Blog

From Negev to Europe: Isaiah 30 and Our Modern Spiritual Desert

Posted on by Adrian Clark

Isaiah 30:6-7 NLT

6 This message came to me concerning the animals in the Negev:
The caravan moves slowly
    across the terrible desert to Egypt—
donkeys weighed down with riches
    and camels loaded with treasure—
    all to pay for Egypt’s protection.
They travel through the wilderness,
    a place of lionesses and lions,
a place where vipers and poisonous snakes live.
All this, and Egypt will give you nothing in return.
7     Egypt’s promises are worthless!
Therefore, I call her Rahab—
    the Harmless Dragon.

This is a strange couple of verses. As verse 6 commences, it’s all about the animals in the Negev. The Negev is a hot, dry region in southern Israel that receives less than eight inches of rainfall each year. The Negev Desert is mentioned in the events of Abraham’s life and during Israel’s wilderness wanderings. Today, the Negev is the largest region in the modern state of Israel and covers more territory than it did in ancient times. The total area of the Negev Desert is about 4,700 square miles, occupying almost half of Palestine west of the Jordan River. So it is not a place that is ideal for travelling on donkeys or camels. But it had to be crossed to reach Egypt, and, to buy protection from the Egyptians, the Judeans were sending their wealth there in payment for the services they required. It was a dangerous journey, as the territory was occupied by lions, vipers and poisonous spiders. What was the point? When the Assyrian attack came, the Egyptians failed to get involved, sitting on the sidelines just watching what was happening. But instead of turning to God, Judah turned to Egypt for protection.

Fast-forward to 21st-century Europe, and we find a modern equivalent of Assyria rattling sabres on its eastern borders, threatening to attack Western nations. Russia is increasingly engaging in a “hybrid” war, probing defences and responses to gauge how successful a campaign against Western nations would be. Yes, a defensive alliance exists, but its members are woefully unprepared for such a conflict. Government messages instead encourage people to stock up on tinned food, candles and bottled water. But instead of turning to God, nations turn to their “Egypts” for help. They turn to each other for protection but lack the leadership and commitment to be united, politically or defensively. And they place an over-reliance further west on an unpredictable US president. An “Egypt” too far?

But let us now consider any spiritual significance in our reading today. It is true that here in the West, there is a spiritual desert. References to God in society are rare and usually appear as expletives. Instead of turning to God, people look for personal “Egypts” that can provide some assurance in times of trouble. The irony is that Judah was willing to endure considerable danger and expense to obtain Egypt’s help, while neglecting the God who had already promised to protect His people. The people in our land can work extremely hard to obtain security from human sources while neglecting the security God offers. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” That, dear fellow pilgrims, is a promise of God that we should cherish and treasure, and fully embrace through our faith in the One who made it. But it is no good paying lip service to this promise. We need to believe it. God has clearly said through His Word who He is, but if we don’t believe this, then we are deluded. Paul argued with some who believed there was no resurrection of the dead, and we read in 1 Corinthians 15:14-17, “And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.” Our faith is not useless, and we need to find our refuge in Him in times of trouble, whatever they are. But this faith is an active faith, not one in which we passively hunker down, waiting for help from an “Egypt” somewhere. Help will only come from God, and through our faith in Him we need to tell everyone else about it.

We may despair about the godless society in which we apparently live, but there are encouraging signs that God is on the move, bringing something new. A new report recently published and referenced by the Evangelical Alliance has estimated that around 8% of the population, 5.5 million people, are evangelical Christians who both identify as an evangelical and share evangelical beliefs. In particular, it shows that the evangelical church is far younger and more diverse than people have previously thought. Is revival coming to this land? We must pray, and keep praying, that God will once again bring a spiritual move that will lead to the UK once again becoming a Christian nation. God has done it before, but do we dare to believe that he will do it again? 

