Hope

“I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus. I will give them fountains of water in the valleys. I will fill the desert with pools of water. Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground. I will plant trees in the barren desert— cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, cypress, fir, and pine. I am doing this so all who see this miracle will understand what it means— that it is the Lord who has done this, the Holy One of Israel who created it.”

Isaiah 41:18-20

I love this chapter. There is dryness and there is hopeless everywhere. God invites those who worship idols to call on them for deliverance. Obviously they can’t deliver!!!! They are powerless and worthless.

In His mercy I think God gives “them” a chance to demonstrate their powerlessness so that His own can come to their senses and repent from useless things. Giving His own a chance to turn to the only true God.

The questions He asks through out the chapter are there to help the reader see there is only One God with power. Through the visible dryness, barrenness and emptiness, God says okay bring them out. Bring your idols out and let’s see if they can help you. Let’s see if they can turn dry places into fruitfulness. Let’s see if they can inspire hope by predicting the future for you. Obviously they can’t. They are worthless and powerless. Those who worship them pollute themselves.

God then gives His own a promise. He first calls them His servants, His chosen ones and then His friends. The promise is that He will do a miracle. He will provide water where there is expected to be none. He will make fruitful that which is not expected to be fruitful. He will turn barrenness into fruitfulness. He prophesies about their future. He brings them hope, security and assurance that no idol can.

I think the Lord sometimes allows us to come to the end of ourselves so He can demonstrate His miraculous power.

We often think of idol worship as carved out animals. But for me idol worship is anything we put faith in other than our God. We put faith in “education”, “networks”, “jobs”, “money”, “countries we are born in”, “famous political figures”, “friends” etc and we think these things, these people are our ticket to deliverance and redemption. Then with all the connections or education in the world we still find ourselves bound, surrounded by superficial success and emptiness. Coming to the end of ourselves we wonder why?

It’s good that we wonder? That wonder maybe the only thing that leads us back to God. Our only redeemer.

Lord shine the light on every idol worship in my heart. You are welcome Holy Spirit to take your place! Let every false hope, on any false idol be exposed today. By your grace and mercy help me to repent and turn to You as my only source of hope. They are powerless Lord. You are the only true God. You are the only one that can save and deliver me. I turn to you today. Give me wisdom and a heart that seeks to please only you. Lord I see a lot of barrenness in my life but I know it’s only in the natural. You have already turned my barrenness into fruitfulness. Let this day be the day heaven invades my earth and and I see manifested in the natural pools and rivers of blessing You have already made provision for. Fountains, pools and springs of refreshing fill my day today.

This is your day Holy Spirit. Fill me Holy Spirit. Take your place. You are welcome. In Jesus Name.