Isaiah 33-34 What To Do When Things Seem To Be Going Wrong

Some verses particularly seemed to stand out this morning:

“Lord, be kind to us.  We have waited for Your help.  Give us strength every morning.  Save us when we are in trouble … He will be your safety.  He is full of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.  Respect for the Lord is the greatest treasure … The Lord says, ‘Now, I will stand up and show My greatness.  Now, I will become important to the people’ … Your eyes will see the King in His beauty … The Lord is our judge.  The Lord makes our laws.  The Lord is our king [note all three branches of government mentioned].  He will save us.”

My commentary said, “Isaiah 33:2 is the prayer of the godly remnant … Isaiah had promised that God would be gracious to them if they would only trust him, so a few devout people turned His promise into prayer.  God spared Jerusalem for David’s sake and because a believing remnant trusted God and prayed.  Never underestimate the power of a praying minority … Unbelief looks to human resources for help, but faith looks to God  … We witness to a lost world when we trust him and let Him have His way.”

Yesterday was a disappointing day for our church.  We’ve gone over a year without a music minister, and we had hopes for the man who came yesterday.  Yet God helped me to understand through the whole process that He is sovereign, that His will cannot be thwarted.  These verses seem to echo that today.  We can turn His promise into prayer as they did.

Father, help us to know in our hearts what that believing remnant did.  Help us to understand the power of prayer.  Help our church not to look to human resources for help.  Remind us that faith looks to You, and when we exercise that faith, we bear witness to a lost world.  We trust You and we too will let You have Your way.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford