“Therefore, the Lord will overwhelm them with a mighty flood from the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria and all his glory. This flood will overflow all its channels and sweep into Judah until it is chin-deep. It will spread its wings, submerging your land from one end to the other, O Immanuel. “Huddle together, you nations, and be terrified. Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, but you will be crushed! Yes, prepare for battle, but you will be crushed! Call your councils of war, but they will be worthless. Develop your strategies, but they will not succeed. For God is with us!”
Isaiah 8:7-10 NLT
We take a second look at the impending invasion by Assyrian forces. Because the people of Judah had rejected God’s care, which Isaiah, in his prophecy, likened to the “gently flowing waters of Shiloah”, the invasion would be like a mighty flood that would immerse the land of Judah so that it was “chin-deep”. Why was the overflow not total? Because Jerusalem, the “head” above the chin, was going to be spared. The first part of the prophecy ends with a reference to “Immanuel”, reminding the people that God’s protective presence was still there despite their rejection of Him.
In verse 9, Isaiah prophetically challenged all the foreign nations that wanted to attack God’s people. He warned them to prepare for battle, but promised that they would be “shattered” (destroyed). The next verse continues in that theme, pointing out that the enemy’s strategic planning was pointless “for God is with us”, which is the meaning of Immanuel.
Do we pilgrims today believe that God is with us? Is His presence helping us through the difficulties and problems that seem to be part of living in the 21st Century? There seem to be many media reports of the increasing cost of living, tax rises, a lack of social cohesion, but then, adding to the woes, there are wars and strife and threats of the same elsewhere in the world, all painting a picture of a flood of problems that threaten to submerge people everywhere. Where is God in all of this, some ask? But it is easy to see the problems rather than God’s provision. We are surrounded by plenty. Here in the West, the supermarkets are well stocked, and power cuts are rare. Very few people have nowhere to lay their heads at night, even though homelessness is a problem for some. Jesus said, “… For [God] gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike” (Matthew 5:45b). This is a verse that goes far beyond just watery drops from the heavens, but also points out that God shows people His favour, including all that we need for life in this technological age. Back in my days as a small boy, all children in my primary school had to attend a morning service, where a hymn was sung, and prayers were said, and I can remember that some of the prayers were thanking God for His provision, and for council workers like street cleaners, who made our society a pleasant place in which to live. Just because school assemblies have been largely dispensed with in our multi-cultural Britain, it does not mean that God has stopped showing His favour. We do not have to look very far before we see that He is indeed still with us.
We pilgrims must never stop praying for our countries, thanking God for His presence and favour. We have much to thank Him for, each and every day, but even in the dark times, God is still there with us. I always feel so sorry for those without a belief in God, and who drift through life like a ship without a rudder. When problems come their way, they are like the man who built his house upon the sand. Matthew 7:27, “When the rains and floods come, and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash”. Such people can be found in a doctor’s office, listening to a bad diagnosis. Or facing an unexpected bill, knowing that they lack the funds to pay it. I met a man recently who, now in his late seventies, said that he was glad that he only had a few years left to live, because his life was one of misery and depression. There is a poem about two prisoners looking through the bars of their cell. “One saw mud, but the other saw stars”. We pilgrims are star gazers, looking up into the Heavenly realms from which our hope and help originate.
We’ll finish today with a Psalm for pilgrims everywhere. Psalm 121: “I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.” That’s all about my God. Does it describe yours?
Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your grace and favour, providing for our needs, and giving us hope for the future. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 