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Weekly Message | July 25th, 2010
Passage: Isaiah 54:1-8
Key Verse(s): 2,3
Last week we had a wonderful 2010 Great Lakes Region Conference with the theme, “The Vision of God”. God’s vision is to bring peoples of all nations through Christ. God’s hope is to bless all nations through his people who trust Christ. However, some might ask, “Why should we care about God and his vision? Would God’s vision make any difference to us when we feel so anxious and burdened?”
Today’s passage is God’s prescription for us. God knows that if at all possible, we would get out of the helpless state. We would rather see the days when our lives matter in this world. We expect our children grow with better dreams and hope. Here, God speaks to his people as their Husband and Savior.
First, “Sing, O barren woman,…burst into song and shout for joy”(1, 4-8). At one time I spoke to a young man (let’s say he is Joe) with some people I knew in a conference. As I counseled to Joe about his life situation, one young doctor challenged me saying, “I have been with him for six years but I do not say like that”. He thought that I was a stranger to him. But I had been with him for more than 16 years. I was addressing the concerns of his parents at that time. I was not a stranger to Joe at all. Here, the point is this. God is not a stranger to these people. God has known his people—since the very first family, Adam and Eve. Throughout the book of Isaiah (Chapters 1-53), God first introduces himself. God shares his heart for the people.
For the purpose of understanding this passage, let’s meditate on God first. Look at verse 4: "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.” These are comforting words. God encourages his people. God points to them toward the path of joy. God presents the bright future when these people are no longer humiliated.
Look at verses 5 and 6: For your Maker is your husband— the LORD Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. 6 The LORD will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit— a wife who married young, only to be rejected," says your God. God’s discipline is short. His love endures forever. Here, God directs the attention of people by referring personal terms. God is their husband. God is their Redeemer.
Look at verses 7 and 8: "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. 8 In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you," says the LORD your Redeemer. This is about God’s display of his love. As we wait for something urgent to happen, even a few minutes are like eternity. However, as we look back, years of wafting are like a moment. God’s discipline is for a while and his love endures forever.
Look at verse 1: Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; God commands the barren woman to burst into song and shout for joy.” Here, “barren” woman refers to a married woman who is unable to bear a child. Thus, she is not quite able to do her main role. In ancient times, such barren women were shamed, rejected, and abandoned. Her sense of worth (and dignity) is terribly affected. In particular, this is about the people of Israel who lost their homes, families and nations. This passage prophesies the return of the Jewish captives from Babylon to Israel. Either the context is before or after the Babylonian captivity, it does not matter. The situation was still not so good.
Some of us here may say, “Well, this is not for me. I am not a woman.” Or some others may say, “I am a single woman, not a barren woman. I have three children”. Note that a barren woman refers to people in the helpless and hopeless state. This Friday I asked to our leaders, “How many of you ever felt sense of hopelessness and helplessness?” Interestingly, the vast majority of people raised their hands. It is a matter of time we all experience certain level of helplessness and hopelessness in our life.
To these people God says, “Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; God commands the barren woman to burst into song and shout for joy.” Singing is not what any barren woman usually does—particularly singing songs of joy. They are those who are fruitless in their lives. But we must sing at the time we don’t feel like singing. We all need to shout for joy for relief. This is why people go to games or any places where they feel safe to shout and scream for anything. Here are God’s suggestions. Are you worried? Do you feel terrified? Then, find your safe place and sing and shout. Your songs do not have to be musically perfect. You shout does not have to be respectful. Shout as you want. Yes, you are disappointed. You feel helpless. But do not let your emotion manage your life. Control your emotion. You can do it. Sing and shout before God—pouring your heart—to transform your helpless sense of despair into hopeful sense of joy.
Second, “Enlarge the place of your tent”(2). Look at verse 2, “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” The people at this time live in shabby tents. God commands his people to enlarge the place of their tent, stretch their ten curtains wide, lengthen their cords and strengthen their stakes. God speaks something realistic from their current situation. God’s command is about what we can do in our specific circumstances. This means that if they had a one bedroom tent, God wanted them to make it one bedroom plus a small extra space. If they had a two bedroom tent, God wanted them to make it a little bigger. To do this, they would have to make their curtains wider. They would have to make the cords that support the tent longer and they would have to make the stakes stronger. This is to make their larger tent to stand even in strong winds.
Then, what does it mean to enlarge the place of our tent? How can we stretch our ten curtains wide? How about lengthen the cords? What do we do to strengthen the stakes? God’s direction here has four parts.
First, enlarge the place of our tent. This means that we do not ignore our problems. Instead we approach them with hope and joy from God. This is to clarify our intent to serve God’s larger purpose—his world salvation. Our resolve is to enlarge our heart for God. To handle our personal needs we enlarge our place of tent. It is to move beyond our routines. It is doing something different.
