Isaiah 41:8-14; 18-20; Isaiah 66:19-24 (NIV)

8 “But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend,
9 I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
11 “All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
13 For I am the LORD your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
14 Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob,
little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs.
19 I will put in the desert
the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress together,
20 so that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the LORD has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

19 “I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations—to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20 And they will bring all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the LORD—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,” says the LORD. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the LORD in ceremonially clean vessels. 21 And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites,” says the LORD.
22 “As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the LORD, “so will your name and descendants endure. 23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,” says the LORD. 24 “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”

Reflection:

When we are waiting upon the Lord as His servants and friends, it is reassuringly good to know and believe that it is God who did everything and does everything. It is God who chose us and called us out from the ends of the earth. Because He is our God and is with us, He will strengthen us and help us. He will uphold us with His righteous right hand. He will turn our barrenness into fruitfulness. He will quench our thirsty and parched mouths so we can proclaim life to the lifeless ones and love to the unloved ones. Whenever our hearts are feeling dry and wasted, He will refresh our hearts so that we can proclaim Christ to the unsaved souls in the barren heights, deepened valleys and abandoned deserts. Not only does God help us with our troubles, but He strengthens us, so that many others will see, know, consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done everything and will do everything.

Response:

Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid of anything but take courage in everything. Let’s remember who God is. Let us lift up our hearts to the Lord. May our faith and hope be raised and may we praise the Lord. Wherever you are today, let’s take a moment and pray for the unsaved souls around us, so that they can know that the Lord is the powerful God, our Helper and Redeemer!