Blessed Are Those Who Wait for Him

Isaiah 30:1-31:9

I want to be a godly man. I want to raise godly kids. I want to be a part of a church that is headed in a godly direction, that deals with sin in godly ways and keeps her eyes focused on Christ. How do we get there? How do we go from fallen, sinful people, to godly people? Huge question, isn’t it?

I think we see a lot of people asking a similar question in our world today. Have you noticed the rise in general spirituality in our culture? We can be cynical about it, we know most of the answers the the culture finds are just as empty and deadly as the answers found in previous generations. Or we can hear the questions for what they are and offer life changing healing solutions.

What are the questions being asked? Is there hope for me? What is the cure for this loneliness inside me? When the world is collapsing around me, is there a way out, a way of salvation? Oh those questions are so good and they are exactly what our world asks. Why would be cynical at that? We have the solution. Let’s offer it.

Today we are going to look at chapters 30 and 31 and in chapter 30 Isaiah helps us see the answer to these questions. What is not a help to us in this world, what should we listen to, what can we look forward to, and what is not a threat to us? And then in chapter 31 he shows us the two alternative conclusions to placing our hope in Christ or placing our hope in man.

Look at these first 7 verses with me.

I mentioned this last week. Judah has decided to go to Egypt for help against Assyria, her enemy. Look how Isaiah describes this decision. “They carry out a plan, but not mine.”

Oh man. Do you need a new bio for twitter? Wes- he often carries out a plan, but not the Lord’s. Ouch. I could sit here all day and talk about how dumb of a decision it was to go to Egypt for help, but let’s talk about us instead.

There’s a difference, isn’t there, between what we believe and how we act. There shouldn’t be! But there is. In fact, how we act usually betrays what we actually believe. At the end of the day is there protection in the Lord, or are the false protections of this world going to keep you safe?

Maybe some of you have gotten yourselves into a spot where you are faced with what seems like ruin unless your own plans are carried out perfectly. I don’t know what that might be. Perhaps you made a mistake at work and you’re working every angle you know to cover anyone finding out about it. Maybe you’ve sinned against your spouse and you feel like your whole world will come crashing down unless you are able to maintain that lie.

These are the plans of men that are not the plans of God. Your shoulders are not big enough to carry your sin. And those things are not a help to you, in fact, they only hurt. What does God give us? Christ comes to us and says “give me those burdens and i’ll carry them. I will give you rest.” We have to ask these spiritual questions of why and what we’re doing and listen to God’s plans.

In 8-17 Isaiah tells us what it is that we should be listening to rather than our own ideas of salvation.

These people had stopped listening, but perhaps there is hope for us. What is the only hope in a situation where false hopes have gripped us and caused us to make poor decisions? (16) In returning (repentance) and rest you shall be saved. In quietness and trust shall be your strength.”

The people, he describes as rebellious, despise his word (12). That doesn’t mean they don’t know it, or don’t like listening to it when it’s read. But it definitely means that it doesn’t go down deep in their hearts and cause them to act rightly and for the right reasons.

God speaks to them and says what you need to hear is “repent and rest.” Did you know that God can handle whatever it is that you’re going through? I’m not talking in theory. I mean really, turn from holding onto the false hopes of this world and trust him. Maybe you listen, but you don’t fully drop those idols. Idols of reputation, or money, or comfort, whatever it may be. Listen I am fully convinced in my head that God can handle things, but am I convinced in my heart when my life is laid on the line?

Pursue glory in this life and you’ll never see it, pursue God’s glory in this life, only glory forever.

18-26 God surprises me again.

Now listen, we should stop being surprised when God acts like God, shouldn’t we? Perhaps that we’re surprised comes from the same place our prideful rebellion lies.

He says that the Lord waits to be gracious to you.

Now don’t read this as if he’s holding back. God isn’t holding anything back. We hold ourselves back from God because we’re convinced that everything we need and want can’t be found in him. I run to this or that because I think a little bit of what I need is found over there. That’s not God holding himself back from me, that’s me holding myself back from him!

So he waits. How gracious is he to wait. Not leave, not close himself off, not reject, but wait. He waits to be gracious to you. Sometimes when we pray for something, we approach him holding ourselves back and not willing to have him be and do whatever he does for his glory.

“Please fix this situation. O God!” but what we really mean is, please solve it, but in a way that allows me to hold on to my idols at least a little bit. All of the grace in the universe waits to bless us in the answer of God, but we have to give ourselves, our all to him. You want your prayers answered today? Approach him humbly asking him to answer it in whatever way will best glorify him, even if it means stripping us of our earthly loves.

Terrifying isn’t it? Can we do that? Isaiah shows us what things will be like when Christ comes back in the second coming to set all things right in 23-26. He’ll do such a work in our hearts that we throw our idols to the ground and say “be gone!” May he do that for us even now.

Now in 27-33 he shows us what isn’t a threat.

For them it was Assyria. Not a threat. Picture it like this. Your phone buzzes “5 mins til nuke hits.” What on earth do you mean not a threat? There isn’t a bigger threat!

But God has said it’s not a threat, so it’s not. It’s that simple. He’s going to deal with them.

Believer, sin promises you with the most earnest, persuasive words, that if your idols get taken away you’ll die and everything you’ve ever worked for will be pointless. You’re faced with a choice. Do I listen to the aching of my heart that all reason tells me is true, or do I trust God?

My job is done if this comes out, life can never be repaired. My family will be destroyed if I can’t keep hold of this. My church, my whatever. Didn’t Jesus tell us that he takes care of the small little birds, the tiny little flowers? And to him you are worth far more than they? O believer trust Christ and let go of your sin no matter what the cost to you personally. He waits to be gracious. I want to receive grace, where is it? Right on the other side of that door, you just have to drop your idols and walk through.

Chapter 31 shows us the two outcomes, holding on to our false hopes and trusting Christ no matter how it may affect us in this life.

The Lord does not wait to be gracious forever. Judgment is coming. All idols will be crushed by him, and if your reliance is on them you will fall with them.

Oh but those who trust in the Lord, those who lay down their burdens at the cross. The Lord stands over his people like a lion, hovers over us like a bird.

He will protect and deliver us. He will spare and rescue us.