“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.” (Isaiah 51:1, ESV)
Here the Lord gives words of encouragement to the faithful remnant of Israel who were pursuing righteousness. Israel was to endure the judgment of Babylonian destruction and captivity because of their unrighteousness. Yes, it seems unfair that the righteous remnant would have to endure the judgment also, but the effects of sin are indiscriminate. The righteous often endure the affliction brought about by the unrighteous.
In our lives we often find ourselves enduring the trials of a sin fallen world. We experience persecution, illness, emotional stress, financial difficulties, etc. Often the direct action of others will bring about these trials. In other situations, the trials come because of a sin fallen world. How are we to cope with these things? We should look to the example given by the Lord’s words here, “look to the rock from which you were hewn.”
The Lord’s message to the faithful remnant was to look back to their foundation and understand it. What was this foundation, “the rock?” We see the explanation in verse 2. This is an exhortation for the remnant to look to the promise. They were to look to the promise that God gave to Abraham. It was that through Abraham’s seed God would create a mighty nation. They were to think back to the foundation of Abraham’s faith and in the same way trust in the Lord to fulfill His promise.
In our time of distress, we also have a firm foundation of faith in the Lord. Jesus is our solid rock. We have been born of God by faith and are heirs to the promise. This promise guarantees us a hope and a future. We who have trusted in the Lord have a glorious future. When we encounter times of difficulty, we need to look to our foundation. Jesus is our foundation and in Him, we have the blessed assurance of the promise. Consider the words of the hymn.
Blessed Assurance, written by Fanny Crosby
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Perfect submission, perfect delight! Visions of rapture now burst on my sight; angels descending bring from above echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Perfect submission—all is at rest; I in my Savior am happy and blest; watching and waiting, looking above, filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
Chorus: This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long; this is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.
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Renewing the Heart 