Purpose of God in Times Like These
Greetings in the Lord~
A couple of days ago as I was in my prayer time with the Lord, He drew my attention to Isaiah 26. Immediately I remembered, that was the passage I had gotten when I was in China the first time, back in 2002. I'll never forget the date either, as it was on my birthday in March and we were having a special dinner. While I was getting ready to go down to eat, I felt drawn to take a few minutes to read Scripture, Isaiah 26. As I was reading it, I felt the weight of its significance and discerned it had a special importance, although, I did not know at the time what it was referring to and really did not have time then to pray and meditate on it. All I knew for sure was that it was talking about a time of God executing His judgment on the earth, making a clear distinction between those that followed the Lord's will and those that rebelled against Him; the humble vs. the arrogant. Hmmm.
Later on, I found out that chapter 26 is really part of a series, from chapters 24-26, and they have to do with God's purpose in judgment and are considered futuristic by theologians, as in a kind of, End-of-Times, coming-of-Jesus sort of way. Well, I have to admit, the End Times discussion caused me to tuck that away in my heart to ponder while I held onto the nugget about impending judgment/disaster coming. When? Where? I had no clue.
Yet, as I recalled all that two days ago it suddenly dawned on me--the SARS epidemic broke out only a few months later in 2002, after I had safely left South China. And now, we have COVID-19, the newest corona virus to hit the earth in an officially declared pandemic. Most certainly, this is the widespread "disaster" the Lord gave me a heads up about back in January 2020. But now as I continue to process what all the Lord is saying about this outbreak, I can't avoid discussing the topic of judgment, or rather, His purpose in it.
I realize that this topic does not set well in many people's heart, especially those that may be enemies of God or adherents to the American "feel-good" and "encouragement" theology perspective, but God is a multi-faceted God, and definitely not limited to our narrow and often erroneous perspectives of His all-encompassing nature. No, God and His ways are higher than us, so as believers we just have to trust Him and spend time with the Holy Spirit to allow Him to illumine His wisdom to us through His word and through prayer. So to that end, I want to take a holistic look at Isaiah 26 and 22, which is today's prophetic word.
First off, in Isaiah 26 we see a clear distinction being made between the "righteous," those that put their faith in Jesus, and the "arrogant" and "wicked," those that make their own way and choose to rely on their own devices and understanding. Now, yes, its true that natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, pandemics and the like do not "select" their victims; no, those natural disasters sweep over the land without favoritism. However, I have seen and written on many occasions that our actions and reactions to these naturally occurring circumstances reveal our true heart conditions and that prayer DOES influence the trajectory, if you will, of a naturally occurring disaster. Simply put--prayer works, and it also bears witness to our faith in Him. God hears the prayers of the righteous and responds to help, maybe not in ways that we desire or recognize, but He does move on the behalves of the godly according to His perfect will and purpose for allowing the judgment/disaster in the first place. I know, that's a big pill to swallow, but I certainly don't mean that in an insensitive or prideful way. I too, have endured my fair share of discipline and trials in life, some resulting from my own sin. And I know too well that God does not play favorites; He repays each according to what they've done, how they live their lives and treat people, etc. all in accordance with His Word, whether we acknowledge that or not:
"Lord, we show our trust in You by obeying Your laws...For only when You come to judge the earth will people learn what is right. Your kindness to the wicked does not make them do good. Although others do right, the wicked keep doing wrong and take no notice of the Lord's majesty. O Lord, they pay no attention to Your upraised fist. Show them Your eagerness to defend Your people. Then they will be ashamed. Let Your fire consume Your enemies. Lord, You will grant us peace; all we have accomplished is really from You." Isaiah 26:8-12.
Later on, in Isaiah 26:15 it moves to a national praise and thanks: "O Lord, You have made our nation great; yes, You have made us great." So for tomorrow, on the National Day of Prayer, it would be wise for us to repent of thinking that any one person or administration has turned things around economically and brought new respect to our nation; no, our prosperity and peace is from the Lord alone and to Him belongs all the praise and glory.
"Lord, in distress we searched for You. We prayed beneath the burden of our discipline....But those who die in the Lord will live; their bodies will will rise again!...For Your life-giving light will fall like dew on Your people in the place of the dead!" Isaiah 26:16,19
These verses also remind us that in times of judgment/disaster we pray, and yet some will still pass away, but God's hand remains on their life; we belong to Him whether in life or death. God does not want any to perish, but to return to Him; it's about salvation. In times of judgment, the purpose is not to hurt people, but to provide widespread opportunity to return to Him, to be reminded of what is really important in our fleeting, fragile lives on earth.
The last part of Isaiah 26 is about God's "social distancing:" "Go home, My people, and lock your doors! Hide yourselves for a little while until the Lord's anger has passed. Look! The Lord is coming from heaven to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide those who have been killed. They will be brought out for all to see." Isaiah 26: 20-21.