In Genesis 18, we find the remarkable passage in which Abraham intercedes for Sodom, arguing directly with God. Abraham asks, “Would God destroy Sodom if there were any righteous people to be found there?” In the subsequent conversation, we read, “Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?” And the LORD replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten’” (Genesis 18:32). At that time, Sodom was estimated to have up to 3000 inhabitants, so God would not have destroyed it if He had found even a small pocket of righteous people, a small percentage comparable to the 8% of the population who are Christians here in the UK. But that does not mean we must be complacent. Instead, we must pray for God to move in this nation and across the world, that He will bring peace and security where there is nothing but uncertainty and efforts to replace Him with yet another “Egypt”.

Dear Heavenly Father. Bring revival once again to this land, when people will call upon the name of the Lord. If there was ever a time in history when Your protection is required, it is today. Lead us, we pray, in Your ways, this day and every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Egypt or Eternal Treasure? Finding True Security in God

Posted on by Adrian Clark

Isaiah 30:1-5 NLT

30 “What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,”
    says the Lord.
“You make plans that are contrary to mine.
    You make alliances not directed by my Spirit,
    thus piling up your sins.
2 For without consulting me,
    you have gone down to Egypt for help.
You have put your trust in Pharaoh’s protection.
    You have tried to hide in his shade.
3 But by trusting Pharaoh, you will be humiliated,
    and by depending on him, you will be disgraced.
4 For though his power extends to Zoan
    and his officials have arrived in Hanes,
5 all who trust in him will be ashamed.
    He will not help you.
    Instead, he will disgrace you.”

We now move on to the next chapter in Isaiah. The heading in my Bible is “Judah’s Worthless Treaty with Egypt”, and that sums up quite precisely the theme in this chapter. As usual for Isaiah, it is rich in descriptive language, and is a joy to read. But the chapter begins with a warning that Judah’s rebellion will lead to their sorrow. The Lord sets out before them the scale of the problem, and He said to them, “You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins”. Judah had a strategy. They had identified a powerful ally and acted upon it by requesting a defensive alliance. But God had not been consulted. Was this a unique problem affecting just the Jewish people, or can we find an application elsewhere? There is an important difference between asking God to bless our plans and asking God what His plans are. Straight away, we are back to the same problems experienced by God’s people we have found before in Isaiah, the remedy for which we find in Proverbs 3:5-7,“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil”. There is another proverb that amplifies their problem, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death” (Proverbs 14:12). I look back over my life, and I’m sure other pilgrims can as well, and review those times when I took a wrong turning. Thankfully, death was never the outcome, but sometimes the way back on to the right path, God’s path that He had set out for me, was painful. There are consequences to making wrong choices, and there have been many times, not for me, I should add, when people have languished in prison cells, or hospital beds, ruing the day when they have made “plans that are contrary to [God’s]”. Thankfully prisons and hospitals haven’t been my lot in life, but I have found myself in the wrong church or the wrong job, albeit briefly, and God in His grace has helped me back to the path I should take.

In our lives, we naturally gravitate towards “Egypts“, places or times of strength where we think we have found, or can find, security. These “Egypts” could be money, possessions, relationships, intelligence, and more, but, in the end, they are all man-made and subject to destruction. Someone can lose their savings through a scam or in some other way. A house can be subject to subsidence and have to be demolished, as some unfortunate home owners have recently found out in a village a few miles away from where I live. Regarding our possessions, Jesus said, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19). Relationships can founder, shipwrecked on the rocks of unfaithfulness, and quickly dissipate in the unforgiving atmosphere of a divorce court. Regarding intelligence, a neighbour died recently of a dementia-related condition, his mind lost, his intelligence gone without trace (he had been a teacher for all of his working life). And anyway, in all temporally human conditions, everything is without any eternal consequence. Solomon wrote, ““Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? … So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind”(Ecclesiastes 1:2-3, 17). But life doesn’t have to be like that, because, as Jesus said, “Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be”(Matthew 6:20-21). As we seek God and allow the Holy Spirit to guide our lives, then our paths won’t lead to Egypt. Instead, as we follow His paths, they will lead to Glory.

