Gods story in your renewal

Remember playing hide and seek as a child… or with your children? When I was young, my favorite hiding spot was deep in the corner of my bedroom closet. Covered by hanging clothes and boxes, no one could find me. Now, looking back, I wonder if my siblings were really searching. Well, that’s a discussion for another time! Let’s apply the “hide and seek game” to a different setting: Do you ever try to hide from God? Do you go to your favorite hiding spot often, hoping he won’t search for you? We’ll see what God says to those who think they can conceal their actions from him.  

We all have plans. We have college plans, career plans, family plans, and financial plans, complete with backup scenarios for all our plans! Our plans give us confidence, a sense of security, and a feeling that our lives are under control. But here are a few points to consider: Is your security based on something that will endure? Or is it built on something that will eventually crumble?

Have you ever looked at what’s happening in the world and wondered, ‘Who is winning?’ Wars erupt around the globe. In our country, politics are polarizing, marriage and family have been redefined, and the state of the stock market seems to occupy our thoughts constantly. Who oversees all of this? I imagine there were times when God’s people in Israel had the same question: ‘With everything going on…who is winning?’

Throughout the book of Isaiah, which some call “the miniature Bible,” we learn over and over and over again that God wins! He is in control of all things. He is the God of power, might, love, and faithfulness, and he addresses our disobedience. Today’s passage declares that the victory will be won and explains what it means to enjoy God’s “perfect peace.”

Up to this point in our study of Isaiah, the prophet has prophesied that Judah will be judged for living like secular people, even though God brought them into existence for his purposes (Isa. 1-12). Moreover, all the nations with which Judah sought alignment will also face punishment (Isa. 13-23). Isaiah describes God’s eventual judgment of the world in the following four chapters. Isaiah 24-27 is often called “Isaiah’s Apocalypse.” Due to sin, we exist in a secular world that will one day face final consequences for rejecting God. This section outlines the destruction, the suffering during the tribulation, and the abundant blessings to come in the millennial kingdom.

The book of Isaiah has been referred to as “the miniature Bible.” The sixty-six chapters correspond to the sixty-six books of Scripture. The first thirty-nine chapters relate to the Old Testament’s emphasis on righteousness, while the last twenty-seven chapters (Isa. 40-66) focus on God’s grace. The entire book is grounded in Christ's work and the renewal he brings.

Suppose you are driving down the road and see a toddler playing in a busy street. What would you do? I am certain you’d stop your car and ensure the child is safely out of harm’s way. You would likely also feel angry and ask, “Where are the parents!?” Loving, attentive parents don’t let their children play in the roadway. God is our caring and attentive Father. When Israel strayed, he “grabbed” their attention. That’s what we have repeatedly seen in the first part of Isaiah.

Theologian Karl Barth once said that you should read with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. Today, he would say the Bible in one hand and a smartphone in the other, or you should flip back and forth between Bible apps and news feed apps. Barth was trying to make the point that the Bible is culturally relevant. 

Whom do you trust? What do you trust? These two questions are key to evaluating the faith of God’s people. For Israel, there was the temptation to form a coalition with other nations to gain military strength against their enemies. For us, we are tempted to form alliances with things that offer security, such as jobs, financial wealth, or the government. None of these are inherently bad unless we allow them to replace our allegiance and trust in God.