"ISAIAH"

Are you ever discouraged by the seemingly-endless darkness and evil of the world around us? God did not create our world to be so filled with the brokenness and pain that sin brought in. In our pursuit for hope in this darkness we look everywhere - at the world around us; at other people or leaders who seem to have it all together; or worse still, we are told to ‘look within ourselves’, as if our sinful nature isn’t the source of the problem but the solution to this brokenness.

 

At first glance, the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament may seem intimidating, abstract, and hard to understand. It contains so many repetitive woes and warnings (eg. ch1-39) of God’s wrath and the impending judgment of Israel’s (and our) sin. But it also contains some of the most encouraging words in the whole bible - promises of God’s plan to redeem His beloved people and hope for all the nations through the coming of the Suffering Servant and the glorious future that awaits God’s people (chap 40-66). Even though Isaiah’s words were written to a different audience over two thousand years ago, so many of its familiar verses are comforting to us because they give us the true source of enduring hope - God and God alone. Isaiah’s prophecy foretells of the great light dawning on the people walking in darkness (9:2, 42:16), the coming of the Messiah as a baby to earth and his rule (9:6). It also tells of the Servant’s suffering, triumph over death and deliverance (52-57), and the glorious future awaiting God’s people (58-66).

 

Whether you trust in Jesus as your personal saviour or not, perhaps you feel like you are currently stuck in a place that seems endlessly hopeless. Why not be challenged by the words of Isaiah and discover for yourself God’s heart and purpose for us?

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