"Then thou shalt say in thine heart, 'Who hath begotten these for me, seeing I have lost my children and am desolate, a captive, and wandering to and fro? Who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?' Thus saith the Lord...they shall not be ashamed that wait for me." Isaiah 49:21-23
Israel, like Job, had lost everything; but apparently, like Job, they would receive it all again in abundance. There was just one condition: wait for God, and oh how they have waited! Through captivities and dominions and silences and sufferings and assaults and attacks of every kind, they wait for the redemption of God's people. If they would have it, they must wait for Him.
Too few of us truly "wait for" God, because we have no idea what it really entails. We desire the fullness of God; but if we want such glory, we must pass through the desolation. There are ties that must be broken, fellowships that must be severed, trials that must be endured, plans that must be dropped, dreams and desires that must crash to the ground, habits that must be kicked, clarity that must be obscured. It will be grueling, but if you cannot pass through the desolation, then what good are you? You are not fit for the glory that you seek. If, in wanting to become like Christ, you cannot endure the "fellowship of His sufferings," how then can you endure the "power of His resurrection" (Philippians 3:10)?
I dare say that we want all the blessings of knowing God but none of the hardships and heartaches. We would take the life of Christ if only we could avoid the Cross (avoiding misunderstandings with family and the religious elite would be nice too). We desire God like Joseph did, but we would rather get right to being Egypt's prime minister and avoid being betrayed by our brothers, scandalized by our employers, cast unjustly into prison, and forgotten by those we show kindness to. It is, however, not to be.
If you would have all that God is, then you must go wherever He is and follow wherever He leads, through fire and flood, through dungeons and thrones, through failures and triumphs, through joys and sorrows, through pleasures and pains. If we desire anything other than God (even good and noble things), then we will balk at His wooing, and settle for a lesser view of Him. If we would be gripped by His ever tender and ever stern hand, however, we must be willing to go where He goes, even from the heights of heaven to the depths of hell, remembering always that He is ours and we are His, and He is with us always (Isaiah 43:1b, 2).
"Through the fire and the flames
You carry me unto Yourself,
No turning back,
No turning back..."
-Jon Vowell
Israel, like Job, had lost everything; but apparently, like Job, they would receive it all again in abundance. There was just one condition: wait for God, and oh how they have waited! Through captivities and dominions and silences and sufferings and assaults and attacks of every kind, they wait for the redemption of God's people. If they would have it, they must wait for Him.
Too few of us truly "wait for" God, because we have no idea what it really entails. We desire the fullness of God; but if we want such glory, we must pass through the desolation. There are ties that must be broken, fellowships that must be severed, trials that must be endured, plans that must be dropped, dreams and desires that must crash to the ground, habits that must be kicked, clarity that must be obscured. It will be grueling, but if you cannot pass through the desolation, then what good are you? You are not fit for the glory that you seek. If, in wanting to become like Christ, you cannot endure the "fellowship of His sufferings," how then can you endure the "power of His resurrection" (Philippians 3:10)?
I dare say that we want all the blessings of knowing God but none of the hardships and heartaches. We would take the life of Christ if only we could avoid the Cross (avoiding misunderstandings with family and the religious elite would be nice too). We desire God like Joseph did, but we would rather get right to being Egypt's prime minister and avoid being betrayed by our brothers, scandalized by our employers, cast unjustly into prison, and forgotten by those we show kindness to. It is, however, not to be.
If you would have all that God is, then you must go wherever He is and follow wherever He leads, through fire and flood, through dungeons and thrones, through failures and triumphs, through joys and sorrows, through pleasures and pains. If we desire anything other than God (even good and noble things), then we will balk at His wooing, and settle for a lesser view of Him. If we would be gripped by His ever tender and ever stern hand, however, we must be willing to go where He goes, even from the heights of heaven to the depths of hell, remembering always that He is ours and we are His, and He is with us always (Isaiah 43:1b, 2).
"Through the fire and the flames
You carry me unto Yourself,
No turning back,
No turning back..."
-Jon Vowell
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