Our reading today concludes with Judah discovering that Egypt cannot save them. We read in verse 5, “He will not help you. Instead, he will disgrace you” . This is perhaps the most searching part of the passage. Whatever we place our ultimate trust in eventually proves unable to carry the weight we have placed upon it. God was not condemning Judah merely because they sought help. The problem was that they sought ultimate security somewhere other than Him. Sometimes God allows us to discover the weakness of our substitutes for Him. We may lean on our own wisdom, another person’s strength, financial security or carefully constructed plans. For a while, everything may appear satisfactory. Then circumstances expose the limitations of what we trusted. God does not merely want to be included in our plans; He wants to be trusted with our lives. Psalm 118:8-9, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes“. Earlier we read the verse, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding”. Are we pilgrims currently at a crossroad in our lives? We pause, wondering which way to go. We may not know the right way, but I know Someone who does. Do you?

Dear Heavenly Father. There are many paths in life which we could take, but only one is Your way, the right way. Please lead and guide us, we pray, this day and every day. Amen.

From Wayward to Wise: Discovering God’s Limitless Blessings

Posted on by Adrian Clark

Isaiah 29:21-24

21 Those who convict the innocent
    by their false testimony will disappear.
A similar fate awaits those who use trickery to pervert justice
    and who tell lies to destroy the innocent.
22 That is why the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the people of Israel,
“My people will no longer be ashamed
    or turn pale with fear.
23 For when they see their many children
    and all the blessings I have given them,
they will recognise the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob.
    They will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Then the wayward will gain understanding,
    and complainers will accept instruction.

We have now reached the end of Isaiah 29 with our verses today. To summarise, this chapter warns of judgment and promises restoration for Jerusalem, addressed poetically as “Ariel”. Because of the city’s pride and religious hypocrisy—honouring God with their lips while their hearts remain far away—God will humble them through an enemy siege. However, He will suddenly scatter these foreign attackers like a fading dream. The chapter condemns the people’s spiritual blindness and their foolish attempt to hide plans from their Creator, like clay questioning the potter. Ultimately, God promises a miraculous reversal where the blind see, the deaf hear, and the humble rejoice in total restoration. But in the process, those who pervert the course of justice and who tell lies “will disappear”. In summary, this chapter reads almost like a fairy story, where good prevails over evil in the last act, and everyone lives happily ever after. 

However, in our verses today, the “people of Israel” were frightened and worried about what would happen, even to the extent of turning “pale with fear”, but they would be ashamed of their behaviour no more, because they would “recognise the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob” in the day when the Lord brought salvation to His people. How would this be confirmed to them? Through their many children and the blessings the Lord had given them. At last, they would recognise God for who He is, after a period of apostasy and neglect of their special relationship. Finally, we find that those who had rejected God, the “wayward” and the “complainers”, would humbly accept that they were wrong, gaining understanding and instruction in the process. 

Perhaps we pilgrims can take a step back today and think once more of the many blessings God has poured out upon us. Paul starts his Ephesian epistle with, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ“. The next verses continue, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding” (Ephesians 1:3-8). Our salvation through Jesus is the ultimate blessing, surpassing anything we can find in this world. We appropriate it by faith, as did the saints of old who died before they could see this blessing in reality. Hebrews 11:13, 39, “All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. … All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised“. We will not necessarily experience the reality of our salvation in this life, but we certainly will in the life to come. 

But God has provided many other blessings for us in our lives now. In Philippians 4:19 we read Paul’s words, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus”. Are we finding ourselves in a place of need today? Then we have the opportunity to reach out to God because He promised to supply all our needs (not wants). Jesus had previously said, “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:31-33). And perhaps we need to look at what we have and remember what James wrote, “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession” (James 1:17-18). 

Today, we pilgrims stand with the Israelites, recognising “the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob“. And more, we “will stand in awe of the God of Israel“. Where are we standing today? On shifting sand? Or on the Rock that is never shaken. World systems will come and go, and people will rise and fall with them. With the Psalmist, David, we declare, “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken” (Psalm 62:2). 

Dear Loving Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your many and limitless blessings. Forgive us for the times when we have failed to acknowledge Your goodness to us. We worship You today. Amen.

