"Baby Gifts (2): Desired, not Desolate"

Is.62:1-12 Dec.15/02

Desire and Disappointment: the Gridlock of Interlock

As we countdown the days to Christmas, emptying our wallets at the stores in an effort to satisfy others' desires and bring them happiness through gifts, let's remember the words of Artemus Ward, 19th century American humorist. He said: "Let us all be happy, and live within our means, even if we have to borrow the money to do it with"! Truth is, nothing they sell at the store will ever fulfill our desires completely. That will only come through making God the object of our delight, for He loves us and designed us for spiritual relationship with Him. Scripture assures of these two things: (1) God delights in and rewards those who are His; (2) Desiring God motivates us to enjoy Him in prayer, by which we anticipate fulfillment of His promises.

        Humans are born with desires of all kinds. Genesis 2(7) records that "the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being" - literally a living soul, "nephesh" in Hebrew. Howard Hendricks once said that to understand the meaning of the word, go have a look sometime in a bird's nest in which the eggs have hatched. Say there are 3 baby robins, all sitting there with their mouths wide open, necks stretched, heads bobbing up and down, begging for mommy or daddy to return with the next tasty morsel. There are 3 "nepheshes", in the case of humans, 3 "souls" or complexes of appetites and desires. We are born with these longings, these hungers. We want warmth, food, drink, holding, attention, communication - from our earliest days to our dying breath. At the deepest level, our spiritual core, we're designed to be satisfied by an intimate relationship with our Creator. But instead we try to satisfy these longings with substances and persons we can control. We lean on our friends and sooner or later wonder why they disappoint us. We court and marry then some day discover our mate isn't perfect. We spend lifetimes catering to our desires for power, money, thrills, a higher "high". Often today folks try to find happiness in a bottle or a needle, with destructive effects in the long run. They're just trying to satisfy that desire which ultimately only God can fulfill.

        This week's local paper on the front page described what it calls "a disturbing change" police are discovering through the recent RIDE program in the county. The OPP spokesman admits, "I am a little shocked": in the first 2 weeks of the program, police have charged 11 drivers with drinking and driving-related offences. That's the highest number he's seen in 5 years. The constable says what makes the increase seem even more shocking is the Interlock program. I haven't heard of this before: sounds like a nice resort to go to for a holiday! But it turns out it's quit the opposite. Any person who's been convicted of a drunk driving charge must install an Interlock device on their car when their licence is re-instated at a cost of $1400. The device won't allow the car to be started if the driver blows a breath sample that's over a certain level of alcohol content. After it starts it will randomly request a breath sample; after 2 warnings, if a sample is not given, alarms will sound which can be heard outside the vehicle. Blow a good sample or it'll blow the whistle! Imagine - the things we come up with to protect ourselves (and others) from the dangerous consequences of unwisely catering to our desires! In addition, drivers must enter a remedial program which is 8 hours of education or 16 hours of treatment, takes 6 months to complete, costs $475 plus GST, and the closest location for getting either the Interlock device or the program is London! This is going to affect over 5,000 people in our province. Even apart from the statistics of alcohol- or drug-related driving collisions and fatalities, you can see that choosing to yield to certain desires can have very serious consequences. Drinking and driving threatens to throw you into a gridlock, going nowhere fast. There must be a better way to cope with our desires.

God Delights In and Rewards Those who are His

Much of people's searching for significance and satisfaction in life would be solved if they realized how much God desires our relating to Him, how delighted God is with those who belong to Him. Last week from Isaiah 61 we saw how in place of our ruin God bestows righteousness as a gift to those who put faith in Him, not as a result of works (Is.61:3,10; Hab.2:4). In v.2 of Is.62 we read, "The nations will see your righteousness and all kings your glory" - repenting, we are cleaned up and set right with God through Jesus' offering on behalf of our sinfulness. Righteousness signifies that we are made holy, prepped and made morally acceptable to a perfect sovereign God who can't tolerate sin. As in Eph.5(25-27), Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, cleansing her by washing with water through the word, so He might present Her (us) to Himself as a radiant church, holy and blameless. Through confession and turning from our sin, and putting our trust in Jesus as Saviour and Lord (letting Him take the driver's seat in our life), we're scrubbed clean and put right with God, who becomes our Heavenly Father spiritually speaking. That's a wonderful miracle in itself.

        How does God see us when we're His? V.3, "You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God." You're more precious to God than the crown jewels! He treasures you! V.4 we won't be called "Deserted" or "Desolate" but "Hephzibah...for the Lord will take delight in you." Go chew on that verse for a while. God's excited about you! You're special to Him, a source of real delight, you "turn His crank". Psalm 149(4) says, "For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation." Look at Is.62:5, "As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you." Most couples are excited about getting together on their big day! It's a special moment when the door at the back of the church swings open, the groom turns, and gets to see the bride dressed in her pure white gown, dazzling in beauty, coming to join him! You can almost sense him soaking it in - "Wow! She's going to be mine!" That's the analogy used here for how God rejoices over us who believe in Him and become the Bride of His Son. Another psalm (45:11) puts it, "the King is enthralled by your beauty." Rev.21(2) describes the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. Zephaniah 3(17) also expresses God's delight in His people; it says, "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Do you get the picture? God's really excited about us!

