The Lord Is at Work - Isaiah 40 - 49

There are usually fifty or more senior adults present at each of our Wednesday night prayer meetings at First Baptist, Heber Springs. During our prayer time, most of these offer up a personal prayer seeking God’s attention regarding personal problems of concern. For the most part these prayers are intercessory in nature and cover the water front from the improvement of a dear friend or relative with Alzheimer’s disease to protection for grand children; from problems of deep concern in the local church to hart-felt sorrow because of the deterioration of morals in our nation. In one night, we think of literally thousands of things for God to do.
When we think about the thousands of churches, many with larger memberships than we have that are making millions of request each week—plus all the Christians that have daily prayer times in their homes—and when we realize that all of these prayers are directed to one person—our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—only then can we realize just how busy He must be. No prayer is prayed that he does not hear and personally consider. We have his word that he hears and answers prayer, THE LORD IS AT WORK. Because of who He is and because of his nature, He never sleeps and is never tired; therefore he is available to answer our prayers 24/7 and always will be until his final return to earth to claim his Bride—The Church.
Only those of us who are older can remember the trying times that started in 1929, and increased during the 30s. When times got really hard and the almighty dollar practically disappeared, strong men turned to God in prayer. Times were hard, and many dedicated followers wondered how this terrible depression could possibly be a part of God’s plan for America. The Lord wants us to live with confidence that He is working in the world at all times to achieve His purposes although not always in ways that we can easily see or understand. We know, from his word, and from past experience, that he desires that his people both trust and depend upon Him and not on man, wealth and power.
The Lord is at work today to bring us out of this spiraling fall toward another Great Depression. He can not and will not fail if America will turn to Him and depend upon him to bring us out virtuously. This can only happen when we who are Christian people place our trust and faith in Him. On TV this morning, April 11, 2009, I watched and heard our President, personally say, “We are no longer a Christian Nation, but instead we are a nation of citizens.” This scares me! You may ask me—why? Here is my answer. First, most of our forefathers who were the founders of this great nation claimed to be Christian men, and they invoked God’s name often, and gave Him credit for the early successes of the new nation. They believed and proclaimed through the writings of the legal papers of America that the future success of this new nation depended upon the people’s continued faith in the Almighty God.
Any Christian can pray to God and expect his prayer to be answered. There is no limitation on what he can include in his request so long as it is requested in Christ’s name and within God’s will. However, an unsaved citizen can only pray one prayer and expect God to answer. The only prayer that God will answer for him is this one: “God. I am a sinner, lost and undone, come into my heart and save me from my sins.” A lost person can not pray successfully for our nation to be guarded against another Great Depression; he can pray, BUT GOD WILL NOT HEAR AND ANSWER AN INTERCESSORY PRAYER OF A LOST PERSON. If we are no longer a Christian nation, then who will go to God in prayer for us? I do not accept this conclusion; because if we were not somewhat pleasing in our service to God—He would have already arranged for our fall. Just look at what he did to his own people in Israel.
In bondage in Egypt for 400 years, His people were free and on their way to the land of milk and honey, they rebelled and disobeyed and were sentenced to another 40 years wandering in the desert. They successfully arrived along the costal plains and along the Jordan River and chose Judah and Jerusalem for the center of government and worship. Solomon built the most perfect and beautiful temple ever dedicated to God. Jerusalem was the safest of all walled cities; and it became known for its underground water system, unmatched in the world. This nation could well be compared to the new America that grew in prosperity and expansion quickly and very successfully.
Then weak and wicked kings gained power. They made treaties with nations that had been their enemies. They allowed immigration from heathen nations. There was inter-marriage of Jews and heathen women who brought their gods of Idols and established idol worship, all against the law of Almighty God. Oh, my beloved friends in Christ—look carefully and you can see that Israel was a Christian nation that turned into a nation of citizens!
Troubles cropped up on every side. The nation first divided into the northern and southern nations—and they lost power and prestige when this happened. Tribal wars flared and the kingdoms grew weaker, until the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom in 722 BC; and most of the walled cities in the southern kingdom were conquered; they were the dominant enemy of the Jew. No one in power even suspected that Babylon was a threat to the kingdom, but Isaiah was sent to warn them—and 130 years later in 587 BC the southern kingdom fell to Babylon. All but a remnant were conquered and carried away in exile.
[REMEMBER ALL THESE PROBLEMS WERE SENT BY GOD OR ALLOWED TO HAPPEN BY GOD BECAUSE THE PEOPLE HAD DISOBEYED HIM!]
In about 800 BC God sent Isaiah to warn the people and explain what would happen to them as a result of their disobedience. Isaiah came in time to warn them and they could have saved their nation had they listened to him. Remember that Isaiah prophesied prior to the problems…he wrote in past tense as if it had already happened. He warned them that they would be taken away into captivity in Babylon. And then he explained how God would rescue them and use their known enemies to bring them back to their motherland. Their staunch enemies, the Assyrians would help negotiate a treaty with Babylon to let the people go, and then they would use the old devil’s money to move the people back to Jerusalem and even to help to rebuild their city and temple. Note: This prophesy is recorded in Isaiah chapters 40 and 41. Especially those that doubt what I have told you should read this prophesy! If you are one that will say that you do not believe the Bible—then explain how Isaiah knew every detail 800 years before it happened.
America has come to the place where they are disobeying God at every turn. God has never allowed the Jewish people to escape without punishment—why would anyone think that He would make an exception for the American people. PAY-DAY IS COMING SOME-DAY—AND IT MAY BE SOON! Pay day can pertain to you as an individual…or it can apply to a nation of non-believers. You need to realize that god has a system of punishment and rewards that fit individuals, families, communities, cities, nations or countries. Before we go any further in this study, please, please go back and read chapter six—especially verse 8 through 13.
God told his messenger that the people’s heart had become calloused [hard] and that they would not listen. Then why go to a people that will not listen? Yes, why? God had enough. God was fed up with a rebellious people. Listen, listen to me, please…God has a limit beyond which he will not go. Oh, I fear that America is approaching that limit today, every day we are getting closer. At this time, God’s patience with their chronic rebellion was finally exhausted. God had already passed his judgment and it was to abandon them to their rebellion and hardness of heart.
Why did God send Isaiah because he knew that the people would not listen to him? Please do not think that I am puffed up and think that I am anything like Isaiah!!! But he sent Isaiah and me for the same reason. The nation may not hear. Government officials may not respond. The local community may disregard this lesson. But there may be a few…just a few that will hear and respond. That is why he sent Isaiah, because God knew that his word would not return unto him void. Although the nation would not hear and repent and they were already set to reap justice, but there would be a remnant that would respond to God’s warning.
When would the people listen? As soon as they came to their rope’s end and had no where else to turn but back to God. I ask you…When will America listen to God’s warnings? The answer is redundant. When they have no other hope. These people gave up when they were captives in Babylon. Some, a few, held on to their faith and dependence in God. And God never gave up on them. He kept his promise and used their enemies to help them migrate back to their homeland and start rebuilding.
THE LORD IS STILL AT WORK TODAY and one of his biggest chores may be in deciding how to handle the American people who have sat by and allowed the immigrants and dissenters who worship other gods, and Godless people to gain control of our beloved America. We who love God and America should stand strong and tell the opposition to either join us in loving this country, obeying its laws, speaking its language, attending its schools, abiding by our laws, paying their taxes, worshipping the god of their choice, and allowing us to worship our God without being criticized and accused of being left wingers, or go back where they came from. If they are not happy…they should feel free to leave!