A Sign

December 16                                                                                                         

Scripture Reading
Read Isaiah 7:10-14 and reflect on the passage.

Ahaz was known as an evil king, so when he says "I will not put the Lord to the test," don't be fooled. He wants his way, not God's, and that is clear when the Lord says, through Isaiah, "Here is your sign – a virgin will give birth to a son we will call Immanuel." The Lord tells His people this incredible news hundreds and hundreds of years before Christ is born. News that will change the world, one life at a time. 

And He is true to His word. What are you trusting God for right now? A new job? Healing in your marriage? Enough money to stretch to the end of the month? A new relationship with a difficult family member? Trust in God's faithfulness. Turn to Him, not your own means. He desires you to trust Him, and he will repay that trust a thousandfold. "God can either give you what you want, or He can give you what you would want if you knew all that He knows." (Hayley DiMarco, "A Woman Overwhelmed")

Questions

Why is it so hard to trust God?

What fear can you give to God right now?

Prayer

Lord, help me to want what You want for my life, not what I want.  Because Your way is best.  Amen.

                                                                                                                                    Elaine Pierce

We have our moments

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”  Isaiah 7:14

Several years ago, my wife and I visited the Churchill Museum in the Westminster district of London.  It was a fascinating place and every bit as inspirational; we both agreed that our two hours there could easily have been four or more.  Yet more impressionable than all the facts and artifacts was a deeper appreciation of one person raised up and called to a momentous point in history.  No one could have been more ideally suited to lead the world against Germany’s Third Reich than England’s Winston Churchill. 

History has its cycles and patterns: civilizations come and go; wars are won and lost; leaders rise and fall.  As Solomon would say, there is nothing new under the sun.  To this, however, we might add an exception: Christ will never be crucified again.  He was born once for all mankind, he was crucified once for all time and he rose from the dead, never to taste death again. 

And chosen to usher in this singular pivot point in time was a young, unwed Middle-eastern girl, named Mary.  We don’t know much about her, but what we do know is enough: she was highly favored and the Lord was with her.  When called to bear the Anointed One foretold for millennia prior, she responded humbly, “I am the Lord's servant.  May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38). 

So too have we been raised up, for a lifetime of “moments,” actually.  Who, for instance, is better suited to teach your children about Jesus than you?  Who is better positioned to introduce him to a trusting friend than you?  And haven’t we all seen “open doors” through which God has called us to step into just-in-time ministry, be it sharing Christ, telling others what he has done for us, or serving people in his name? 

Certainly each one of us are called to the “good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).  Will the history texts of tomorrow bear our names?  No, likely not.  But there is a place where we will read our names along with those of everyone who trusts in Christ, including those who believe through our testimony.  It’s called “the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27).  And it stands as inspiration for us to step into all our moments with anticipation, confidence and joy. 

Lord, grace me to hear your call today and obey.  And be glorified through this servant of yours.  Amen. 

[Click here to see the daily reading in Isaiah 7:10-15.] 

Saying "yes" to blessings

Again, the Lord spoke to Ahaz, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”  But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test."  Then Isaiah said, "Hear now ... Is it not enough to try the patience of men?  Will you try the patience of my God, also?”  Isaiah 7:10-13

So let me get this straight, Ahaz.  God hands you an open invitation to name a sign – any sign! – and you said what?  Come here, knucklehead ... that calls for a few “what were you thinking” noogies.

Truth be told, we’re altogether a conflicted lot, aren’t we?  We decline God’s calls to sacrifice, knowing him to be forgiving.  Then we turn around and refuse his blessings, knowing ourselves to be undeserving.  (No wonder we are “surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses”!  Who doesn’t enjoy a good Keystone Kops routine?!?)

When it comes down to it, commands and blessings share this in common: both require from us a response of faith – a complete entrustment of our entire selves to God.  When God tells us to do something, we must trust him with the outcomes of our obedience.  Likewise, God’s blessings carry with them a call to believe that he loves us, that he delights in us, that he wants to bless us ... even though we don’t deserve it.

So through Isaiah, God responded to Ahaz’s refusal of blessing ... with another promise of blessing!  “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)”

Cue Mary.  For when told by the angel centuries later that she would be the vessel through whom this ancient prophecy would be fulfilled – that she would bear Immanuel, “God with us” – her response was a faith example for the ages: “I am the Lord's servant.  May it be to me as you have said. (Luke 1:28)”

Has the "Ahaz" in you been rejecting God's blessings?  Perhaps by not accepting someone's sincere affirmation or expression of friendship?  Maybe by thinking yourself unlovable when people all around you are trying to show otherwise?  Questioning whether God's grace exceeds your unworthiness?

Personally, I'm trying to get better at receiving blessings and the love of God behind them. I'm making up my mind to be a little less like Ahaz and a little more like Mary in that way. Care to join me?

[To see the daily reading in Isaiah 7:10-15, click here.]

[To read “The Magnificat,” Mary’s continued expression of faith and gratitude in Luke 1:46-55, click here.]