Are We Really Listening?

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Opening Prayer

Living Lord, sometimes time drags; sometimes it just slips away. Remind me that my times are in Your hands.

Read Isaiah 51:1-16

^[1] “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; ^[2] look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many. ^[3] The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. ^[4] “Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: Instruction will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations. ^[5] My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm. ^[6] Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail. ^[7] “Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have taken my instruction to heart: Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals or be terrified by their insults. ^[8] For the moth will eat them up like a garment; the worm will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever, my salvation through all generations.” ^[9] Awake, awake, arm of the LORD, clothe yourself with strength! Awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through? ^[10] Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed might cross over? ^[11] Those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. ^[12] “I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass, ^[13] that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor? ^[14] The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread. ^[15] For I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar- the LORD Almighty is his name. ^[16] I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand- I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.'”

Meditate

“We live in an age of continuous partial attention” (Linda Stone). Our Father God desires our undivided attention.

Think Further

I sometimes find myself so preoccupied with distractions that I only half-listen to conversations. Then I wonder later what was actually said! My friends also must wonder how much of their important communication I actually registered. This passage reminds us that God, too, looks for undivided attention and appropriate responses. The messages given here are for those with whom he already had a close relationship. They are indirectly referred to as “Zion,” indicating not just the geographical city of Jerusalem but those exiles whose spiritual allegiance belonged there. Their qualities included pursuing righteousness, seeking the Lord, knowing what is right, taking God’s instructions to heart. They had seen God work on their behalf throughout their long covenant history beginning with Abraham and the Exodus. They would soon see God’s salvation bring about another exodus and then move out in justice from beyond their borders to the nations. Such a message of hope is worth listening to!

The message could be trusted, not just because of God’s actions but also because of his character. He was the compassionate Comforter who would recreate Zion as a place of joy and thanksgiving. He was the eternal Creator whose righteousness and salvation would last forever, unlike the transience and destructiveness of mere mortals. He was the rescuer and protector of his people, even when they forgot his power and feared for their future. We listen to God today through a wider span of salvation history. We know that God intervened supremely in human affairs through the coming of Jesus Christ, bringing reconciliation and re-creation (2 Cor. 5:17-20). The Old Testament story is an essential backdrop to the New Testament, and both are preparatory to the eternal Zion where God’s reign will finally be established (Rev. 14:1-5; 21:10,22-27). Are we listening with anticipation?

Apply

Take some extra time now to listen to God. Which words spoken here to Zion might equally challenge, comfort or guide you?

Closing prayer

Patient Father, You speak with clarity and conviction. I need Your daily help to hear through the competing voices surrounding me what You are saying.

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