More Encouragement for those Walking in Darkness
Isaiah 51
The moment you repent of your sin and put your trust in Christ, powerful things happen:
You are born-again – receiving brand new spiritual life which feels the glory of Christ.
You are completely forgiven – feeling the weight of sin lift from you and the love of God pour upon you.
You are freed from worry – knowing that now God is your Father and He will take care of your every need.
You are filled with joy – because for the first time you taste the all-surpassing, incomparable joy of knowing God in the person of Jesus Christ.
The moment you are saved, powerful things happen.
But as you live your Christian life there will be times when powerful things don’t happen. There will be times when we know what God has promised, but we are not yet receiving the promise. And this can be very discouraging.
God promises that when we seek Him, we will find Him – but there are times when we are seeking and seeking and seeking – but not yet finding.
God promises that fighting the fight of faith will put sin to death – but there are times when we fight and fight – but are not yet seeing victory.
God promises to use our prayer and love and witness to bring people to salvation – but there are times when we pray and love and witness for a long time – but we don’t yet see anyone brought to faith.
Every follower of Jesus will have times when we know what God has promised, and we are fighting to trust His promises, but we are not yet seeing the promises. And that can be discouraging.
Recently I’ve met a pastor whose believing wife suddenly started experiencing terrifying anxiety attacks. These became so intense and out of control, that – after much prayer and counsel – he decided he had to take her from the house and have her stay in a psychiatric hospital. As he took her from the house, from her kids, and drove her away she was sobbing asking him “why?” He took her in, dropped her off and drove away, devastated.
He knew what God had promised, he was trusting Jesus, but he was not yet experiencing the promise.
And it’s at times like that that we can become discouraged and disillusioned. Which is why God had Isaiah write chapters 50 and 51. Let’s turn there together. If you need a Bible go ahead and raise your hand. Isaiah 51 is on page 611 in the Bibles we are passing out.
Three weeks ago we studied Isaiah 50. In v.10 we saw that Isaiah was talking to Israel during a time when she was trusting God, but was walking in darkness. Sometimes in the Bible “walking in darkness” means “walking in sin.” But that’s not what it means here. Here “walking in darkness” refers to those times when we know what God has promised, we are trusting Jesus Christ, but we are not yet seeing His promises fulfilled.
That’s what was happening with Israel. Israel knew God had promised to restore her to the Promised Land, and to work through her to bring salvation to the whole world. But first Israel would spend 70 years in exile as slaves in Babylon. So God had Isaiah write chapter 50 to bring encouragement to Israel during this difficult time.
And this week as I studied Isaiah 51 I saw that here Isaiah continues this same theme – which is why I’ve titled this “more encouragement for those walking in darkness.” In this chapter Isaiah gives us five encouragements to those who are walking in darkness. And some of you are in a time of darkness. So I am praying that God will use these truths to strengthen and encourage you.
First, remember that God brings about dramatic reversals. When you are trusting God’s promises, but not yet seeing His promises fulfilled, you can start to think that nothing will ever change. You can start to think that your situation is hopeless. But in vv.1-3 we see that God is a God of dramatic reversals. Look at vv.1-2 –
1 "Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. [That is, look back to your early history.]
2 Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.
God says remember Abraham and Sarah. When I called Abraham, there was just one of him, and Sarah was unable to have children. But I promised that I would make his lineage like the stars in the sky and the sand in the sea. From one – Abraham – to millions.
But years went by; Sarah was not pregnant. Decades went by; Sarah was not pregnant. And Abraham could easily think nothing would ever change. But then God brought about a dramatic reversal – Sarah got pregnant. And through Isaac, and then Jacob, and the children of Israel, Abraham’s lineage numbered in the millions.
And God applies this to Israel in v.3. Remember that this is written for Israel to read after Jerusalem had been conquered, burned, destroyed, leveled --
3 For the LORD comforts Zion [Jerusalem]; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.
Yes, Jerusalem has been burned and is now a desert and waste place. But God is the God of dramatic reversals: He will make her like the Garden of Eden, full of joy and gladness. And if you are walking in darkness, in His perfect time God will do the same for you.
A few months ago someone told me he was not going to have enough money to pay his taxes. I listened as compassionately as I could, and then I encouraged him that God promises to provide all that we need as we seek him first. But his response was – “thanks for telling me about God, but we’re dealing with real life here; I just don’t have enough money to pay my taxes.” So I just said – “God IS reality” -- and said I’d pray that God would provide. He called me a few days later, after doing his taxes. He not only did not owe any taxes, but he got a $700 refund.
When you are in darkness, understand that God brings about dramatic reversals.
Second, understand that God’s promises will surely be fulfilled. That’s the point of vv.4-8. Start with v.4 –
4 "Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.
At this time Israel is being persecuted by the peoples. But the time will come when God will bring cause His justice to bring a stop to all that persecution. God’s promises will surely be fulfilled.