Living “In This Day” in Light of “In That Day”

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Mother and child beside a lake beneath a giant tree and starry sky

Isaiah 29:18-21 NLT

18 In that day the deaf will hear words read from a book,
    and the blind will see through the gloom and darkness.
19 The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord.
    The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 The scoffer will be gone,
    the arrogant will disappear,
    and those who plot evil will be killed.
21 Those who convict the innocent
    by their false testimony will disappear.
A similar fate awaits those who use trickery to pervert justice
    and who tell lies to destroy the innocent.

“In that day“, there are things that will happen for the better. Good prevails and evil will be defeated. The perfect end to the millennial years of oppression by the devil on the people of this world. Sin began with a simple conversation between the “serpent” and Eve about fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God’s command was simple and was the only restriction placed on our ancestors, but they violated it and sin entered the world. Paul wrote, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned” (Romans 5:12). But Jesus came to start a revolution, so that people would not be oppressed by the devil any more. Hebrews 2:14-15: “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying“. Back to Paul again, “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him” (Romans 6:6-8). Romans 8:2: “And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death“. And so, “in that day”, the fruit of the foundations laid by Jesus will result in life with God, free from evil, from evil both in human terms and in God’s creation. We also know that Jesus has won the battle ” …against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). As His foot soldiers, we declare His name over the situations we encounter, in faith that His Kingdom will prevail over evil.

As we read from our verses from Isaiah this morning, the people who are oppressed through blindness, deafness and poverty will find “”fresh joy from the Lord”. They may never have experienced anything like it before, but through God’s grace, and in all humility, they will know and understand, and “rejoice in the Holy One of Israel“. But as they look around them in the new world of what they are now a part, they find some things are missing. The “scoffers” and the “arrogant” won’t be around anymore. Neither will “those who plot evil”. Truly, “in that day” the environment for God’s people will be a wonderful place. Imagine a world without the evil behaviour that blights our societies. People being kind to each other. No strange ideologies that bring strife and anger. No need for a police force or armed forces. No wars are going on, driven by evil men chasing a devil-inspired and deluded goal, plotting evil on an industrial, or even global, scale. Where will all the scoffers, evil plotters, and arrogant people be? Revelation 21:8, “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death”. And over the page we read, “No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads” (Revelation 22:3-4). Truly, life will be beyond good “in that day”. 

But what about us pilgrims “in [this] day”? Are we hunkered down, trying to avoid evil plotters, the arrogant, and the scoffers? Trying to keep our heads below the parapets of life, in case we become tainted by the mayhem around us? Perhaps scared witless by news reports of wars, or prophecies of economic doom, or a world overtaken and destroyed by artificial intelligence? That is no place for a child of God. A day will come when we will enjoy the place Jesus is preparing for us (John 14), but in the meantime, we have work to do. We mustn’t forget that we are on the winning side in the battle against the enemy and all his dark forces. In Romans 6:13 we read, “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armour so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm“. We are equipped for a battle now. In this life. So that we can hold the line and do our bit to usher in the Kingdom of God. Luke 17:20-21, “One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you““. This scripture identifies Jesus as being among us. He is the power of God, active now wherever people let Jesus rule their hearts, love others, and obey His truth. And who else is there to remind the world around us of this fact, if not us pilgrims? Paul wrote to the Philippians, and to us as well by inference, “for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now”(Philippians 1:5). Are we indeed spreading this Good News? It doesn’t mean standing on a corner in the High Street handing out tracts or John’s Gospels, although we may be called to do this. Being “salt and light” among our families and friends will allow the Holy Spirit to bring conviction of sin, as ” … we let our good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise our heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16). 

We pilgrims are living in the shadow of “in that day”. We have an enormous opportunity to live in the Kingdom of God day by day now, knowing what is to come. Most of us do not even start to tap into the power available to us in this Kingdom. What did Paul mean when he wrote, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20)? What are we asking or thinking today? Do we let our imaginations run riot, believing we have the power within us to make things happen? This is a good question to ask God in our prayers this morning. He will answer in a way that might surprise us.

