A promise in the darkness

Xanthe Galanis

The Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out…to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct... Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid.’”  Isaiah 7:4

At the time of King Ahaz, David’s kingdom had long since split in two. Israel, the northern kingdom, had routinely strayed from the ways of the Lord. Judah, the southern kingdom, went back and forth under the rule of faithful and unfaithful kings. Ahaz was one of the unfaithful ones.

Here, in Isaiah 7, Ahaz faces the biggest mess of his life. Jerusalem is in danger of falling. His kingdom, not to mention his life, is in danger of coming to an end. God sends his prophet Isaiah to talk to Ahaz at the aqueduct just outside of town, and offers him a promise. He tells him to keep calm and not to lose heart because of the kings who are trying to invade Judah. Through Isaiah, God tells Ahaz that his worries are unfounded, that the kings who stand against him will soon fall.

But Ahaz wasn’t known for trusting God, and this was no exception. He was not able to look past the immediate circumstances and trust that whatever God was doing in the future would be enough to deal with the mess of the present.

God actually invites Ahaz to ask for a sign, any sign. And Ahaz rejects the offer. The Lord gives him a sign anyway, a promise for the future:  “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”  (Isaiah 7:14). God was trying to tell Ahaz that he was with him, but Ahaz wouldn’t see it.

What do you worry about most? Do you, like Ahaz, worry about something that might happen in the future? Remember God’s promise, he is with you always!

Prayer: It’s so easy to get caught up in the worries and stresses of the present Lord. Thank you for your promise that you are always with us, no matter how dark and dire things seem. Amen