"You Shall See…"

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Opening Prayer

Mighty God, I want to be like the psalmist: “My mouth is filled with Your praise, declaring Your splendor all day long” (Psa. 71:8).

Read ISAIAH 60:1-14

^[1] “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. ^[2] See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. ^[3] Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. ^[4] “Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip. ^[5] Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. ^[6] Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD. ^[7] All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth will serve you; they will be accepted as offerings on my altar, and I will adorn my glorious temple. ^[8] “Who are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their nests? ^[9] Surely the islands look to me; in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, bringing your children from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor. ^[10] “Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion. ^[11] Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations- their kings led in triumphal procession. ^[12] For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined. ^[13] “The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the juniper, the fir and the cypress together, to adorn my sanctuary; and I will glorify the place for my feet. ^[14] The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Meditate

“Keep God in the first place in your life. He will take you places you have never dreamed of” (Joel Osteen). Just like the Israelites, sometimes we need to look beyond our present circumstances and see the future God has for us.

Think Further

Prophecy is the faithful communication of God’s word, his perspective. Usually expressed in poetic language, prophecy summons us to share that perspective and shape our lives by it. There is an inevitable link between the extent to which we are receptive to God’s prophetic word and the way we live: “Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint,” Proverbs tells us (29:18), while Lamentations paints a bleak picture of periods when the prophetic voice was silent: “… guidance is no more … prophets obtain no vision from the Lord” (Lam. 2:9; cf. 1 Sam. 3:1; Amos 8:11).

How then might this profoundly hopeful, prophetic vision function, both in its original setting and today, against the backdrop of current events? As I write, these seem relentlessly hopeless: merciless civil war in Syria, renewed conflict in Gaza, record levels of unemployment in many countries, warnings of a worldwide food crisis, child abuse on an appalling scale. If scholars are right about the situation addressed by these prophesies in Isaiah, things looked similarly bleak in Jerusalem around 530 BC. Yes, the foundations of the new temple had been laid, but the returned exiles had no stomach for the grueling work of rebuilding. Life was tough, money was scarce, the political situation uncertain. Struggling to survive, people were increasingly selfish, losing sight of their identity as a community centered on worshiping God and shaped by his values (Hag. 1:3-11).

Into this situation of frightened self-interest God speaks, urging people to share his vision of another reality in which dawn replaces darkness (1-3), scattered people are gathered and welcomed (3,4,6,7), city gates stand wide because all threat of war has gone (11,12) and exhausted laborers delight in rest and new resources (10,13). That vision of hope gave and gives courage to live differently, to “live as children of light” (Eph. 5:8).

Apply

Where in the range of “darkness” (2) to “radiance” (5) are you this week? What aspects of the Christian life have lost their shine? What can help you shine more brightly?

Closing prayer

Turn-around God, You certainly turned things around for Israel and You can do that for me. I want to shine more brightly for You.

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