The great harvest
Before the birth pains even begin,
Jerusalem gives birth to a son.
Who has ever seen anything as strange as this?
Who ever heard of such a thing?
Has a nation ever been born in a single day?
Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment?
But by the time Jerusalem’s birth pains begin,
her children will be born.
Would I ever bring this nation to the point of birth
and then not deliver it?” asks the Lord.
“No! I would never keep this nation from being born,”
says your God. Isaiah 66:7-9 NLT
From the text, Isaiah looked far into the future. Israel was called to provide a powerful testimony of God’s presence and working. They were to live a life pleasing to God that nations around them will desire to know the God they serve. “The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others” (Genesis 12:1-2). There was a sense of disbelief that God will cause a birth out of the pain that the Israelites were going through. It is God who is at work and the ways He uses are unexpected and out of the ordinary. He is the one who alone could give life. Through the pain believers are going through to this present age up to the end, God will bring life. The church through God’s working can experience birth and growth. Through the preaching of the gospel in the last days, it will result in great number of people coming to know the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Miracle such as this is easy for God to do. God is committed to this work of changing the lives of people. We who claim are His children, should be committed in proclaiming the gospel. When God caused a miracle through the proclamation of the gospel, 3,000 souls became members of the kingdom of God. “Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all” (Acts 2:40-41). God will cause a great harvest and He wants us to be a part of it.
Blessings,