Dear Lord Jesus. Resource us for the battle of life, as we proclaim the Good News about You and Your Kingdom. As we raise the standard, declaring victory over the evil one, we pray for protection over ourselves, our family, and our friends. May we find good “soil” in which we can plant Gospel seeds “in this day”, so that “in that day” can be brought ever closer. Lead us and guide us, we pray; in Your precious name we ask. Amen.

Isaiah 29:17-19 Insights: Finding Joy in Spiritual Renewal

Posted on by Adrian Clark

Isaiah 29:17-19 NLT

17 Soon—and it will not be very long—
    the forests of Lebanon will become a fertile field,
    and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops.
18 In that day the deaf will hear words read from a book,
    and the blind will see through the gloom and darkness.
19 The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord.
    The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Deaf and blind, and poor. Words that describe people who are handicapped in some way by their physical challenges or their circumstances in life. For people living their lives unable to hear what is happening around them, or see the wonders of the world in which we live, it is for them to miss out on God’s plan for His creation. But in verse 18 of today’s reading, the implication is spiritual deafness and blindness. In a previous verse, we read that a spiritual darkness had fallen over the “prophets and visionaries”, stopping their abilities to read from the “book” of Isaiah’s oracles and prophecies. But there is a day coming for the Jewish people, “soon”, when something will change. When the people will be able to see and hear again what God has for them. They will do this with all humility, and “fresh joy from the Lord” will be their reward. And the poor people, who in those ancient times were so suppressed and mistreated, would rejoice once again “in the Holy One of Israel”. 

When will all this happen? Verse 18 records it will be “in that day”. But can we fix the time, past, present or future, a little closer? Some scholars tie the immediate context to the deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian siege under King Hezekiah (around 701 BCE), viewing “that day” as the subsequent relief and spiritual recovery of Judah. Many Christian commentators see the opening of blind eyes and deaf ears in verse 18 as finding its ultimate fulfilment in the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ and the dawn of the New Covenant. Other traditions view it as a yet-future end-times event when God will finally judge the ruthless, vindicate the humble, and restore Israel. So there we have it, three possibilities. But then, they could all be correct, and the truth will be revealed when history is finally sealed, on the day of a fresh start with the New Heaven and the New Earth. 

What changed for the people of Isaiah’s day, hearing the words that he had written? The same thing that changed for us pilgrims. We, spiritually blind and deaf people without a future and a hope, one day crossed from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light, God’s Kingdom. We may have been full of ourselves, proud and arrogant, “self-made”, with enough to live on, when we received a vision of the resurrected Jesus, as His truth penetrated  “through the gloom and darkness” in our souls. “In that day” we were freed from our deafness and blindness, a fertile ground for growth in the Kingdom, rejoicing in all that the Lord has done for us. Pride replaced with humility, poverty of spirit replaced with unlimited riches in God. In the Beatitudes, Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven“. We pilgrims are citizens of a new Kingdom where we live to reflect heavenly values rather than worldly customs. We are a countercultural people who value selflessness, purity, and forgiveness over pride, greed, and retaliation. We influence the surrounding culture positively through a distinct commitment to God’s truth. We measure success and security by eternal significance rather than temporary material wealth. But above all, we place Jesus as the Lord of our choices, aligning our personal ambitions with His purpose.

Our new life in God’s Kingdom will change how we live, how we behave, and how we look. The Psalmist David wrote, “So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!” One of the features of a true Christian is the joy that is within them. I can remember some years ago I went for a walk through the Greenwich Tunnel, a walkway under the River Thames in London. I was walking against the flow of the people coming from the Isle of Dogs, but I was struck by the miserable, drawn and hopeless expressions on the faces of the commuters. No joy, not even hidden within them. But it made me think about the expression on my own face. Was it just like everyone else’s, or was it reflecting the joy of the Lord within? Perhaps sometimes we should tell our faces to lighten up and show an expression that makes us different from the misery and hopelessness in the people around us. 

