Mid-week Prayer Focus
The Christian Response to Conspiracies, Fear, and Dread
Isaiah 8:11-14
Pastor Wes
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A friend of mine recently drew my attention to a passage from the prophetic book of Isaiah, and how timely its message is for this season of life we are in right now, even though it was written over 2700 years ago. The passage I want us to look at is Isaiah 8:11-13. Before I read it to you, I want to give you just a little snapshot of the history surrounding it.
This word from the Lord to Isaiah takes place after many years of God calling His people to return to Him, yet they just continued to ignore Him and reject His ways. God promised if the people did not return to Him, and do what was right, then He would take His protective hand off of them, and they would be turned over to other nations that would come in and conquer them. God warned, and warned, and promised and promised- waiting patiently for the people’s repentance. But the people continued to harden their hearts against Him, and He thus hardened His heart towards them and began putting pieces in place that would eventually bring about their conquering, destruction, captivity, and eventually repentance.
In Isaiah chapter 8, God declares the beginning stages of the fall of the nation. God declares that Assyria will invade and fill their land, and their wealth will be carried away. In the previous chapter 7, we see that not only are God’s people facing conflict from neighboring countries, they are experiencing extreme internal conflict. The tribes of Israel are in conflict with each other-Jerusalem has been attacked by the current king over Israel. There’s all kinds of unrest and instability taking place. So, as they’re dealing with this internal unrest and instability, they’re now getting wind that Assyria is mustering its forces and will be marching their direction. Perhaps the people are freaking out a bit, realizing that the wacky prophecies of judgement are actually going to take place. And for the prophet Isaiah, this had to be terrifying, seeing some of the things that God had told him to say and warn the people with beginning to come true.
And so in the midst of the angst, the stress, the anxiety of all the historic, wild, unprecedented things happening at that time, God speaks a special word to Isaiah. Isaiah records it saying… (Isaiah 8:11-13)
It would have been so easy for Isaiah, and others who were truly attempting to walk with the Lord- it would have been so easy for them during this time to get caught up in all the talk of the people. To conjure up other explanations behind the God orchestrated events taking place. To fear what might happen next. But God says don’t walk in their ways- don’t have their mindset when you see these things happening. Don’t fear what they fear. Don’t dread what they dread. The only thing to fear and dread is the Lord Himself! In the next verse, God says of Himself, “then He shall become a sanctuary.” (Is. 8:14a)
How many of you have felt like you needed a sanctuary recently? A place of rest, security, comfort, relaxation? The Lord wants to be your sanctuary. Often we describe ourselves as being the sanctuary for the Lord, but have you ever considered how He is a sanctuary for us? He can only be that sanctuary if we are able to fear Him alone, and not fear and dread what those who don’t know Him fear and dread.
My prayer for you is that you don’t get caught up in the conspiracies, the fear, the dread, the doom- even if all the conspiracies are true, even if the fear and dread is warranted, even if the doom is coming. No, fear the Lord in His holiness, rest and trust in Him, and allow Him to be your sanctuary.