ISAIAH 49:8-9 – “Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; 9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.”  KJV

Sometimes, passages just leap off the page when we read them, and this is one of those occasions.  As I read these two verses my heart exploded with anticipation, appreciation, and awareness of God!  There are three things said in this passage that ignite something inside of me that makes me want to launch into the Deep in God and pursue His Purposes with Passion and Abandon.

I HEARD YOU… 

The words of Isaiah’s prophecy, “In an acceptable time have I heard thee” stir deep cords in my heart.  As I read those words I called to mind the many trials of the nation of Israel.  I remembered their bondage in Egypt, them being captives in Babylon, and many other events. Each time, they called upon the Lord, and He heard them and answered them.

In 1 Peter 3:12, the apostle reminds us that the eyes of the LORD are always toward His children and His ears are listening for our prayers.  He cares!  In Proverbs 15:29 we are reminded that God is far from the wicked but is listening to and for the prayers of the righteous.  God desires to bless us and provide for us more than we want Him to.  I know that sounds strange, but I believe it is His desire as Jesus said, “to give us the kingdom.”

The prophet Micah prayed in 7:7, “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation.”  That is confidence and determination and needed today!  Romans 10:13 encourages us saying, “Whosoever will call upon the name of the LORD will be saved.”  Jesus said in John 6:37 that whoever comes to Him would not be rejected.  That is incredible!

It is important that we keep in the forefront of our minds and in our hearts that God Sees our situation and hears our cries.  He also has a plan to deliver us!  The cries for mercy always reach the Throne of God and the effectual fervent prayers of the righteous will prevail.  Take the Promise to heart that “God Hears Us.”

I HAVE HELPED YOU… 

love this, it is not future tense but past tense with present tense reality.  Remember that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  That means what He did, He is doing.  What He was, He is and will continue to be.  He does not change!  He is the Eternal God the Creator of All Things!  He has heard us and is helping us!  What a Promise!

With regard to the Nation of Israel, God never let them down.  He always sent His word to help and bring them to deliverance and victory.  He is no respecter of persons and what He did for them, He will do for you and me.  What a Promise!

Sadly, too many are not lost enough for Him to rescue them.  They are still trusting their own strength and ability, but once we get lost enough for Him to save us, in an acceptable time He shows up and delivers!

I WILL PRESERVE YOU… 

He has heard us, helped us, and now we have the promise of preservation!  The repeated promise of God is that He will never leave us nor forsake us.  The Promise of Jesus is that He will go with us to the end of the age.  The declaration of the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 1 is that God is able to keep us to the end!

We have the promise of preservation in the now and for eternity.  We are God’s people, the sheep of His pasture, His sons and daughters through the new birth.  Our heritage and assignment are to establish the earth for God and inherit the desolate heritages.  We are transformers, in Him and through Him.  We are to pray for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

I was told once, “You should not take small things to God, only take the big stuff to Him.”  That is not the God of my Bible for He tells me to “cast ALL my care on Him because He cares.”

We have great and precious promises in God and if we can realize that He Hears, He Helps, and is Preserving us we can become more than conquerors and be those that ‘fear not.’  We have two choices in our walk through this world. We can be those who are fearful and fret or those who are fearless and faithful.  David told Goliath, “You come against me with the strength of man, but I come against you in the name of the Lord.” 

May the Lord fill your day with joy and victory!  God bless you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Him!