Perhaps today we should pray for the “fresh joy from the Lord” to fill us once again, not “in that day”, but in this day. Right now. Peter wrote, “ … you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light”. With His Spirit within us, are we reflecting “His wonderful light?. Hmmm…

Dear Lord Jesus. You came to this world to save it from the consequences of its sins. Please forgive us, Lord, for the sins we have committed and fill us again with Your Spirit, resourcing us for the day ahead. We know many around us are full of hopelessness and pain, and we pray for opportunities to share Your life-changing, eternal words with them. Please help us today reflect the joy within us, illuminating the lives of those around us, those we meet, and our families and friends. In Your precious name. Amen.

The Potter and Clay: A Spiritual Reflection

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Potter shaping a clay vessel on a wheel in a sunlit studio

Isaiah 29:15-16 NLT

15 What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord,
    who do their evil deeds in the dark!
“The Lord can’t see us,” they say.
    “He doesn’t know what’s going on!”
16 How foolish can you be?
    He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay!
Should the created thing say of the one who made it,
    “He didn’t make me”?
Does a jar ever say,
    “The potter who made me is stupid”?

Are we pilgrims ever guilty of trying to hide what we are doing from the Lord? Perhaps our minds block out thoughts of the Lord when we make decisions or plan a course of action. Perhaps we find ourselves reaping the fruits of evil “seeds” we planted in the past, or living with the results of wrong decisions. There is many a man having to live with the consequences of a child born out of a permanent relationship, for example. But even in small things, are we consulting the Lord about what we should do, or are we going the way of our selfish desires? The decisions we make in life should be influenced by the godly lifestyles that we lead, and we should listen to the Holy Spirit’s prompting when we are at a life junction. Perhaps we can imagine a signpost saying “This way will lead to evil” in one direction, and “This way is God’s way” in the other. There is a Proverb that reads, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death”(Proverbs 14:12). Human logic, desires, and cultural norms often make certain choices feel completely correct, safe, or justified, but relying solely on our own understanding can lead us down a destructive path. Human perspective is limited, but God is all-seeing and all-knowing. Proverbs 15:3, “The LORD is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good”. The writer of the Hebrews epistle wrote, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable” (Hebrews 4:13). Quite simply, when decisions have to be made, then we must look beyond immediate satisfaction and seek God and His perspective and wisdom rather than trusting only our own instincts. 

In our verses today from Isaiah, it seems that there were people in Judah who tried to hide what they were doing from God, in the hope that He would be looking the other way, or would be ignoring what they were doing. How did they reach that mindset? Probably because God’s judgment is mostly delayed. He doesn’t “zap” us the minute we do something wrong, thankfully, but He instead gently leads us back onto the right path, perhaps through a Bible verse, or a word of encouragement or correction from the minister or pastor, or a trusted friend. But the people in Judah had become deaf to God’s corrections, probably because everyone else had become deaf as well, even the religious leaders. What hope is there for a child of God if their pastor and everyone else is walking in sin, following the path of evil, themselves? But it wasn’t all a hopeless situation because prophets such as Isaiah were crying out the ways of salvation, sharing God’s heart with a people “who do their evil deeds in the dark”. Did some listen? Probably, because we know that God always has a generational remnant who are faithful to Him.

Isaiah goes on to use a great analogy of a potter and a lump of clay. The potter sits at his wheel, picks up a lump of clay, and forms it into something useful. Before his creative work, the lump of clay is good for nothing, but with a skilled potter, he can turn it into a beautiful vessel, expressing his artistic gifts in his creation. But the vessel itself has been created and cannot turn round and criticise its creator. If necessary, the potter can look at what he has made, decide it isn’t what he wanted, and crush it back into a lump before trying again. The potter provides a great picture of our Creator God, who uniquely creates every person who has ever been born. The Psalmist, David, wrote, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous—how well I know it” (Psalm 139:13-14). The analogy ends when we compare the wondrous complexity of a human being with a vessel made from clay. Jeremiah wrote, “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand” (Jeremiah 18:6). It was stupid of the created beings, the people of Israel and Judah, to think they could turn around to the One who created them and say that He got it all wrong. And to even deny that God made them at all is surely the greatest sin. It is sad today that evolution is the dominant ideology, one that maintains that human beings have happened by chance. We pilgrims are in the midst of a people who deny that God created them, or anything else in the natural world around them. How will God deal with these people, the created vessels of “clay”, when they stand before Him? In the same way that the potter deals with a vessel that hasn’t become what he wanted it to be. 

