Isaiah_45
Scripture - What stood out?
Isaiah 45
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
though you have not acknowledged me,
6 so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting
people may know there is none besides me.
Observation - What does it say?
In this chapter Isaiah’s prophesy, which I am defining as a message from God which sometimes refers to future events, concerns Cyrus who will end the Babylonian exile of the Israelites. The chapter goes on to reveal and reiterate the characteristics and nature of God as best expressed in our words and ideas.
Understanding - What does it mean?
Several things stood out to me from the above verses. I have since gone back and re read these three verses 5 additional times mulling them over in my head and in my heart asking God to reveal to me what he meant by them. This is what I believe He imparted to me: God desires to be acknowledged...by us.
While verse 4 has a very literal interpretation (the Israelites were in agony, having been in Babylonian captivity), I also felt HS show me of one other. I think it is easy for Christians to sometimes envy the relationship that God had with the nation of Israel. Look at how they are spoken about by Him, “Israel my chosen”. If you are a Christian, you long to hear those words spoken aloud by God about yourself. And as I thought these thoughts I remembered the promise spoken over Isaac and Abraham in Genesis 22:18 “...and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
God’s blessing over me, over all of us came through Jesus, who came for not one nation, but all nations on earth. It’s why sometimes God summons you by name, even though you don’t acknowledge Him.
There is no mention of love in the above three verses. But I remember a time when I walked onto a dance floor and desperately wanted my childhood crush to just notice me. She never did. Her heart belonged to another. However, I contend that God’s heart does belong to you. You are His childhood crush. And he desperately wants you to notice Him.
Life Application - How can I apply this to my life today?
I choose to take notice of you today. I will notice you in the beauty of the outside world and the beauty of the inside world. I will take 5 minutes today and just think about how my whole life you have been calling out to me. By name. Even though for so long I did not acknowledge you.
I love you Lord,
-kenneth lee