Truth to Anchor Your Life - Isaiah 41

You likely live your life by certain foundational principles, regardless of whether you realize it. These principles impact what you do and why you do it. Some have principles such as,

· Always look out for number 1 (meaning themselves)

· You only live once (which generally means embrace pleasurable things now and don’t worry about consequences).

· You can never have too much money (meaning you live as inexpensively as possible) and build up as big of a nest egg as possible).

· Don’t trust anyone but yourself.

· Treat others as you want to be treated.

· Family is the most important thing.

These are not all wrong principles. However, the point remains: the principles by which you live your life will lead you in wildly different directions because they change what you value most.

In Isaiah 41, God speaks to the lands outside of Israel. He gives them some principles that will be good for us to hear and apply in our own lives. As I read the passage, it seems like it is set up in a typical style of the prophets. We see the first principle affirmed, then the second, and then the third, and then we have the second stated a little differently, and then the first once again.

The First Principle: God is in Control (1-4; 25-29)

1 “Listen in silence before me, you lands beyond the sea.

Bring your strongest arguments.

Come now and speak.

The court is ready for your case.

2 “Who has stirred up this king from the east,

rightly calling him to God’s service?

Who gives this man victory over many nations

and permits him to trample their kings underfoot?

With his sword, he reduces armies to dust.

With his bow, he scatters them like chaff before the wind.

3 He chases them away and goes on safely,

though he is walking over unfamiliar ground.

4 Who has done such mighty deeds,

summoning each new generation from the beginning of time?

It is I, the Lord, the First and the Last.

I alone am he.”

The Lord invites the nations to be ready for a trial. In a sense, it is a trial to see which god(s) is most trustworthy. It is similar to Elijah’s contest with the Prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18. Isaiah said, “Let’s see which God is the true God.”

The Lord challenged the nations to come and bring their arguments against Him. He is not afraid of any group, idea, or attempt at intimidation. He laughs. It is as silly as me standing in the batter’s box against a major league pitcher. I’m not sure I would even see the ball, much less hit it! God explains the foolishness of their antagonism.

Historically, a lot was going on. Cyrus was a rising new King leading the Kingdom of the Medes and the Persians. He is the “king from the east” in verse 2. He was quickly taking over nations. He hasn’t taken over yet, but He is a major threat. In the Book of Daniel, we read how the empires changed literally overnight. So between last week and this week, a lot has happened on the political front. Cyrus would eventually issue a decree that allowed the Jews to return to their homeland. God says this all will happen because He would make it happen! Keep in mind that Isaiah is writing all of this 100 years before the birth of Cyrus!

At the end of the chapter, God taunts those who oppose Him.

25 “But I have stirred up a leader who will approach from the north.

From the east he will call on my name.

I will give him victory over kings and princes.

He will trample them as a potter treads on clay.

26 “Who told you from the beginning

that this would happen?

Who predicted this,

making you admit that he was right?

No one said a word!

27 I was the first to tell Zion,

‘Look! Help is on the way!’

I will send Jerusalem a messenger with good news.

28 Not one of your idols told you this.

Not one gave any answer when I asked.

29 See, they are all foolish, worthless things.

All your idols are as empty as the wind.

Our God is in ultimate control of history. We may try to veer away, but detours will not thwart His will being done. God was using even the world's rulers to accomplish His purposes. The world around us cannot accept a God who did not come from within our system! But the true God is above the system. He created it and sustains it. This is why He can speak about the future in such positive ways.

All Other “Gods” are Worthless (5-7; 21-24)

While all these world events are going on, Isaiah says,

Remote lands tremble and mobilize for war.

6 The idol makers encourage one another,

saying to each other, “Be strong!”

7 The carver encourages the goldsmith,

and the molder helps at the anvil.

“Good,” they say. “It’s coming along fine.”

Carefully they join the parts together,

then fasten the thing in place so it won’t fall over. (5b-7)

If you have ever gone to a tourist site such as New York City, Washington D.C., Downtown Chicago, and Mt. Rushmore, you know you can stop in the gift store and get a miniature statue of what you had just seen. You can get little Statues of Liberty, Washington Monuments, the White House, John Hancock Center, City Skylines, or the Presidents of Mt. Rushmore. Though these things may be treasured keepsakes, they are not the real thing.

God speaks to the idol workers next. They saw world events unfolding as Cyrus swept across the land, and their response was to double down on the production of more idols! The Lord scoffed at these efforts. He taunted and encouraged them to make sure they made these ‘gods’ so they would not fall over. At the end of the chapter (21-24), the Lord taunts them more, saying: “Let them show what they can do. Let them tell us what the future holds . . . and then in verse 23, He says,

In fact, do anything—good or bad!

Do something that will amaze and frighten us.

24 But no! You are less than nothing and can do nothing.

Those who choose you pollute themselves. (23b-24)

Most of us don’t have statues before which we fall. But we may turn to lifeless things to bring meaning and purpose into our lives. We may turn to horoscopes, “lucky” objects, financial gurus, or even well-meaning counselors. We may turn to spending, eating, or even excessive activity. But none of these things can do what only God can do. Only God knows the future and can, with perfect wisdom, help us in the present. All attempts to circumvent Him are pure foolishness. He is above ALL things. He made us, and we are His.

God Loves His Children (8-20)

When God talks about His children, we see His tender heart. Let me focus on a couple of these verses, Isaiah 41: 9,10, and 13

For I have chosen you

and will not throw you away.

10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.

Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you.

I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

13 For I hold you by your right hand—

I, the Lord your God.

And I say to you,

‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.

