Our life-giving God
But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. This is the reward you will receive from me: You will soon fall down in great torment. Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance—all who seek the Lord! Consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined. Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor, and Sarah, who gave birth to your nation. Abraham was only one man when I called him. But when I blessed him, he became a great nation.” The Lord will comfort Israel again and have pity on her ruins. Her desert will blossom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found there. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air. Isaiah 50:11-51:3 NLT
From the text, Isaiah reminded the Israelites to let God’s light guide them in their way and warm them in their devotion. We will be misled when we seek outside of God. We should not take for granted the principles God is giving us through His word. It is plausible to sit for long hours pretending to be listening to God’s word proclaimed yet lives are not transformed. We are warned not to take for granted God’s command in our approach to life: “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death” (Proverbs 16:25). The admonition is for us to keep on listening to God even when our obedience to Him will lead us into uncertainties. Saying “yes” to God provides courage for He promised to deliver: “Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance—all who seek the Lord!” God is a life-giving God. He demonstrated this when Abraham and Sarah were given a child passed the age for Sarah to conceive a child. Abraham’s offspring will be used by God to bless others. If God can provide life to what seemed to be lifeless, He can also do something new to us. What is needed is a faith that believes that God is the life-giving God who promised that “barren wilderness” will be turned to “the garden of the Lord, “where “joy and gladness will be found there. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air.” Let us always listen to God for “faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ” (Romans 10:17).
Blessings,
