If Only…

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Opening Prayer

Father God, let my life be lived in praise to You as I take hold of the opportunities You give me.

Read Isaiah 48:12-22

^[12] “Listen to me, Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last. ^[13] My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together. ^[14] “Come together, all of you, and listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The LORD’s chosen ally will carry out his purpose against Babylon; his arm will be against the Babylonians. ^[15] I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I will bring him, and he will succeed in his mission. ^[16] “Come near me and listen to this: “From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret; at the time it happens, I am there.” And now the Sovereign LORD has sent me, endowed with his Spirit. ^[17] This is what the LORD says- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. ^[18] If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea. ^[19] Your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains; their name would never be blotted out nor destroyed from before me.” ^[20] Leave Babylon, flee from the Babylonians! Announce this with shouts of joy and proclaim it. Send it out to the ends of the earth; say, “The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob.” ^[21] They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and water gushed out. ^[22] “There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.”

Meditate

“Take from our souls the strain and stress, / And let our ordered lives confess / The beauty of thy peace” (J. G. Whittier, 1807-1892). Be quiet before God and ask him to dispel any anxieties, past, present, or future.

Think Further

Can you remember a time when you made a decision you later regretted? Some “if onlys” are inconsequential in the big scheme of affairs; others are life-changing (and maybe irrevocable). Israel’s inattention to God’s wisdom was in the latter category. Its people had forfeited peace and well-being because they had not seriously listened to their sovereign Lord. It wasn’t as though they were ignorant of God’s saving actions. They knew that Israel’s God was the Creator and Commander of the universe (13) and the Redeemer of their nation at the Exodus (21). He was the Holy One who had taught them clearly about his ways for them (17). Because they had ignored God’s messages, they suffered exile and lost the blessings of their favored-nation status. “If only….”

But God hadn’t finished with them. He would redeem again, using his unexpected ally to give the captives a chance to escape to a new era of freedom and joy. We have already been introduced to Cyrus, king of Persia (41:2; 44:28; 45:1). Historically, his role is straightforward: he issued a decree permitting Israel and other captive peoples in Babylon to return to their homelands (Ezra 1:1-4). Theologically, his role is more cryptic: why should God choose a pagan ruler to be his tool in reversing the fortunes, not just of the wicked nation of Babylon, but also of his wayward people? This might sound too simple an answer, but God’s ways are often beyond our understanding (40:13,14; 55:8,9; Rom. 11:33,34). The important thing for us when we face the “if onlys” of life is to listen for God’s voice and cooperate with him as he reveals his steps that will put us back on track with him. It may even be that the earth will hear the joyful shout: “The Lord has redeemed his servant.”

Apply

Paul compares the water from the rock (21) to the life of the Spirit that flows from Christ (1 Cor. 10:3). In your life, is the water of the Spirit gushing, trickling, dripping, or turned off? Why? What would increase the flow?

Closing prayer

Sovereign Lord, You are all-knowing and all-powerful. Forgive me that I have not always followed Your ways. Release me from the “if onlys” in my life.

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