past and ask God to forgive us for it for the millionth time and God is sitting there going, “Child, I have no idea what sin you’re talking about!” There is another verse that says that He forgets our sins. Our infinite God has a short memory when we ask for forgiveness. He doesn’t keep an account of all the things we’ve done wrong so He can throw them back in our faces (although the enemy would love for us to think He does). Once we are forgiven, it’s like it never happened. God forgets. I wish I could forget as easily! So, I try to remember that once I’ve confessed a sin and God has forgiven me, it’s done. Yes, the enemy will occasionally remind me of the stupid things I’ve done in the past, but I can remind myself that God’s forgotten about it, and it’s been erased. There are sometimes chains and bonds that need to be broken before I can be truly free, but if God can forgive and forget, shouldn’t I?
Isaiah 41: 9-10, 13, 16b, 17For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand… I am holding you by your right hand – I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, “Do not be afraid. I am here to help you.”… And the joy of the Lord will fill you to overflowing. You will glory in the Holy One of Israel…. When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the Lord, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never forsake them. I know that’s a lot to read and it’s a bit all over the place, but the messages here are so sweet. 1. I am chosen by God. He will not throw me away! The Almighty Infinite Creator of the Universe and all the incredibly, beautiful things in it, has chosen me. Out of all these things, He thinks I am the best! He won’t toss me away. He loves me passionately and I am exactly what He wanted! 2. There are so many bad things going on these days. I hate watching the news because it’s so depressing with people hurting each other, rape, murder, child abuse. My heart hurts, and I wish I could hide. I fear for myself sometimes and for my children. With the economy and our finances the way they are, I fear for our ability to provide. If I were to sit down and think about it, I could think of so many things to be afraid of. BUT, God says not to fear. No worries. He is bigger than any problem, more powerful than any criminal, more resourceful than any economy, and certainly smarter than anyone in power or “control” today! I loved reading these verses because they are such a beautiful reminder that I am not alone, that I have a strong, protective God who is watching out for me. 3. This was pretty cool – it isn’t until the people are thirsty, and not just a little thirsty – parched, that God comes to help them. I think that sometimes I search half-heartedly for what I want, but that’s not good enough. Getting what I need then can give me the impression that I can do it myself. Searching for water and finding small puddles to mitigate my thirst puffs me up because then I think, “hey, I found water. I can do this!” God waits until I am parched, there is no water to be found. I can’t do it on my own. I can’t provide for myself. I realize I am well and truly stuck. THEN, I am ready to understand that only God can do what I need him to do. God steps in and reminds me that He won’t forsake me or leave me to die. But He will wait until I stop trying to fix the world myself. For example, John and I are in a tough financial place right now. We’re tithing and trying to be as obedient as we can be. And God promises to provide, to bless us, and to help us… so why aren’t things getting easier? Why aren’t the boys healthier? Why is there sometimes more month than money? And, I think, to some great degree, we aren’t parched. We’re tired and exhausted (literally, some days), but there have been small puddles in the desert. We have hope, but we’re not parched yet. When we are, when our tongues are sticking to the roof of our mouth, when there is nowhere left to turn, the God will come. He will answer. He will not forsake us. Maybe that time is close. I sure hope so. And until then, we cling to the promise that He will keep His words and that He will not leave us or forsake us, that He will bring blessings. He will open then a river in the desert, and a spring where there was no water before. Yeah God!