170 years before God sent Cyrus the Mede to conquer Babylon and set the Israelites free, Isaiah wrote of him, and how the allies of Babylon would try to stop him… “The isles saw and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came. Each helped his neighbor, and each one said to his brother, ‘Be of good courage!’” (Isaiah 41:5,6). It sounded good, but it was false assurance. God had already decreed their overthrow.
Think of how amazing this is. God foretold Babylon’s rise, that Israel would spend 70 years in captivity, and how Cyrus – who didn’t even know the Lord yet – would set them free. The prophecy was strength, encouragement, and comfort – all in advance.
God also knew the people would feel weary of evil, so He offered them His strength in advance, saying… “Have you not known? Have you not heard? That the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither grows weary? There is no searching of His understanding! HE GIVES power to the faint; and to those who have no might HE increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men utterly fall. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and now be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:28-31).
The same is true for our day. The Lord has gifted us His Spirit and His Word, giving us all we need in advance to thrill our hearts and give us strength, until He returns. “I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” is His unfailing promise of love. Let’s honor Him and be ready.
(Devotional by Lisa Cataford)
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