Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. | ||
| Isaiah 51:9 (b)-11 | ||
| “Lord, aren’t You the One who dealt with Rahab - or Egypt - in days of old? Aren’t You the One who opened the Red Sea for Your people to pass through?” Here, the prophet is saying what we sometimes feel. We read the stories of God’s power and deliverance, but wonder where He is in our own trouble and difficulty. In verse 10, Isaiah wondered why the Lord wasn’t working. Here, in verse 11, he is sure that the Lord will work. What caused him to change his mind? I suggest it was in the very act of pouring out his heart to the Lord in prayer that the answer to his question, the solution to his frustration was found. “You parted the Red Sea,” he said in verse 10. And, as he did, he must have realized that, with Pharaoh’s army barreling down on them, the Israelites must have felt even more forsaken than he did. But he also realized that God had made a way, that God had come through - and that He would do the same for him. I believe one of the greatest advantages of prayer is that, as we talk to the Lord, we begin to get insights and understanding that will see us through another day - maybe just one more day, but that is all we need. It is a very good thing to pour out your heart to the Lord because, as was the case with Isaiah, so often the answer is found in the very questions and frustrations we share. Pastor Jon Courson | ||
