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There’s a popular saying, “Into each life a little rain must
fall...” Yet for some folks, it seems more like a downpour than “just a
little rain”! The phrase is found in a poem The Rainy Day by Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow: “Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining; / Thy fate is the common
fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall, / Some days must be dark and
dreary.”
He doesn’t specify what the cause of the sadness may be. Troubles can
be anything, from snowstorm cancellations to serious sickness to
relational friction. Ella Fitzgerald adapted Longfellow’s phrase into a
song that points more directly to interpersonal difficulties:
“Into each life some rain must fall / But too much is falling in mine
Into each heart some tears must fall / But some day the sun will shine
Some folks can lose the blues in their hearts / But when I think of you
another shower starts
Into each life some rain must fall / But too much is falling in mine.”
This life has its trials, of all sorts. That’s one
thing about the
Bible - it deals with life realistically, acknowledging there are
difficulties. Isaiah 43:2 doesn’t talk about IF problems will happen,
but WHEN they happen: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with
you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over
you.When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned...” Not IF,
but WHEN. Contrary to eastern religions, this world is not an illusion,
it is very REAL with real problems. Even Jesus could say frankly in the
Sermon on the Mount, “Each day has enough trouble on its own.” (Mt
6:34) And to the disciples on their last evening together before He was
crucified He said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take
heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16:33)
So, the Bible teaches that we will have troubles,
BUT also that God
will be there and help us through them. They may be waters and rivers,
like a flood; or at the other end of the spectrum, they may be like a
raging fire. The Israelites passed through the Red Sea on their exodus
from Egypt, then through the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land.
Before they went through the Red Sea they were backed into a corner,
pursued by the Egyptian army. What troubles are you facing? Has
something got you ‘backed into a corner’ with no way out? That may be
what the “waters” in this passage represent for you.
Later, in Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar erected a
gold image 90
feet high and commanded everyone to bow down and worship it. When 3
Jews named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to fall down and
worship the image. As a result the king had them chucked into a blazing
furnace. But One who the king described as looking “like a son of the
gods” appeared walking around in the flames with them. The 3 faithful
Jews came out of the furnace completely unsinged, not even smelling of
fire. Is there some bully pressuring you, like the king bullied
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Do you feel put on the spot because of
your faith, even persecuted because your Christian beliefs clash with
those of others? Or are you ‘feeling the heat’ because you’re trying to
resist some very strong temptation? We can find ourselves “walking
through the fire” in various ways. The question is not IF we will face
such trials, but WHEN. Yet God promises to be with us when we are His
people.
Someone once said, “Character cannot be developed in
ease and
quiet.Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be
strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
Do you think that person might have experienced significant suffering
in their life? Want to know who actually said it? Helen Keller, who was
not only blind but also deaf. This famous invalid refused to become
discouraged by the “rain” that fell in her life; when she passed
through the waters of physical handicaps, she found them essential for
character development. God used the trials to make her into the person
of note she became.
This chapter of Isaiah 43 sets out clearly that God is our origin,
our Creator, we belong to Him. V1 “this is what the Lord says – He who
created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel...” Also v7 “everyone
who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed
and made.” One of the questions any satisfactory worldview must answer
is how we got here. The Bible teaches that God made the heavens and the
earth, and filled the earth with a wide variety of life-forms,
culminating in mankind, made in God’s own image. Secularists propose
that we evolved randomly from inert matter – a view that is coming to
be seen as chemically and statistically more IMprobable all the time,
as science discovers the complexity of living molecules and how finely
tuned are the systems required to sustain life as we know it. The
secular person doesn’t feel they “owe God” anything, they are “beholden
to none”, independent, free of any moral obligation.
Not so for the Christian. If we believe God created
and formed us,
that means we owe our very being to Him. We are contingent, derivative,
not existing on our own steam but by His sheer grace. We are dependent
creatures not independent; we have a debt at the root of our existence,
we “owe” God, we have an obligation because He did that (creating) for
us. So we BELONG to Him: v7 “everyone who is called by My name...” When
a manufacturer forms and makes something, like a Chevy car or an Apple
computer, they put their name (or at least their symbol / trademark) on
it. We are called by God’s name, we belong to Him. V1 “I have summoned
you by name; you are Mine.”
