ISAIAH - Sentry Duty

Gloom and doom…

Sometimes the books of prophecy in the Old Testament can be difficult reading. It feels like they contain an endless litany of unheeded warnings, followed by devastating judgments.

And yet, there is always an unmistakable undercurrent of forgiveness, comfort, and hope.

God’s message is clear: There are consequences for rebelling against Me. Please don't do it. But if you return to Me, I will forgive you and restore you.

Today's  "Bible Pick 'Ems" comes from the book of Isaiah.

I'd like to start with a little background information on the book of Isaiah.

Prophets stood with the priests as God's special representatives. The prophet's role was to speak for God, confronting the people with His commands and promises – pointing out their rebellion. 

Needless to say, true prophets were not very popular!!

But they continued to faithfully proclaim the truth.

The book of Isaiah is the first of the writings of the prophets in the Bible – and Isaiah is generally considered to be the greatest prophet. His purpose was to call the nation of Judah back to God. But his prophecies also tell of God's salvation through His coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Our "pick 'em" verses are found in Isaiah 21:5-7, 11-12:

“But quick! Grab your shields and prepare for battle. You are being attacked! Meanwhile, the Lord said to me, 'Put a watchman on the city wall. Let him shout out what he sees…Let the watchman be fully alert.'

Someone…keeps calling to me, 'Watchman, how much longer until morning? When will the night be over?' The watchman replies, 'Morning is coming…'"

These verses can be applied directly to the very real threat of Judah's enemies during Isaiah's lifetime. God was warning the people to return to Him, to remain alert and on guard, to prepare for battle. But, sadly, His warnings went unheeded.

But, these verses also apply to us today.

How so?

We also have enemies outside our "city walls." They are ready to "attack" and we must "prepare for battle." We are called to be "fully alert."

We, too, must be watchmen…

Because we have a blessed *MORNING* that is coming!

Our glorious Savior is going to return!

"So you, too must keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming…You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected." (Matthew 24:42-44)

"You must be ready all the time…" (Luke 12:40)

"For you know quite well that the day of the Lord's return will come unexpectedly; like a thief in the night…So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and clearheaded." (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 6)

Not all people will join us in our watch.

We will hear people saying, "How much longer until morning?"

Some may say it with longing, others will mock.

"Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last day scoffers will come…They will say, 'What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again?'" (2 Peter 3:3, 4)

Do not listen.

God is calling us to be watchmen.

To grab our shields and prepare for battle.

To shout the truth.

To be fully alert.

And most of all, to keep looking to the horizon, and believing with all our hearts -

"MORNING IS COMING…"

Are you remembering to stay alert?  How can you be a better *watchman* - how do you hold on to hope?

"When in doubt, search God out!"

JONAH - Whale of a Story

OK, so I have to start with a small admission – (confession?)

I’ve *cheated* a little on my "Bible Pick 'Ems" this week. I've *hedged my bets* so to speak.

But I've got a good reason.

There are so many great verses in the Bible, so many wonderful people. And God has much to say through the stories of their lives. But, especially when it comes to those pesky minor prophets, it would be *divine luck* indeed if I "happened to land" in their chapters.

And I just don't want to miss out!

So, I sorta fudged – I picked a book, and then I "randomly" opened my Bible.

So, with my *fessin' up* over with, let's get on with the lesson.

We're in Jonah – and I like Jonah.

Jonah is like me.

Stubborn, willful, ornery – (yes, I have that capability within me). Fearful, mistrustful, doubting – (definitely have that within me!) And yet, in the end – lesson learned – trusting and obedient – (with God's help, that is also me).

We're all quite familiar with the story of Jonah, aren't we?

The small, four-chapters-long book of Jonah is packed with great stuff.

But, today I'm pondering these verses:

"I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I sank down to the very roots of the mountains…But you, O LORD my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! As my life was slipping away, I remembered the LORD. And my earnest prayer went out to you…" (Jonah 2:3-7)

Have you ever thought you were going to drown?

When I was younger – (oh, so much younger) – I used to go bodysurfing. I can remember *wiping out* all the time. It was really scary being tossed and turned, chewed and churned, by the mighty waves. The ocean can be a washing machine, for sure.

I remember being frightened, but I don't think I ever thought I was going to drown.

But, there was this other time.

I was on vacation with my parents, my sister, and my brother. We rented a cabin on Bass Lake in Northern California. And we went water-skiing…all the time.

My dad liked to get us up really early in the morning to go out – before all the other people got up – before the water got all choppy.

It was glorious water-skiing on that glassy expanse of clear water.

I remember this one morning, this one very cold morning, and I had just finished my "run."I was freezing. I had myself all bundled up in my jacket and like, two or more towels. I was wrapped like a mummy.

My brother was skiing, and my sister was keeping watch. Dad was steering the boat. Well, my brother got all "fancy" and fell trying to execute some crazy maneuver. My sister cried out to my dad to turn around, and as he leaned on the steering wheel to make a very sharp U-turn, the plastic steering wheel broke.

The boat went crazy.

And I, wrapped up like King Tut, slid erratically to one side of the boat, and then rapidly to the other. My sister tried to grab me, but I slipped out of her hand.

And so, I plunged over the side of the boat.

I was terrified!

The waters were seething around me – I was pretty sure that the outboard motor was going to shred me to bits – and if that didn't kill me, then my swaddling layers would.

Somehow, (and I think it was God), those towels loosened, and I was finally able to claw my way back to the surface – very nearly at the end of my breath.

I gasped, I choked – I floated there numb.

Finally, the boat made its way back to me, I was dragged on board, and that's when I freaked out. I hyperventilated, I sobbed uncontrollably. I had a total panic attack. The shivering was no longer just because of the cold.

But, I lived.

I can only imagine the horror that Jonah felt as he was sinking, entangled in seaweed, running out of breath. I'm thinking that that "random" hungry fish was a very good sight to behold! (I love how the Bible puts it: "Now the LORD had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah" – 1:17)

Here's where my lesson is for today.

Jonah said, "AS MY LIFE WAS SLIPPING AWAY, I remembered the LORD."

This sounds like me.

Why do I so often wait until the last minute to call on God?

Why do I have to be on the edge of panic before I turn to Him?

Why must I be drowning in confusion, or fear, or doubt, or any other emotion, before I finally "remember" the Lord?

Why do I wait?

I don't always, but so very often (too often) I do.

The Lord was there for Jonah, and He's always been there for me, too. I have to think, though, that many times when I finally cry out to Him – His first thought is probably this:

"What took you so long?"

I'm learning to make God my FIRST *go-to* – the One place that I immediately turn to in my times of trial and struggle. I'm practicing making my *earnest prayer* go out to God before I start to drown. I'm asking Him to save me before I start to sink.

He will.

"For my salvation comes from the LORD alone." (Jonah 2:10)

God's mercy is even deeper than those waters that threaten to overtake me. He is stronger than those fearsome waves.

He longs to rescue me, even before I need it.

So, I'm going to practice trusting and obeying in the beginning, turning to Him before I'm overwhelmed – leaning on His faithfulness, relying on His ability to keep me from drowning in this life of woe – sending my prayers out FIRST THING…

…so He doesn't have to *fish me out* after the fact!

Do you turn to God in the beginning of your troubles, or does He sometimes have to "send a fish"?

"When in doubt, search God out!"