Isaiah
45 reminds me of a friend recently saying, “You are so lucky”. I
suppose that phrase is an expression of how we view life. Are we
blown around like leaves in the wind, or do we steer our own course?
I believe we are all tools in the hand of the Almighty, but we do not
always recognize the significance of our work. In this chapter
Isaiah explains how Cyrus, the king of Persia would be used by God to
bless the Israelites without even knowing it. He begins, “This
is what the LORD says to His anointed…
Cyrus…
I take hold… to subdue nations…
strip kings of their armor…
open doors… I will go before
you… I
will break down gates… I
will give you hidden treasures“.
Cyrus may have trusted in his intelligence, or strength or charm,
but God explains His motivation, “so
that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons
you by name“. At no time was
Cyrus trying to honor God, yet God adds, I will “bestow
on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge Me… I will
strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged Me“.
Success can inflate egos and arouse suspicion. God’s Word
provides some necessary grounding, “so…
people may know there is none besides Me“.
He adjusts our understanding, “I
bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these
things… rain down my righteousness… let salvation spring up, let
righteousness flourish“. Do
you acknowledge God’s presence?
Isaiah
next describes those of us that resist our role, “Woe
to those who quarrel with their Maker“.
You refuse to believe God has authority? “Does
the clay say to the potter,
‘What are you making?’”
You say He has no right, or He is in error. “Do
you question Me about My children, or give Me orders about the work
of My hands?” Let me remind
you, “It is I who made the
earth and created mankind on it… I will raise up Cyrus
in My righteousness: I
will make all his ways straight.
He will rebuild My city and set
my exiles free“. Why would
God use a heathen to accomplish His will? Jeremiah 7:13 describes
the Jewish leaders at the time, and perhaps us today, “I
spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you,
but you did not answer“. I
may not be the sharpest tool, but God uses the willing. Are you
willing?
God
made a promise that He will keep, “But
Israel will be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation“.
And we have no excuse, “I have
not spoken in secret… I…
speak the truth; I declare what
is right“. Please listen to
His message to you. God calls Himself “a
righteous God and a Savior; there is none but Me“.
His promise is extended to us today, “Turn
to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God“.
Hear the heart of God, “By
myself I have sworn… Before Me every knee will bow; by Me every
tongue will swear“. I believe
God sets divine appointments along the way, maybe today is one?
Isaiah explains our choices, “In
the LORD alone are deliverance and strength… All who have raged
against Him will come to Him and be put to shame“.
Or “find deliverance in the
LORD and will make their boast in Him“.
Please don’t gamble with
eternity. The apostle Paul understood in the end, we will all stand
before the Savior, “at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord“.
Will you speak His name in pride or shame?