Then look at vv.7-8 –
7 "Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings.
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool; but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations."
Even though Israel is being reproached and reviled and persecuted, that does not mean God’s promises have been forgotten. Not at all. God’s righteous promises of salvation will surely be fulfilled.
I was talking to Brad Keller, who has planted an Acts 29 church downtown. He told me how one Sunday he found out that a key couple in his church had to move out of the area. He was deeply discouraged, wondering if God would fulfill His promises of building that church. And then he was stunned the next Sunday when three couples walked up to him and said they wanted to help him with the church plant.
God’s promises will surely be fulfilled.
Third, call upon God with earnest, honest prayer. In vv.9-11 Israel is encouraged to pray earnestly for God to fulfill His promises. Start with vv.9-10 --
9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab [Egypt] in pieces, who pierced the dragon?
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?
Throughout the Bible we find examples of prayers, given to teach us how to pray. And vv.9-10 is a perfect prayer to pray when you are walking in darkness without seeing God’s promises fulfilled. Isaiah encourages us to humbly ask God to wake up – put on strength – to work today like He has done in times past.
And this is crucial. When we are in the darkness of not yet seeing God’s promises fulfilled, it’s vital that we pray. Our spiritual survival depends on prayer. Here’s how John Miller put it:
"If we don't get passionate with God in the face of disappointment, then cynicism slips in, and our hearts begin to harden. We begin a living death." Paul Miller, A Praying Life, p.198.
So when you walk in darkness, don’t be silent before God. Silence shows growing unbelief. Instead, get passionate with God, cry out to Him. That’s what Isaiah calls Israel to do.
And what will be the result of our prayers? Look at v.11 --
11 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
The result is that God will work.
Fourth, overcome fear by remembering who God is. When you are in the darkness of not yet seeing God’s promises fulfilled, you can fear that you will never see God’s promises fulfilled. So here Isaiah tells us to overcome this fear by remembering who God is. That’s the point of vv.12-16, but let’s just focus on vv.12-14 –
12 "I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass,
13 and have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy? And where is the wrath of the oppressor?
14 He who is bowed down [with suffering] shall speedily [in God’s perfect time] be released; he shall not die and go down to the pit, neither shall his bread be lacking.
So when you are afraid God will never fulfill His promise – stop and remember who God is. And here Isaiah tells Israel to remember two things about God.
First, that God is the one who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundation of the earth. Which means God has infinite power, and nothing and no one can stop Him from doing what He chooses to do. And second, that God will speedily release the one who is suffering – speedily, which means in God’s perfect time.
So overcome fear by remembering that God is all-powerful and that God will fulfill His promises.
Fifth, wake up to how God’s forgiveness guarantees the promise. When we are not yet seeing God’s promises fulfilled, we can think it’s because of our sin. Now I need to be careful. If you are involved in knowing, willful sin, then that could keep God from fulfilling His promises to you. But if you are confessing your sin, fighting against your sin, then God’s forgiveness guarantees the promise to you in spite of your sin.
That’s what Israel needed to hear. In vv.17-20 Isaiah reminds Israel that she had been under God’s wrath because of her past sin – look at v.17 --
Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl, the cup of staggering.
So Israel had drunk the cup of God’s wrath for her past sinfulness.
But notice what he says starting in v.21 --
21 Therefore hear this, you who are afflicted, who are drunk, but not with wine:
22 Thus says your Lord, the LORD, your God who pleads the cause of his people: "Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more;
23 and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors …
So, yes, Israel had sinned and faced God’s wrath. But here God says He has taken His wrath away from her – forgiving her for all her sin. How could he do that? We will see in Isaiah 53 that it’s through what Jesus, the Messiah would do.
God has done something amazing. God sent Jesus to die on the Cross to pay for the guilt of sin. So an Israelite who repented of his or her sin and surrendered their life to trust God would be completely forgiven of all sin. And as a result – God guarantees that He will fulfill all of His promises to him.
The same is true with us. If we will repent of our sin and surrender our life to Jesus Christ we will be completely forgiven for all our sin. And as a result – God guarantees that He will fulfill all His promises to us.
So when you are in darkness, don’t let your sin make you think God will never fulfill his promises. Because of what Jesus did 2,000 years ago, God guarantees that He will fulfill all His promises to you.
So even if you are in darkness now – the light will come. Even if you see no promises fulfilled now – the fulfillment will come.
I told you earlier about a pastor who had to take his wife from his home, from his children, and put her into a psychiatric hospital. I saw both of them two weeks ago in Vail. She has been completely freed. Absolutely transformed. It was a joy to watch them together.
But this pastor had months of darkness, fighting to trust God’s love, wisdom, sovereignty, and timing. But the fulfillment came. So trust God – the fulfillment will come.