Hello, my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
How important in your life is LISTENING? Have you developed a good listening ear?
Yesterday we discovered that the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah both received similar messages from God although about 100 years apart. What message? That both of them had been selected by God for special life missions, while He was developing them as tiny babies inside their mother’s wombs. It’s one of many great pro-life arguments! Have you ever considered all the great people and great accomplishments which have never happened because they were aborted before having a chance to live their God given life purpose?
Isaiah and Jeremiah were both designed by God for the very challenging “raison d’etre” (reason for existence) of being a spokesman of God to the world in their generations. (Is. 49:1-6 & Jeremiah 1:4-8) Today I’ve discovered another key factor, in Isaiah’s writings, which enabled him to live that very important, God given, LIFE PURPOSE at a very challenging time in Israel’s history.
Is. 50:4 “The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary“ I wonder how many people in our world feel they have a ‘well instructed tongue’ and also how many people feel they know what words to say to ‘sustain the weary’ or encourage the discouraged? Do you?
About 250 years BEFORE Isaiah, God led king Solomon to write these as three proverbs of wisdom:
* “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Prov. 12:18)
* “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Prov.15:1)
* “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.” (Prov. 15:4)
And about 750 years AFTER Isaiah, the Holy Spirit led the apostle Paul to write this to first century Christians: “Let not any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Eph. 4:29) Do you hear the similarity, my friends, between what Isaiah, Solomon and Paul are challenging us to consider about the value of a ‘well instructed tongue’ that knows the right words to say which will ‘sustain the weary’? So, who are those very few people you and I know who fit that description? We value those people, don’t we? We listen when they speak, right?
Isaiah 50 continues “He awakens me morning by morning, awakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away.” (Is. 50:4,5) Would you agree one of the most fundamental self-disciplines in life is LISTENING? As you look around your world would you also agree most people of all generations are very poor listeners? Oh, there’s a big difference between hearing and listening isn’t there?
What are indications to you that someone hears you but is not listening to what you are saying to them? Maybe they look away while you are speaking, or they interrupt you with something that’s far afield from what you were saying? Have you discovered that you are most alert, most ready to LISTEN when you first get up in the morning, before your ears and mind are filled with too much noise and information? Do you remember Jesus often got up early in the morning, even before daylight, to spend time LISTENING to God the Father? (Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12,13; Matt. 14:22-25)
Seems Mr. Isaiah felt God had not only given him ears to listen, but God awakened him often early in the morning to speak to Isaiah with very important messages. Do you also notice Isaiah wants us to understand he NEVER turned away when God was speaking to him, and he never disregarded or ignored whatever God spoke. On the contrary, Isaiah wrote down what God spoke and that’s why we have 66 chapters of the very powerful messages of God in Isaiah’s book in the Bible, and I for one, cherish those chapters!
And how did those early morning encounters between God and Isaiah help Isaiah? He writes this: “Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.” (Is. 50:7) Do you hear courage and determination and boldness in Isaiah’s words? Why? Because the messages God gave Isaiah for the kings and people of Israel were often not pleasant but were warnings of soon coming discipline or judgment because of their rebellion and hard hearts.
And like people today, those in Isaiah’s day did not like hearing bad news and often they took out their anger on Isaiah. Do you see in vs 6 Isaiah describes being mocked, spit at, beaten and even having hair pulled out of his beard! So that’s why Isaiah needed to be strongly strengthened and encouraged by early morning messages from God!
So, let’s pause right here my friends and consider three important questions:
1. What emboldens you, strengthens you to withstand ridicule or peer pressure when you’ve made strong God honoring statements of truth which are rejected by popular opinion, but you know it is God’s truth?
2. When, where and how often do you meet privately with the Almighty God and how hard do you work at carefully listening to all God has to tell you? Do you interrupt God when He’s trying to speak to you? Does your mind drift away to other things while you wait for God to speak?
3. Do you often find God inspiring you with wise things to speak into volatile or dangerous situations? Do you often sense the Holy Spirit giving you encouraging, tender, compassionate, helpful words for discouraged people or even desperate people? And do you also find the Holy Spirit cautioning you to be quiet, to hold your tongue, to wait for a more opportune time to say what you’re thinking?
My friends, Isaiah calls us to consider how mature we really are in our relationship with God and how often God finds us ready to listen to Him, receive what God is saying, and obediently share God’s wisdom into our broken world. Let’s think about that, let’s talk with God about that and let’s worship with this song, my friends…
Today’s Scripture: Is. 50:4-7.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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