Isaiah

Isaiah answered God's call, prophesying to the Israelites for 60 years. Not one person that we know of turned from their evil ways. Jewish tradition tells us that the Israelites got so tired of listening to him that they eventually sawed him in half to shut him up. That would mean he wasn't alive to see how God used his work to change lives. I imagine he could have died believing he was a failure…but you and I know him as one of the greatest prophets of all time. Isaiah announced the coming Messiah, spoke of His virgin birth, foretold His sacrificial death, and announced His eventual return. No other prophet is quoted more times in the New Testament: there are 66 direct quotations, and 20 of the 27 books in the New Testament refer to Isaiah. The book of Isaiah has been referred to as the 5th gospel because there are so many messianic prophecies. Isn’t that amazing?!

How many of us would continue spreading the Word for that long without results? Isaiah knew that God wanted obedience, not success according to the world.

Don't Give Up.

Do you ever feel like no one cares, like no one is listening? These three simple words are for you - don’t give up. In God’s perfect timing, if you remain obedient to His Word, you are going to reach exactly who He intends for you to reach, and lives are going to be changed. God does not judge success the same way the world does. God desires your obedience, even when it looks like no one is being affected. Keep listening to the Lord and, in His perfect timing, you will reap a harvest. Until then, remember 1 Peter 5:6-7 which says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”