This is echoed in the New Testament; Paul writes to
Titus (2:14),
“[Christ] gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to
purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is
good.” If you have trusted Jesus as your Saviour, do you sense at the
very core of your being that you are His, you belong to Him? Elsewhere
Paul states, “All things belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and
Christ belongs to God.” (1Cor 3:22f)
So, God has a definite claim on our lives. But it’s not a matter of
dispassionate and heartless ownership. God also makes it very clear
that He loves us dearly. V4 “Since you are precious and honored in my
sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you...”
Hear those words? “You are precious - honoured - I love you.” Deep in
our hearts we need to know that we’re special to someone, we’re loved
by someone – that’s the way God has made us, to crave that. Through the
prophet Jeremiah the Lord said, “I have loved you with an everlasting
love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” (Jer 31:3) Jesus told His
disciples, “the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and
have believed that I came from God.” (Jn 16:27)
God loves you! He treasures those who are His. It’s
been said, “The
love of God is like the Amazon River flowing down to water one daisy.”
Someone recommended the CBC series Heartland to us, and we found it
was available on Netflix (we don’t have TV), so have been watching
episodes from season 1 to start. I must admit, at first it seemed like
just a soap opera with horses, but it’s growing on us. (I may be in
need of counselling!) I like the grandfather character “Jack”, an
unpolished old rancher, a man-of-few-words but with acute observation.
But in the first season the main focus is on the relationship between
young Amy and farmhand Ty, who’s making his way through the
correctional system. More than once Ty expresses his unconditional
support to Amy with words like, “I want you to know I’m here for you.”
(At least, before he runs off and leaves her at the end of the season!)
Such words are some of the best ways we can express
loving support
for another person: “I’m here for you.” In a way, that’s how the Lord
communicates His unwavering support for believers in Isaiah 43. V2
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you...” V5 “Do not be
afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and
gather you from the west.” The first chapter of Matthew’s gospel
interprets the angel’s announcement to Joseph that Mary would give
birth to a son who’d save His people from their sins as a fulfilment of
a prophecy from Isaiah 7:14: “"The virgin will be with child and will
give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" —which means,
"God with us."” (Mt 1:23) Jesus is the ultimate expression of God
taking human form to be with us. In the last chapter of Matthew’s
gospel, at His ascension Jesus promised, “And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age.” The author of Hebrews portrays
Christ as a merciful and faithful high priest who “had to be made like
His brothers in every way”; “Because he himself suffered when he was
tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Heb 2:18)
Jesus knows what you’re going through; He knows what temptations all
about, because He has come among us, He’s stood with us in unwavering
support.
Have you had people misunderstand and slander you?
Jesus was
absolutely innocent, yet people condemned Him and hung Him on a cross
to kill Him. Have you had trust issues in your own family? Jesus’
brothers didn’t even believe in Him (though some did after Easter). Has
your friend let you down? One of Jesus’ own disciples, Judas, betrayed
Him – Judas, whom Jesus had even entrusted with the group’s finances.
Jesus can relate to whatever you’re facing.
So, what do we have so far? A messed-up world, plagued with floods
and fires, sin’s painful consequences; we as creatures have an
obligation to God, who loves us and supports us – but what’s going to
be done about those trials, the mess we find ourselves in? There needs
to be a clean-up crew. Somehow things need to be set right. So God
arranges the solution we can’t come up with for ourselves. When we’re
held hostage by evil, God in His grace sets up a ransom, an exchange,
so we can be redeemed, brought back. Vv3-4 “For I am the LORD, your
God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour; I give Egypt for your
ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.Since you are precious and honored
in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for
you, and people in exchange for your life.”
Note the piling-on of titles here, underscoring
God’s unique
identity and prerogative: “the LORD” (in caps - YHWH, God of being);
“your God” elohim the Divine One; “the Holy One of Israel” - sacred,
hallowed, set apart; “your Saviour” - liberator, deliverer, helper. God
will ransom His people by giving another in exchange for them. This
plainly suggests the substitutionary aspect of Christ’s atonement – His
perfect sinless life in exchange for our fallen guilty one.
Historically, there’s reference to other nations (such as Egypt) taking
Israel’s place – perhaps God directed the Babylonian king’s heart to
attack Egypt instead of Israel, or Cyrus of Persia was allowed to loot
Egypt as a reward for his kindness to the Jews. But the historical
exchange points to the more general ransom of Christ’s death on the
cross. Now believers “are justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Ro 3:24)
Vv5b-6 hint of God’s saving acts in restoring our
fractured lives.
“Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from
the east and gather you from the west.I will say to the north, ‘Give
them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from
afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth...” In Isaiah’s time,
this immediately related to the Jews coming back from nations where
they were exiled. For us now, there’s a wholeness that happens in our
lives, a healing or re-integration when we yield control to God and
stop trying to juggle all the spinning plates ourselves. “To save”
(which is Jesus’ job) means to bring salvation or shalom, peace,
wholeness. The Holy Spirit can glue our broken bits back together - our
relationships, families, priorities - through forgiveness, grace, and
humility.
What’s all this saving activity of God moving towards? There are
specific purposes He has for His people, a claim on us due to His
creating and intervening.
First, despite all the unsettling trials and
disturbance around us,
we are to FEAR NOT. V1 “But now, this is what the LORD says...‘Fear
not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are
mine.’” Also v5, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you...” Paul told
believers they should “Be joyful always” and “Give thanks in all
circumstances” (1Thess 5:16,18) – note “always” and “all”
circumstances. James could write, “Consider it pure joy...whenever you
face trials of many kinds...” (Jas 1:2) Having God’s promises of
unconditional support in our lives makes a real difference when we’re
being tested. Two of my favourite verses in this regard are Isaiah
41:10 and Deuteronomy 31:8; they’re worth memorizing! Is 41:10 says,
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your
God.I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my
righteous right hand.” Deut 31:8 is engraved on the inside of my
wedding ring; it says, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be
with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.Do not be afraid; do
not be discouraged.”
The Lord continues in the prophecy of Isaiah 43 to
say in v10 “You
are my witnesses” and v12 “You are my witnesses that I am God.” His
actions in creating and saving us oblige us to be His witnesses, speak
up for Him, tell others about His sovereignty and saving power.
“Understand that I am He.Before Me no god was formed, nor will there be
one after me...From ancient days I am He.No one can deliver out of My
hand; when I act, who can reverse it?” (Is 43:10ff)
Have we accorded God that importance, that elevated
position in our
lives? Do we live and pray as if everything depends on Him? Or have we
organized our lives in such a way that we can get along very well
without Him, ‘thank you very much’?! That’s not how Paul saw it; he
wrote to Timothy, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the
only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (1Tim 1:17)
A key aspect of being God’s witnesses is MAKING HIM
LOOK GOOD. Note
what our purpose is according to v7: “everyone who is called by my
name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” God created
us FOR HIS GLORY, to ‘make much of Him’ and help Him become more
appreciated by those around us. What would those in the secular world
say their purpose is? Maybe - “to have a good time”? That’s not it for
the Christian. Our goal is not to make much of ourselves, but to make
much of God, glorify Him, point out His goodness in so many ways to
others.
We are created for God’s glory. The apostles
expressed it this way:
Paul - we are “for the praise of His glory”; we are “created in Christ
Jesus to do good works...” (Eph 1:12; 2:10) Peter - “But you are a
chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to
God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of
darkness into his wonderful light.” Peter says trials come so our faith
may “result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
And, “If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides,
so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.To him be
the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1Pe 2:9; 1:7;4:11)
Today’s scripture passage is not a ‘play it safe’ kind of passage;
it’s a “get out there, take a risk, and discover God’s saving power”
kind of passage. One man who does this quite literally was featured in
Time
magazine.
“Everyone in Cabrini-Green (one of Chicago’s
toughest housing
projects), it seems, knows 63-year-old Brother Bill. He’s hard to miss
– he wears a flowing, sky-blue cassock made from hundreds of tattered
denim patches. Brother Bill’s mission is to bring peace to the troubled
housing project. 53 times, by his count, he has waded into gunfire in
order to stop it; 53 times the gunfire has stopped, and 53 times he has
emerged unscathed. He talks trigger-itching assailants into putting
away their guns and going home to their families. He sits beside
wounded gangsters who hope to die and persuades them to live. And he
insists that there is nothing special about him or his accomplishments.
He just says, “I’m an ordinary man on an extraordinary mission.” He
doesn’t preach, he loves. One of his fans, a 22-year-old Vice Lord,
says: “I really think God sent him here.”
Isaiah prophesied, “When you walk through the fire,
you will not be
burned...” He probably wasn’t thinking about GUNfire! But Brother Bill
has been kept safe doing reconciling work. Now, God may not be asking
you to actually walk into the line of fire in that sense – but how
MIGHT He be asking you to be His ambassador where there’s conflict,
say? How is He seeking for you to be His witness, praying with people,
calling others to reconciliation? May He keep you safe through the
danger, and reward you as you glorify Him. Let’s pray.