Interesting, huh? Not only are we advised to draw near to God and take time out from our regular activities, but also, to expect that while we are hidden in Him that wickedness, corruption and injustices will be dealt with--that is a hallmark indication of judgment. It is the righting of wrongs, unveiling and uprooting of corrupt leadership and widespread social ills. I would encourage anyone who never saw this connection to do some research on the aftermath of events from things like Katrina and of many of the recent hurricanes--Puerto Rico, etc. where corruption and all sorts of things were exposed and dealt with. Certainly, we will see this happen all over the world in the COVID-19 pandemic. Already, we know of how the early whistle blowers were silenced and of the massive media coverup when it was still an epidemic in China. That leads me to Isaiah chapter 22.
This chapter specifically deals with those whose reaction to the disaster/judgment is anything but trusting in the Lord! It talks of chaos, anger, fear, confusion, fleeing away, hopelessness, relying on your own devices/solutions, and finally, of those who look to profit selfishly from the disaster itself. These reactions testify against themselves. We live in a time when many people believe they are entitled to their own opinions, but cannot make the distinction between right and wrong, holy and common, truth and falsehood, but our reaction to disaster reveals our heart motives and what we put our trust in aside from opinions.
"But you never ask for help from the One who did all of this. You never considered the One who planned this long ago. At that time, the Lord of Heaven's Armies called you to weep and mourn. He told you to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins and to wear clothes of burlap to show your remorse. But instead, you dance and play; you slaughter cattle and kill sheep. You feast on meat and drink wine. You say, 'Let's feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!'" Isaiah 22:11-13
Then, at the end of the chapter it tells of how God will replace selfish leaders and influencers who are trying to get ahead and profit during the judgment/disaster, those who see the calamity as an opportunity to build themselves up in prominence and wealth.
"Who do you think you are, and what are you doing here, building a beautiful tomb for yourself--a monument high up in the rock? For the Lord is about to hurl you away, mighty man. He is going to grab you, crumple you into a ball, and toss you away into a distant, barren land." Isaiah 22:16-18
These leaders and influencers will be removed from their high position by God and replaced by people of integrity, who really care about the concerns of the people, and the Lord will honor them before others.
So, lots to look forward to and do in the meantime, as believers in Jesus Christ. Let the Lord's will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
A couple of days ago as I was in my prayer time with the Lord, He drew my attention to Isaiah 26. Immediately I remembered, that was the passage I had gotten when I was in China the first time, back in 2002. I'll never forget the date either, as it was on my birthday in March and we were having a special dinner. While I was getting ready to go down to eat, I felt drawn to take a few minutes to read Scripture, Isaiah 26. As I was reading it, I felt the weight of its significance and discerned it had a special importance, although, I did not know at the time what it was referring to and really did not have time then to pray and meditate on it. All I knew for sure was that it was talking about a time of God executing His judgment on the earth, making a clear distinction between those that followed the Lord's will and those that rebelled against Him; the humble vs. the arrogant. Hmmm.
Later on, I found out that chapter 26 is really part of a series, from chapters 24-26, and they have to do with God's purpose in judgment and are considered futuristic by theologians, as in a kind of, End-of-Times, coming-of-Jesus sort of way. Well, I have to admit, the End Times discussion caused me to tuck that away in my heart to ponder while I held onto the nugget about impending judgment/disaster coming. When? Where? I had no clue.
Yet, as I recalled all that two days ago it suddenly dawned on me--the SARS epidemic broke out only a few months later in 2002, after I had safely left South China. And now, we have COVID-19, the newest corona virus to hit the earth in an officially declared pandemic. Most certainly, this is the widespread "disaster" the Lord gave me a heads up about back in January 2020. But now as I continue to process what all the Lord is saying about this outbreak, I can't avoid discussing the topic of judgment, or rather, His purpose in it.
I realize that this topic does not set well in many people's heart, especially those that may be enemies of God or adherents to the American "feel-good" and "encouragement" theology perspective, but God is a multi-faceted God, and definitely not limited to our narrow and often erroneous perspectives of His all-encompassing nature. No, God and His ways are higher than us, so as believers we just have to trust Him and spend time with the Holy Spirit to allow Him to illumine His wisdom to us through His word and through prayer. So to that end, I want to take a holistic look at Isaiah 26 and 22, which is today's prophetic word.
