Isaiah 64:4, "From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides Thee, who works for those who wait for Him." What does that mean??? ...to "wait" on Him?? I wanna know! For one reason I wanna know what it means to wait, because He promised to work for those who do! Sign me up! I will wait.....pray? pray some more?? trust? trust some more?? serve? serve some more?? It may be a combination of those, or it may be different in each circumstance. Sometimes the Lord tells me to continue praying (and I'm chomping at the bit!) and sometimes the Lord tells me to "Move!"....I must be ready, either way.
Perhaps the best way to demonstrate "waiting" is given by Isaiah, himself. The analogy of the Potter and the clay has always been so real to me. Knowing that I am in His hands, and that it's His plan what I become, and that it's His tools that are chosen, and that He does the choosing is a perfect lesson in humility for me. I am not in charge, nor am I in control. (Oh that's tough to even write!) Why is it that I struggle with letting Him mold me the way I know He wants to? Why does my foolish pride continue to make the clay collapse?? The tools He uses are sometimes painful! And, that splash of cold water He gives just when I begin to feel tough! (I feel a hymn coming on!) "Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Thou art the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still."
Oh, how I have enjoyed this book! The name, Isaiah, is similar to Joshua, Elisha, and Jesus.....it means "the LORD is salvation." This book is quoted more than 65 times in the New Testament, which is more than any other Old Testament prophet. Isaiah is also mentioned over 20 times in the NT! He prophesied during the time the kingdom was divided. As hard as it is to understand his language (very noteworthy, by the way) it is well-worth the extra effort with your dictionary in hand.
Law vs. Grace - I read that Isaiah gives more information than any other source in the Bible about the new heaven and the new earth. He gives great detail on the nations being judged in those first chapters. We read about the status of Jerusalem, and even get an idea of how nature will change and how the animals will be affected in the new Kingdom. The first 39 chapters spoke much about the judgement and character of God.....giving warnings and promises of justice. The last 27 chapters seem to focus more on comfort and redemption....introducing the Christ as Deliver of Israel. Chapter 53 is the unrivaled picture of Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb....saving the remnant.
The end of this book proves His faithfulness to me. I will trust Him. I want to be molded and shaped, only He knows my potential. Only He knows my worth. He made me, and is making me......I am twice His.
What a great set of chapters to wrap up a great book. I recognized so many verses that are referenced in the New Testament, but never would have known they came from Isaiah. Waiting for the Lord...yes, it's one of the hardest things sometimes. I heard Beth Moore speak on this before from some verses in Psalms, and she said they key- is waiting on the LORD, not waiting on the thing/person/event that we think we need. If we wait on the Lord, He will always show up. So, in my experience, waiting on God is waiting to see how He works in our lives. Like you said- He will prove His faithfulness!
ReplyDeleteI to was singing, "Have thine Own Way Lord," as I read this. I know I am guilty of saying this but in my mind I am saying I can do this. Then when things don't turn out right, it is then I ask for help. Why are we so stubborn at times? We know that God is in charge. We know we can not do anything without Him. Yet, we try. I am thinking now of another song that says, "the God on the mountain is still God in the valley. When things go wrong, He'll make them right." Let's make our God our God all the time. Enjoyed your post, Jaybrena, as always.
ReplyDeleteJaybrena, you really spoke to me today. Waiting is one of the hardest things for me to do (not the most patient person). When I first read the post I thought of the lyrics of a song ...Waiting, waiting on the Lord; though it's not easy..." No, it is not easy, but so much better than doing things with our own strength and will.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this book and I hope all of you fell in love with it as I have. NOT easy to understand but SO FULL of verses that we can hold onto for dear life and so many promises that we can claim! Jaybrena - I love the picture you used today! And as always, I love your open heart, your honesty and your "realness". Press on ladies and let's see what Jeremiah has in store for us!!!
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