“It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear. . .” (Isaiah 65:24).
Dear God, our ABBA, how excellent is Your Name in all the earth!. In wisdom You have made all things, and we rejoice to be able to call You our Father, our Daddy! Please give us Your grace to live in accordance with Your divine will! In the mighty Name of Jesus Christ, we humbly pray. Amen.
Our text for today is one of the precious promises that is to be found in the writings of the prophet Isaiah. At the time it was written, it was God’s plan for Israel, if they would live in accordance with the covenant that He had established with them. God wanted His will to be done for them on earth, as it is in heaven! Sad to say, because of their constant backsliding, they missed out on the fulfillment of many of the covenant promises made by God for their good.
Looking at Isaiah 65:17-25, you can see that it has always been God’s desire that His people be blessed by obeying His word. In the book of Deuteronomy we read the following promises:
- “. . . [K]eep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good” (10:13, emphasis supplied).
- “Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God” (12:28, emphasis supplied).
- “The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers” (30:9, emphasis supplied).
God’s plan for the new Israel is as glorious as the plans He had for Israel of old. Our Scripture for today, can still be fulfilled in the lives of those who will remain in a covenant relationship of love with God.
*I remember an experience I had as a teenager. I was out on school vacation, and really needed a job so that I could have some money to purchase a few things before going back to school. My mom, grandparents, and my mother’s brother did not have much money, and if I wanted anything beside the bare essentials, it would make me feel so much better if I could earn the money. They were doing everything they could, to provide me with any “extra” blessings they could.
My brother-in-law owned a very small Fumigation Company that did not have many clients, so I was not sure if he would think of hiring any help. Therefore, I decided to pray to God and ask Him to provide me with an opportunity where I could earn some money. I remember kneeling in the bedroom and praying to God.
*I could not believe my ears when I heard my brother-in-law’s voice, as he stood at the entrance of our apartment, asking for me. My mother mentioned that I was in the bedroom. Before she or he could call my name, I was on my feet and walked into the living room. He told me he needed someone to help in writing some letters, and answering the telephone. Would I be willing to do this? Of course I would, and could, and I did!
This little job went beyond the end of the vacation, to afternoons after school, until I graduated from high school, and was called by our local Conference to go to another province and work in one of our boarding schools, as a dean of young girls, and teach English and other subjects! It was the continuous answer to a prayer, that was answered, “before I called, and while I was still praying!”
What a wonderful, mighty God we serve! If He did it for me, surely, He can do it for you!
NOTE: I have made some corrections on 2 paragraphs*