First off, in Isaiah 26 we see a clear distinction being made between the "righteous," those that put their faith in Jesus, and the "arrogant" and "wicked," those that make their own way and choose to rely on their own devices and understanding. Now, yes, its true that natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, pandemics and the like do not "select" their victims; no, those natural disasters sweep over the land without favoritism. However, I have seen and written on many occasions that our actions and reactions to these naturally occurring circumstances reveal our true heart conditions and that prayer DOES influence the trajectory, if you will, of a naturally occurring disaster. Simply put--prayer works, and it also bears witness to our faith in Him. God hears the prayers of the righteous and responds to help, maybe not in ways that we desire or recognize, but He does move on the behalves of the godly according to His perfect will and purpose for allowing the judgment/disaster in the first place. I know, that's a big pill to swallow, but I certainly don't mean that in an insensitive or prideful way. I too, have endured my fair share of discipline and trials in life, some resulting from my own sin. And I know too well that God does not play favorites; He repays each according to what they've done, how they live their lives and treat people, etc. all in accordance with His Word, whether we acknowledge that or not:
"Lord, we show our trust in You by obeying Your laws...For only when You come to judge the earth will people learn what is right. Your kindness to the wicked does not make them do good. Although others do right, the wicked keep doing wrong and take no notice of the Lord's majesty. O Lord, they pay no attention to Your upraised fist. Show them Your eagerness to defend Your people. Then they will be ashamed. Let Your fire consume Your enemies. Lord, You will grant us peace; all we have accomplished is really from You." Isaiah 26:8-12.
Later on, in Isaiah 26:15 it moves to a national praise and thanks: "O Lord, You have made our nation great; yes, You have made us great." So for tomorrow, on the National Day of Prayer, it would be wise for us to repent of thinking that any one person or administration has turned things around economically and brought new respect to our nation; no, our prosperity and peace is from the Lord alone and to Him belongs all the praise and glory.
"Lord, in distress we searched for You. We prayed beneath the burden of our discipline....But those who die in the Lord will live; their bodies will will rise again!...For Your life-giving light will fall like dew on Your people in the place of the dead!" Isaiah 26:16,19
These verses also remind us that in times of judgment/disaster we pray, and yet some will still pass away, but God's hand remains on their life; we belong to Him whether in life or death. God does not want any to perish, but to return to Him; it's about salvation. In times of judgment, the purpose is not to hurt people, but to provide widespread opportunity to return to Him, to be reminded of what is really important in our fleeting, fragile lives on earth.
The last part of Isaiah 26 is about God's "social distancing:" "Go home, My people, and lock your doors! Hide yourselves for a little while until the Lord's anger has passed. Look! The Lord is coming from heaven to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide those who have been killed. They will be brought out for all to see." Isaiah 26: 20-21.
Interesting, huh? Not only are we advised to draw near to God and take time out from our regular activities, but also, to expect that while we are hidden in Him that wickedness, corruption and injustices will be dealt with--that is a hallmark indication of judgment. It is the righting of wrongs, unveiling and uprooting of corrupt leadership and widespread social ills. I would encourage anyone who never saw this connection to do some research on the aftermath of events from things like Katrina and of many of the recent hurricanes--Puerto Rico, etc. where corruption and all sorts of things were exposed and dealt with. Certainly, we will see this happen all over the world in the COVID-19 pandemic. Already, we know of how the early whistle blowers were silenced and of the massive media coverup when it was still an epidemic in China. That leads me to Isaiah chapter 22.
This chapter specifically deals with those whose reaction to the disaster/judgment is anything but trusting in the Lord! It talks of chaos, anger, fear, confusion, fleeing away, hopelessness, relying on your own devices/solutions, and finally, of those who look to profit selfishly from the disaster itself. These reactions testify against themselves. We live in a time when many people believe they are entitled to their own opinions, but cannot make the distinction between right and wrong, holy and common, truth and falsehood, but our reaction to disaster reveals our heart motives and what we put our trust in aside from opinions.
"But you never ask for help from the One who did all of this. You never considered the One who planned this long ago. At that time, the Lord of Heaven's Armies called you to weep and mourn. He told you to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins and to wear clothes of burlap to show your remorse. But instead, you dance and play; you slaughter cattle and kill sheep. You feast on meat and drink wine. You say, 'Let's feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!'" Isaiah 22:11-13
Then, at the end of the chapter it tells of how God will replace selfish leaders and influencers who are trying to get ahead and profit during the judgment/disaster, those who see the calamity as an opportunity to build themselves up in prominence and wealth.
"Who do you think you are, and what are you doing here, building a beautiful tomb for yourself--a monument high up in the rock? For the Lord is about to hurl you away, mighty man. He is going to grab you, crumple you into a ball, and toss you away into a distant, barren land." Isaiah 22:16-18
These leaders and influencers will be removed from their high position by God and replaced by people of integrity, who really care about the concerns of the people, and the Lord will honor them before others.
So, lots to look forward to and do in the meantime, as believers in Jesus Christ. Let the Lord's will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
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