        And when you think somebody's really neat, you treat them special, too. God delights in and rewards those who are His. Hebrews 11(6) says "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Is.62:2 mentions righteousness, glory that can be seen; "you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow." In Rev.2(17) Jesus promises He will give those who overcome a white stone with a new name written on it. 62:3 talks about "splendour", perhaps like the glory-duds shining white Jesus experienced on the Mount of Transfiguration; any such coverings Adam & Eve originally had would have evaporated when they sinned, exposing their shame. V.4, important in Isaiah's historical context, "your land will be married" ie populated and productive, not a deserted wasteland as it was during the exile. In v.8, enemies won't consume their grain and wine, but the growers will get to harvest it themselves and praise God in gratitude, free from futility. V.11, "See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense [or, wages] accompanies him." There's a settling of accounts, a reaping of the good deeds sown. In 1Cor.3(12-14) Paul describes how on the day of judgment the quality of believer's actions will be tested as by fire: "gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw...If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward." Our toil is "not in vain in the Lord" (1Cor.15:58): God rewards obedience eternally. Those who are Christians but whose works are "strawy" will see their misguided actions burned up, but they themselves will be saved. God delights in us and rewards those who are His.

        By the way, did you hear about the mediocre preacher who died and went to heaven? He was escorted by an angel to his new accommodation, a modest cottage. Which suited him very well until he looked down the road and noticed a cabbie from his hometown relaxing in front of a huge mansion. So before the angel left the preacher asked, "Say, there seems to be some confusion here. How come a preacher like me gets just an ordinary house while that taxi driver over there gets a place like that?!" The angel gave a sigh and explained, "Actually, O venerable one, it's quite simple. When you preached, people slept. When he drove, people prayed!" (...there, I hope you're wide awake, because here's our second point)

Desiring God motivates us to enjoy Him in prayer, by which we anticipate fulfillment of His promises

Our Heavenly Father, to whom we are so dear, has designed us so that we are most fulfilled and satisfied when we desire and delight in Him in return. The most important command according to Jesus points to this: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength." (Mk.12:30) The cornerstone of the Old Testament, the Ten Commandments, begin with a warning to "have no other gods before Me" (Ex.20:3). The implication is we'll find true joy and wholeness when we keep God front and centre in our lives, give Him exclusive reign in our hearts. Such desiring by us of God finds expression in spiritual activity, especially prayer; we'll find ourselves taking time to express conscious longing for Him and the accomplishment of His plans for us and others. What does 1Thess.5(16-18) set forth as "God's will for us in Christ Jesus"? "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances..." Prayer without letting up is central to both the rejoicing and the thanking; the perspective we gain through prayer helps us rise above what would otherwise be discouraging circumstances.

        A prayer request item on the EMC national email prayer chain tells of a young married woman in Thailand named Yu who has a toddler who is very sick. Following Yu's baptism at the end of October, her husband left her for another woman and drugs. Yu has returned to live with her Buddhist parents. Our missionaries report, "For the past two days, Yu's mother has not practised the usual Buddhist rituals, saying she is open to whoever can help heal her grand-daughter. She has at the same time been asking Yu, 'Where is your God now?' Yu's faith is being strongly tested." I guess! What else can go wrong? However Yu is drawing strength from God amidst these distressing circumstances. The missionaries add, "She is encouraged by the story of Job and believes God has allowed these testings to strengthen her faith. Praise God, Jesus has won the victory at the cross. Pray for Yu and the salvation of this family." So Yu's desire for God is being rewarded by grace to cope with difficult conditions.

        Isaiah follows the beautiful image of God rejoicing over His people like a bridegroom and bride by a surprising transition in 62:6,7: "I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth." How did we get from God's delight in us to lookouts on the barricade? But the prophet isn't referring to literal sentries. These are God's praying, watching, prophetically-minded servants, calling on Him day and night, giving Him no rest, like the persistent widow who kept on bugging the unjust judge in Jesus' parable on prayer (Lk.18:1-8). These watchmen are calling on God to fulfill what He has promised. Similarly, in v.1: "For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch." The NIV Study Bible comments that "I" here refers to the Lord, but it seems the Geneva Bible and Life Application Bible make more sense in that "I" is the prophet, calling persistently on God to bring about His goal for the nation. He's longing for the Lord to bring it about, and going to keep on praying until it happens. The basis upon which he's praying is found in v.8: "The Lord has sworn by His right hand and by His mighty arm..." (etc.) God's promises are the basis upon which we pray; we claim what He has already offered.

        Indeed, Isaiah already visualizes the desired result: v.10 refers to people passing through the gates - probably of Babylon, the way prepared, the highway built up by which they would return from exile around 530 BC - some 150-200 years after Isaiah's time. But he sees it already through the eyes of faith, he's praying it into reality. Way back in Deuteronomy 30(5,6,9) Moses had described just such a situation - the return of a punished people from exile to foreign nations - so all Isaiah had to do was claim God's promise there. Note here as well the emphasis on desiring God, and His rewarding of those in whom He delights: "He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers.The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live...Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers..."