However, enlarging the place of our tent is primarily for God’s purpose of world salvation. In the GLR SBC both James Choi and Daniel Erret expressed their gratitude to Jim and Sue Paul for their labor of love. Jim and Sue Paul enlarged their tent in their old age to interact and engage with young people. For a long time they were not quite able to raise up any college students. Yet, they have not stopped enlarging the place of their tent. For a few years Chad and Francine Ellis enlarged their place of tent and welcomed Lisa Jackson. They pray for Caleb and Anna Park. This is true with Hannah Park. She welcomed Pearl and Haerim and took steps to help them grow in the Lord. David and Pauline Hwang also did their part to enlarge their place of tent to welcome Anthony Coca and Kirk Kayser. Such wonderful and beautiful work of God is among us.
After GLR Summer Bible Conference some of our leaders resolved to obey Jesus’ command, “Do you love me? Feed my sheep”(Jn 21:16-19). Many of us have been enlarging our place of tent for the gospel. Toledo UBF needs to enlarge our capabilities to serve student ministries. The future growth will come through student ministry. The question is, “How can we enlarge our tent for vibrant student ministry through us?” This is the question we will explore now.
Second, we stretch our tent curtains wide. This is to take an important first step. Yesterday I saw Peter Park building his small his own garage space on his own. This is an important step for him to enlarge his place. Stretching our curtains wide is about doing some actual work. This is to take actual steps to address our problems. For securing employment in this time of needs, seek help and contact people daily beyond this city limit. Commit to exercise three days a week. Choose to eat healthy foods. Commit to do daily prayers including with others. Take an important first step for the important goals we are committed to. Some of our leaders resolve to attend the next Bible conference with other Jesus’ disciples. For Christ and his kingdom we take the first step for inviting people. Get to know people and invite them for conversations, Bible studies and worship. To make the student ministry in Toledo UBF flourish, we need to come up with shared vision and determine specific and realistic plans of actions. For this we need retreats, discussions and prayers together. Third, we lengthen our cords. This has to do with prayer and how we pray. Our life is supported with prayer. No prayer means having no cord. Habitual prayer is a short cord. Earnest and constant prayer has long cords. Make your prayers earnest and serious. Pray with hope and resolution. Prayer involves actions. When you pray, you follow through actions. Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened. Examine your goals not by merely by your intentions but by your actions.
As we take our specific steps for student ministry in University of Toledo, we then follow through the next steps as well. Our Toledo UBF is to pray for the surrounding campuses—University of Toledo, Owens College and University of Michigan. We stretch our tent in Great Lakes Region. We prepare to welcome the leaders from GLR for encouraging fellowship.
Fourth, we have to strengthen our stakes. The tent is completed when the stakes are finally laid and strengthened. This is about completion through strengthening the basics. What does it mean to complete? How would you complete it? Fight the good fight. Complete your work by strengthening your basics. Is this life merely about completing many projects? King Solomon completed many projects in this life. Yet, his basics were gone. In the end he said, “Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!”(Ecc 1:1-4). All our work—projects; achievements and awards—become meaningless apart from Christ and his kingdom. Our faith and integrity should be kept. Our confidence is that God who began his good work in each of us will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:6). God’s work is good. In all things our completion is for the good that God blesses. Our journey is to be completed in the Lord. Finish your race in this life for good. This is about in our personal level.
Toledo UBF also fulfills its mission by raising up godly, healthy and influential leaders—from student years. It is to raise up leaders with integrity and capabilities for Christ and his mission. USA UBF as a whole and Toledo UBF in particular should be able to offer our good leaders for world mission just as many Korean chapters have been doing for the past forty years. For this we must strengthen our basics—individually and in the ministry level.
Third, “Your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in the desolate cities”(3). God instructs us to enlarge the place of our tent. This is about our tent. This is about our life context. What we do is in and around our current life situation. Yet, the impact is much large. Look at verse 2: “For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.” This is God’s promise to his people. This is about God’s command (drivers and causes) and promises (outcomes and results). In time of helpless moment we sow the seed for the future in hope. Then, in the right time we reap the harvest of joy. “Spreading out to the right and the left” is about moving beyond our current helpless condition. Instead, we experience changes, progress, and growth. It is to see the scope of our influence extended.
Look at verse 3b: “your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.” We sow the seeds of hope around our little tents. But God helps us to reap in nations and cities. In the seemingly helpless situation, our choice is either to do natural things that fit to our feelings and stay sorrowful and inactive. Or it is to shake off our fear and sense of despair resolve to obey God. Our future generations become precious, competent and fruitful people in this world. Our scale might be enlarging our small place of tent. The scale of our children and their children is dispossessing nations and settles in the desolate cities.
This world is broken before God. This world is sick. This world is in need of God’s mercy. What is God’s desire for this world? God blesses the world through the good news of Jesus Christ. God said to Abraham, “Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me” (Gen 22:17, 18). Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age"(Mt 28:18-20). This is to declare God’s rule and his ownership in the world. We commit to responsible stewardship in this world. God’s vision is to include each of us in this purpose. God helps us to sing and shout for joy. God comforts our weak emotion with his words of hope and the presence of his people. Enlarge the place of your tent. This is for our live and for our children. God’s commands are not beyond us. His promises are clear. Praise God for his mercy for us.
July 25, 2010. Toledo UBF
Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