Hear all the things God says to His children: First, He has chosen us. We are His because He reached out to us! Let that sink in. He decided. . . He wants you! Have you ever thought of yourself this way – as one chosen by God? Maybe you have never been selected for anything else in your life. You may feel you are unworthy. But, here’s the thing: we are all unworthy! We are made right with God not because of what we have done but because of what He has done in and through us.

The Bible tells us that we are, by nature, rebels toward God. As a result, we will never choose Him unless He first changes our hearts and minds. Jesus said, “No one can (has the ability to) come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”

Second, He will not change His mind about you. Do you spend much time trying to keep other people happy? It is like we never really get out of Jr. High! We are afraid that we will be tossed aside if we do or say the wrong thing. We know from experience that humans often do this. But God is not a sinful human and does not view us that way! The New Living translation says, “I will not throw you away.” This is a truth that should bring us great comfort. It means we can have the confidence to hold on in even the most trying times.

We will never have to wonder if God is done with us. We never have to feel that we have been too much of a disappointment and are cast from His presence. Philippians 1:6 tells us that “He who began a good work in you will bring it about to completion.” God is not a quitter! And He won’t quit on you.

Third, He promises to be with us. Last week, we said that if we have the proper fear of the Lord, we don’t have to be afraid of anything else. Most of us do not like it when someone says, “Don’t be afraid.” When they are saying it is usually too late . . . we are ALREADY afraid. But when God says this, it takes on the form of a command from our loving Lord and Master.

It is hard to simply will yourself to “not be afraid.” God wants us to put aside all fears because He is with us. Do you remember that you could go anywhere or do anything as long as you were with your mom or dad as a little child? This is because you knew they would give their lives to try to protect you.

We would go out into the alley behind our house when I was growing up to play basketball. My friend's older brother liked to play with us. Whoever got Scott on their team was almost sure to win. There was no need to fear when Scott was on your side. How much more should this be true when the Almighty and loving Father is on our side?

John Ortberg writes,

There is no limit to His presence. There is no place where we can go, no activity we can engage in, where he is not watching over us. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.”

But fear tries to convince us it is not so. Fear has created more practicing heretics than bad theology ever has, for it makes us live as though we serve a limited, finite, partially present, semi-competent God.

God also tells us not to get discouraged. This is a tough one because there are many discouraging things in life. Things don’t go as we hoped or as expected, and we can feel the energy start to seep out of us.

Discouragement is when courage drains from you. A discouraged worker has trouble doing a good job. They will tell you that “their heart is just not in it.” Discouraged Christians have no enthusiasm for following and serving the Lord.

Think about it; there are many reasons we get discouraged,

· People let us down or turn on us.

· You put much work into something, and no one appreciates it.

· You are rejected (sometimes again and again).

· You do things that make you disappointed in yourself. That same nagging sin comes back to grab hold of you again, and you doubt you will ever gain victory.

· You pray boldly, but you don’t get what you asked for and wonder if God is listening.

· Your big idea is a bust.

· Something comes up at the last minute, and you cannot do what you planned.

· You let down someone you love.

· You feel you don’t measure up.

We are told we should not be discouraged because He is our God. The Lord reminds us that any failure, disappointment, or change of plans is a potential blessing in His hands. Throughout the Bible, God turns discouragement into a gift.

· Abraham and Sarah were childless before God miraculously brought Isaac into the world.

· Joseph languished in servanthood and prison, feeling God had forgotten him when all along God was preparing a leadership position in Egypt that would save God’s children in the time of famine.

· Moses felt unequal to God's task and was discouraged that the burden became more difficult for the people each time Pharoah said “No” to the demands he brought.

· Elijah was discouraged, feeling defeated, and experienced the sweetness of God’s presence in a new way.

I suspect if you think about it, you can come up with your own stories of how God used what seemed to be a defeat to open the door to something previously unimagined. The key to these times of discouragement turning into a blessing is in the word “trust.”

God promises to help us. God tells us He will hold us up in His victorious right hand. In the next verse, he tells us He will hold our right hand. Which is it? Is He holding us up with His right hand or holding onto our right hand? As often is the case, I believe the answer is “both.” The Lord promises that there will come a time when He will hold us high in His victorious right hand. We will stand up high in the victory He will give us.

For now, however, like a parent leading their child, He takes our right hand and guides us. It is not so much that we hold on to Him; He is holding on to us! If we trust Him, He will lead us to this promised victory if we walk with Him.

I love His words, “I will strengthen you and help you.” I hope you can testify to the truthfulness of this statement. If you can, you have likely been through some hard times. The late Andre Crouch wrote a song that said, “If I never had a problem, I’d never know that God could solve them, I’d never know what faith in His Word could do.”

I can testify to this in my own experience. Going through a divorce was an excruciating time. There are feelings of rejection, failure, and discouragement. Yet . . . in that horrible time, I found my faith in the Lord was more authentic and more alive than at any other time.

Perhaps like me, you have learned how to love with more abandon because you have gone through times of loss. Going through that pain makes you aware of how precious, fragile, and temporary life is. You begin to learn not to waste any moments and not to put off loving others.

For now, I hope what you see are some foundational principles to build your life upon.

1. God is in control. There are no surprises to God. He uses everything to accomplish His will. Confusing times are when God hasn’t revealed to you what He is doing yet. He IS doing something.

2. All substitutes for trust in God are worthless. When we try to do things apart from Him, we build a god that we better construct well, so it doesn’t fall over when we need to rely on it! These things are worthless in helping us in life.

3. God is with us. Because of this, we don’t need to fear. When we get discouraged, we need to remember whom we belong to and who we are because we belong to Him. We don’t need to fear. Our only job is to hold His hand and trust that where He is leading us is the very best place to be.

As we learn to trust and follow Him, other things will become less important. We will see Him more clearly and will love Him more completely. And there is no better place to be.

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