Tag: Isaiah 50

Walking in the Dark

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant?
Let him who walks in darkness and has no light
trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.
– Isaiah 50:10

You have been there.
Walking in the dark.
With no light.
Nothing makes sense.
You don’t understand.
You wonder why.
Where is God in the midst of this?
Why is this happening to me?

And in the midst of darkness, God calls us to trust him.
To trust him in that trial.
To trust him in that struggle.
To trust him in the midst of that turmoil, that sorrow, that pain.

Just trust him.
Keep looking to him.
Rely on him.
Lean on him.
Rest in him.

Whatever dark paths you may be on today,
trust in the name of the Lord and rely on your God.
And he will hold you up.

Costly Obedience

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

The Lord GOD has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious;
I turned not backward.
I gave my back to those who strike,
and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;
I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.
– Isaiah 50:5-6

These verses speak of the Servant of the Lord. He would obey God even to the point of suffering. And we know that the Servant is Jesus whose back was lashed, whose beard was pulled out, whose face was spit upon. As Philippians 2:8 tells us, he was obedient to the Father even to the point of death on the cross.

What about us? Are we willing to obey even to the point of suffering? Will we obey God even when it is hard, when it hurts? Will we obey even when we don’t feel like it? Will we obey even when it hits our pocketbook, intrudes on our free time, or crosses our comfort zone?

Jesus obeyed to the point of death, giving us an example of costly obedience. And he calls us to follow in his steps.

And yet on the other side of the cross, Jesus was and is exalted above every other name. On the other side of the suffering came great blessing. And so it is for us. Obedience may bring suffering for a time, but blessing follows close behind.

So let us obey regardless of the cost, setting our gaze on the blessings yet to come.

Sermon Songs: Isaiah 50:1-51:8

On By BrianIn Isaiah Hymns

MusicNotes

Come and follow the Servant’s way
And listen to His Word
Morning by morning everyday
Sustained by what you’ve heard

Come and follow the Servant’s way
Real righteousness pursue
In everything choose to obey
Believe, desire, and do

Come and follow the Servant’s way
And trust Him in the night
For by your side, He’ll always stay
Your held within His might

– From a sermon on Isaiah 50:1-51:8
(To the tune of the “O God Our Help In Ages Past”)

Morning by Morning

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah, Habit of Scripture1 Comment

Morning by morning he awakens;
he awakens my ear
to hear as those who are taught.
– Isaiah 50:4b

This verse is found in the third Servant Song speaking of the coming Servant of the Lord, our Lord Jesus Christ. And morning by morning he listened to God. It was a regular habit – a daily habit – listening to God.

Now the verse gives us a description of the Servant. It is not a command. And yet it is a good example for us to follow, even more so because it is the example of our Lord whom we follow. Morning by morning, he listened to God.

I love to read Christians biographies of men who were close to God and did great things in the kingdom. And the recurring testimony of these men is that they spent time with God morning by morning. If we want to be close to God and be used by God in his kingdom, we ought to consider their testimony and follow their example.

Morning by morning – listen to God.