In Isaiah chapters 49 through 55, Israel and God are in the middle of a
dialogue. God is preparing Israel to have red-hot hearts for Him in the
midst of surprising difficulties. In the midst of this conversation, He
explains why He waits in order to fulfill His promises in our lives, as
well as the reasons for letting us experience both unpleasant
circumstances and our own weaknesses in order for us to heal and let
love mature in our hearts.
Oftentimes, when the Lord has spoken great things over our lives, we
expect that it will be five, maybe ten years. After it is all said and
done, it ends up being 25 years and we experience many more bumps along
the way. We run up against numerous weaknesses, both within ourselves
and in difficult circumstances.
Why does he do this? Why would God wait so long to fulfill His
promises? Although we don’t understand it, he does it to for our own
good. It is out of His mercy that he waits longer than we expect to
fulfill His promises. Ultimately, His goal is that we would grow more
in love with Him. In these chapters, Israel is discouraged and ready to
give up and accuse God of forgetting or forsaking them. This is one of
the most painful things to experience as a believer. During the “delay”
of God’s promises, the enemy comes and causes us to accuse God that he
has forgotten us or that we are disqualified because of our own
weakness.
The Lord answers this accusation with a question. “Can a woman forget
her nursing child?” In other words, can a woman do something that is
contrary to nature? Even she does, I never will. The Lord is saying
that it is not an issue of Him forgetting them or forsaking them
because look—he has inscribed them on the palms of his hands. Because
sometimes it is easy to feel disqualified because of experiencing our
own weaknesses, oftentimes, we give in to feelings of shame and
condemnation. Ultimately, condemnation is a statement of pride. How?
Because condemnation is my ability to excite God rather than trusting
in God’s own mercy to motivate his mercy towards us. There is nothing
that can overwhelm God’s mercy.
We cannot produce something greater than God.
As he encourages them about his abounding mercy, he tells them that,
though they are His covenantal relationship, they are continually
driven by fear. They are so afraid of the obstacles that they are
unaware of God. In response to this, the people cry out to God in
intercession. They cry out, “Awake O God, put on your strength.” In
other words, they were crying out that God would intervene for them
like he did for Moses and for Elijah. They were crying out for God to
break in His power as in the days of old.
God responds by, instead of answering their question, asking them a
question. He asks, “Who are you that you should be in covenant with me,
that you should be so continually driven by fear? It is a collision;
you are the darling of my heart that you think that you have sinned so
much that even I cannot forgive you. The children of covenant do not
believe that the God they are crying out to is more of a doctrine than
a living reality. He is talking to Israel in a time of difficulty. He
asks, “Do you not know that you are so dear to me? They have forgotten
the Lord their Maker. He says, “I am the God of Moses (who did
wonders), I am the God who puts my very words into your mouth.”
At this time, Jerusalem is drunk with the hand of the Lord, under the
discipline of the Lord. He is exhorting them to not go into a pity
party, but to stand up, get out of lethargy, to push delete, and move
into the promises of God. They cannot produce anything against the
desire of His zeal for them.
At times of discipline, it is easy to slip into a victim mentality—and
not accept responsibility to touch God at the heart level. Yet, it is
at this very time that God tells them that they must get up and shake
off the lethargy to touch Him. God is pleading with them, as if he
himself is down on his knees, that they must press delete, accept His
way of freedom, simple though difficult. The Lord tells them to “Awake,
awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O
Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall
no longer come to you. Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O
Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive
daughter of Zion!”
So, how do they “wake up?” They must position their heart in front of
the bonfire of God’s heart; they must fill their mind on the truth of
His affection and His Father heart. They must embrace fasting in order
to sensitize their spirits to the affections of God. Fasting does not
earn anything, but instead sensitizes us to feel what he feels. We must
also embrace God’s way of economics by living a life of extravagant
giving.
Trust God with your fire, for it has come from Him and he knows what it
takes to keep it burning. Link yourself to His will and His ways and
watch that flame burn brighter, feel your passion ignite as you lay
down your agenda for His.
What God has started, He will finish and bring it about to completion.
