Fri.’s Devo - Remove the Stones

Read: Isaiah 62:6-65:25; Philippians 2:19-3:4; Psalm 73:1-28; Proverbs 24:13-14 God posted intercessors on his walls to see the enemy coming so they could pray. They were to pray until they saw the desired result. God promised that Israel would never again be taken over by foreigners and that has remained true though many have tried. He told the people to prepare the roads for the people to return to Jerusalem. They physically went and removed huge stones so the roads would be clear for the great exodus of exiles to return. John the Baptist, hundreds of years later was told to do the same thing only he was to remove the stones in the hearts of the people - the stumbling stones that kept them from receiving the Messiah. What was happening in Isaiah’s time was the physical precursor to the days of John the Baptist and to the days of now. First the physical or natural and then the spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:46) Isaiah announced that their Savior was coming. They would be then called “The Redeemed of the Lord” and their city would be called “The City No Longer Forsaken.” God went through Israel’s history reminding them of what he did when he parted the Red Sea and brought them through on dry ground. He brought them out of slavery into their promised land and he would do it again. This made the Lord famous forever and he gained a magnificent reputation. Isaiah was overcome by their sin but kept reminding the Lord that He was their Father. He begged God to forgive them and save them. God’s response was that He had always been there to save them but no one had asked him to. The people were rebellious and bent on worshipping false idols insulting God’s love. God must discipline and judge them but he promised to leave a remnant became there were some good people who didn’t bow down to idols. The sinners would die by the sword. There would be a distinction between the good and the evil. God promised to create new heavens and a new earth and no one would even think back to the old one. It would be a place of happiness and joy. Babies would not die as infants and adults will live out their full life. People would eat the fruit of their own hands and not work in vain. Their children would not be doomed to misfortune. Prayers would be answered before they were prayed. This is heaven coming to earth. I used to think that this was talking about the millennium but this is talking about what we are about to walk into after we win this war we are in. And we will win because God says we will. God will protect his great name for his own sake. In Paul’s letter it is clear that he relies heavily on his co-workers Timothy and Epaphroditus. Paul longs to come to see them but he is in house arrest in Rome. He sends his friends he can trust instead. This is just what Jesus does with us. He is in heaven so he sends us to encourage the body and share his words. Paul shares that rejoicing in the Lord will safeguard our faith. How can you rejoice when everything is hard except by faith. He warned them not to fall into the trap of doing works to please God. That takes all the joy out of serving the Lord. When we love the Lord, we don’t want to sin - it is easy to say no to sin. We can take no credit for this, it is a work of the Holy Spirit in us. Lord, we have so much to look forward to. Help us not to grow weary in the waiting and in the war. You are our help and strong tower.