        In just 10 days we'll be celebrating Christmas, welcoming Jesus into our homes and lives who once donned human flesh to suffer in our place. Who welcomed the Baby and His parents when He was presented after 40 days at the Temple? Two "watchmen", to use Isaiah's terminology from 700 years before. The burly young security guards on duty that day at Herod's Temple completely missed the quiet intrusion of the newborn king. The priests and Levites on duty, busy maintaining the profitable Temple system, were completely oblivious to the arrival on the scene of the One who would prophesy its destruction. But two quiet veteran prayer warriors, Simeon and Anna, had the poor family's arrival drawn to their attention by the Holy Spirit. They were using their spiritual radar, and remembering Isaiah's call for continued prayerfulness. Luke describes Simeon as "waiting for the consolation of Israel"; the prophetess Anna "spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." (Lk.2:23,38) They sensed this special Child somehow would play a major role in the accomplishment of God's purposes for His Kingdom. They had their spiritual eyes peeled for what God was about to do next.

        The same missionaries in Thailand report that Dec.10 is a public holiday there. "the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand is organizing a prayer walk in the east part of the city; praying for medical care and the AIDS problem as they pass the hospital, for education as they pass a school, for the government as they pass such buildings...After walking nearly five km they will conclude with a time of worship at a sports stadium.Please pray that this event will glorify the Lord and challenge those who come in contact with the praying people." Five kilometres - that's three miles! Sounds like a recipe for physical as well as spiritual health. Would we do it here?

        Recently a 10,000 square-foot strip joint in Newmarket went out of business and was purchased by a church. For five years a group from Newmarket Community Church and 4 other local congregations had been conducting monthly prayer walks in the town. They prayed against New Age retailers, cults, and any other institution they perceived to be dishonouring God. They "claimed" their community for Christ. They blessed like-minded churches. When they arrived at the strip joint they would lay hands on the building and pray for it to be closed down and the people saved. On more than one occasion this made the under-cover policemen curious as to what was going on! Pastor Wyns says in retrospect, "This is God declaring His mighty right hand in our town.We believe more walls are going to come down."

        Have you heard of the acronym PUSH? "Pray Until Something Happens." Well, they did!

Challenge: What's the Temperature of your Divine Desire?

Would we be able to pray as passionately and perseveringly as those folks in Thailand or Newmarket - regardless of what other people thought? What's the temperature of your devotion? What's distracting you from delighting in God? In Luke 14(16-24) Jesus told a parable about a great banquet being prepared, yet the invitees refused to attend on account of having just purchased a farm, some oxen, or gotten married. There are many things that can interfere with the act of desiring God - even things which are not bad in themselves. In his book A Hunger for God John Piper writes: "...Our homesickness for God is threatened because our physical appetites are so intense."(p.14) "If you don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great."(p.23) "...Nor should it be surprising that the greatest competitors for our devotion and affection for God would be some of His most precious gifts."(p.16f) "The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night. For all the ill that Satan can do, when God describes what keeps us from the banquet table of his love, it is a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife (Lk.14:18-20).The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts...[quoting Jesus on things that choke the word and make it unfruitful] 'The pleasures of this life' and 'the desires for other things' -- these are not evil in themselves. These are not vices. These are gifts of God. They are your basic meat and potatoes and coffee and gardening and reading and decorating and traveling and investing and TV-watching and Internet-surfing and shopping and exercising and collecting and talking. And all of them can become deadly substitutes for God."(pp.14f)

        Piper emphasizes that there is hope; spiritual disciplines such as fasting help us break free from such subtle idolatries and re-kindle our spiritual desire for the Lord. He says, "Fasting reveals the measure of food's mastery over us - or television or computers or whatever we submit to again and again to conceal the weakness of our hunger for God."(p.20) He notes, "When you take your stand on the finished work of God in Christ, and begin to drink at the River of Life and eat the Bread of Heaven, and know that you have found the end of all your longings, you only get hungrier for God. The more satisfaction you experience from God, while still in this world, the greater your desire for the next." And he quotes CS Lewis, "Our best havings are wantings."(p.23)

        Cultivate your appetite your God; bask in the jacuzzi of His delight in you, treasure His promises and plead for His plans to be completed through you in prayer. The fulfillment you feel can never be taken away from you.

        In her autobiography Queen of the Dark Chamber, Chinese believer Christiana Tsai tells of Mary Leaman, the principal of her high school and her mentor. For Tai, Leaman is an illustration of true happiness. In 1944 during the Japanese occupation of China, Miss Leaman, by then elderly and sick, was forced into a concentration camp. She paid a final visit to Christiana on the day she was to be interred, and afterward souls were saved because of her attitude, which Christiana describes in these words: "Not to cry! Not to faint! Just a smile and a prayer!" That was all. But that was enough to make the Chinese ask, 'What religion is this that gives such power to Miss Leaman and Miss Tsai, to enable them to smile under such conditions?" In unhappy times, happy hearts are a powerful witness. Knowing that God delights in us, desiring Him and praying for His good purposes to win out, helps us to smile and not faint. He has promised He won't desert us! Let's pray.