Waiting on God

Devotion 03                     Rev. Samuel N. Modise               2013

Waiting on God          Isaiah 8:17 “I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him”    Extra Reading: Isaiah 8:11-22

I have had moments when I struggled with uncertainty and doubt. Have you also gone through the same experience? God has his own way of pointing our human weakness to us. Have you ever put some people on a spiritual pedestal, thinking they are beyond such struggles? If so, then be encouraged by this passage. God comes to Isaiah to assure him in the midst of his own uncertainties. We know that conspiracy theories in Isaiah’s day abounded-and they still do today. Fear grew like a tumour in the soul of society, and it was affecting Isaiah too.

But Isaiah received firm instructions from God not to be influenced by Ahaz or the unbelieving strategy of Judah. Isaiah was to trust the Lord, who was gradually fulfilling his plan for the coming of Immanuel. The Lord was the one whom Isaiah should fear.

May I ask a question? What fuels our doubts? In verses 14-15 Immanuel is described as a rock that would cause the people to stumble. There is something scandalous about the Messiah. The nature of that scandal becomes clear in Jesus’ ministry, where we meet the one who fulfills God’s purposes not as a mighty warrior but as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

What should happen when the world is in a panic? Isaiah said, “I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob.” Patient and faith-filled waiting on God is one of the most active ways we can show obedience to our Saviour.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we are often fearful and full of doubt when we see so much trouble around us. Please help us to wait in patient obedience, knowing that you are in control. In Jesus’ name, Amen.