Isaiah 42:6-7, 25 NIV
"I, the Lord , have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
So he poured out on them his burning anger,
the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand;
it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.
There is so much in this chapter, but at the heart of it, God is not in a panic because of the rebellion of his people. He will open blind eyes. He will lead them and keep them. He will cause them to be a light to the gentiles. How can that be when the chapter ends by saying that no matter how he has disciplined them, they don't take it to heart?
The first five verses of the chapter seem to have the answer. God will send his servant. His Spirit will be upon this servant. The servant will not raise his voice or defend himself, yet he will bring justice to the nations. The God who created, who gave breath and life to all people, the God who stretched out the heavens and brought into existence the earth and all that fills it ... this God will bring it to pass.
There is no panic here, no wringing of hands, no fear of failure. I wonder sometimes whether we really believe that God is in control. I wonder whether we really believe that God can really accomplish what he said he would do. Court decisions are made, ungodly rulers come to power, anti-Christ thinking seems to have taken over and we form our little holy huddles lamenting the fall of civilization as we know it. What happened to, "I will build my church?" What happened to, "I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles?" What happened to, "Nothing can separate you from the love of God?" Do we really believe these promises or are they only good when governments are godly and people are good?
Father, forgive me for the many times I have allowed sight to override faith. Forgive me for the times I have been blind to your plans and purposes. Forgive me for the times that in my blindness I have not listened even in your discipline. Today, may I walk by faith. Today may I rest in your promises. Today may your word and your promises be more real to me than the newspaper and the TV newscaster. Today may I hear your voice clearly and see you with unobstructed vision.
By His grace,
Rick Weinert
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