Thankfully, our Creator Potter has put a plan in place so imperfect “pots” can be transformed into the very vessels He created them to be in the first place. God has taken flawed human beings and, through Jesus, cleaned up their lives, refining them to be worthy to be called His children. John wrote, “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God” (John 1:12-13). God is in the recycling business, giving all who believe in Him the opportunity to be transformed into the beautiful people He designed from the start. Sin corrupted the vessels into useless pots unsuitable for any purpose in God’s Kingdom. And so they will end up on the rubbish heap with all the rest of the broken pots. It will be no good for them to say things like, “the potter who made me is stupid” because it will not be in their capability to change themselves into something beautiful. People cannot save themselves. In Paul’s letter to Titus, we read, ” … When God our Saviour revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4-5). God takes the broken pot and makes it into something new and wonderful, a person suitable for being called one of His children. 

So today, fellow pilgrim “pots”, what are we saying to the Master Potter, God Himself? Perhaps a thought to reflect on in the day ahead.

Dear Father God. We declare today that we want to be the vessel that You have designed us to be. With the words of the old hymn, we pray, “Spirit of the Living God / Fall afresh on me / Melt me mould me / Fill me use me / Spirit of the Living God / Fall afresh on me.” Amen.

Understanding the Hypocrisy of the Pharisees

Posted on by Adrian Clark

Isaiah 29:13-15 NLT

13 And so the Lord says,
    “These people say they are mine.
They honour me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
And their worship of me
    is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.
14 Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites
    with amazing wonders.
The wisdom of the wise will pass away,
    and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”
15 What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord,
    who do their evil deeds in the dark!
“The Lord can’t see us,” they say.
    “He doesn’t know what’s going on!”

In Mark 7:1, we read, “One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus”. What did they want? Well, they wanted to check Jesus out in His observance of the Jewish laws and rituals, and in this visit, the Pharisees were concerned about the washing of hands before a meal. With some helpful information, Mark described the problem: “The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions”. Tradition was the driving force behind their ritual, not anything to do with hygiene. Jesus used this encounter to point out the words in our reading today concerning “man-made rules learned by rote”. He said to them,  ” … You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition” (Mark 7:6-8). 

Don’t we human beings love tradition? It has the familiarity of an old slipper or favourite jumper. We lapse into behaviours that boost our well-being, like travelling a well-worn groove, and we even say we are in a bit of a rut. But with Jesus around, the status quo was constantly challenged because no one knew what He would do next. The Pharisees certainly didn’t expect Him to rubbish their rules and regulations that had been in place for centuries. I suppose they never bothered to check what they did against God’s Word, just to make sure they were doing what He commanded. But some traditions are important, traditions like going to a Sunday morning meeting in church. Or prioritising a Tuesday evening prayer meeting over something on television. Traditions like reading God’s Word every day and setting aside time for personal prayer. Such traditions are positive, but they can become something done by rote, lacking any spiritual life or connection with God, if we are not careful. I remember a time when I attended a Church of England, going through the motions of the liturgy but failing to find any life within it. It was just something I had done ever since I started going to church as a small boy with my parents. Paul wrote to Timothy, “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. …  They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” (2 Timothy 3:1-2, 5). And James 1:22: “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves“. 

Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites. They were acting out their Jewish religion, but didn’t really believe it. In the middle of the woes to the Pharisees chapter (Matthew 23), we find, “What sorrow awaits you, teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness”(Matthew 23:27-28). ‭‭Did they take Jesus’ accusations to heart? I don’t think they did, because in His trial, the religious leaders, a group that included the Pharisees, called for His death. Jesus rejected their traditions, but He didn’t propose abandoning the Mosaic Law. He said, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose” (Matthew 5:17). And a few verses later, He is recorded as saying, “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”

But we pilgrims need to note that we are not made righteous by Pharisaical devotion and dedication to applying the Law in our lives, right down to tithing from our herb garden. Paul wrote, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:22-24). And to the Corinthians Paul wrote, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). There is only one way to Heaven, and that is through Jesus, as He said, “ … I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). That path was open to the Pharisees if they repented of their hypocrisy and sins, but I suspect not many did, as they preferred their cosy lives in charge of Israel’s religious system rather than face the fury of their peers and loss of their status, should they renounce all to follow Jesus. The path to righteousness in God’s sight is open to all mankind, but most in our Western societies have chosen the broad way that leads to destruction. And so we always look for an opportunity to help the spiritually blind to find the narrow gate that leads to life, eternal life with Jesus.

Dear Lord Jesus. Please lead us to the harvest of souls that are ready and waiting for an introduction to Your Kingdom. Thank You for coming to this world, bringing a “way back to God from the dark paths of sin”. We praise and worship You today. Amen.

The Sealed Book: Understanding Isaiah 29

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Quill resting on handwritten parchment beside ink and a candle

“For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and visionaries. All the future events in this vision are like a sealed book to them. When you give it to those who can read, they will say, “We can’t read it because it is sealed.” When you give it to those who cannot read, they will say, “We don’t know how to read.””
Isaiah 29:10-12 NLT

Reading is a fundamental, even ubiquitous, skill in Western countries. The school system soon teaches children to read, sometimes as early as their primary years. For many, like my daughter, a love of books has been with them ever since. Fellow pilgrims will be using their reading ability this morning to read this blog. But it was a tragedy to read a recent news report that primary school teachers are having to visit secondary schools here in the UK to help some children with their reading. A growing cohort of children do not seem to want to learn, and they do what they can to disrupt their own and their fellow students’ opportunities. Very few sanctions seem to work. Thankfully, our schools still seem able to turn out children with at least the ability to read.

Words communicate so much, and there are many different ways this communication can happen. We have books, journals, newspapers, letters, and so on, all printed on paper. Increasingly, the screens on our phones, tablets, or computers have become the visual medium. But in all cases, the written words form the basis for the ideas and information that need to be communicated. 

In our verses today, Isaiah sees a time coming when the ideas God is communicating cannot be read. A “spirit of deep sleep” will prevent the “prophets and visionaries” from “seeing” what He wants to communicate. As a result, the rest of Isaiah’s vision is to be “like a sealed book”. Imagine we are given a book covered in fabric or film that keeps us from opening it. We might have access to the title on the front cover, or a few words about the author on the back. But what is written inside is totally invisible and cannot be read. Isaiah wrote that some of the “prophets and visionaries” could read. Give them a book of their day, for example, a scroll or tablet, and they could read what was written on it, but the vision that Isaiah had was sealed from their gaze, and they were unable to read its contents. But then there were some who couldn’t read anything, it seems, and, sealed or not, the vision written down was invisible to them. Just a few squiggles of ink written on a parchment or scroll, incomprehensible and useless.

Jeremiah was instructed by God to write for a specific purpose: “Get a scroll, and write down all my messages against Israel, Judah, and the other nations. Begin with the first message back in the days of Josiah, and write down every message, right up to the present time. Perhaps the people of Judah will repent when they hear again all the terrible things I have planned for them. Then I will be able to forgive their sins and wrongdoings” (Jeremiah 36:2-3). These were not messages to be sealed up, but warnings about what would happen to the people if they failed to obey the messages he had written. We are very grateful to Luke, who “decided to write an accurate account for you, most honourable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught” (Luke 1:3-4). Because of his diligence in documenting everything that happened in those days concerning Jesus and the Way, we have the Gospel of Luke, the Book of Acts, and probably his help in some of the Epistles. 

But the Books that really matter are referred to in Revelation 20. In verse 12 we read, “I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books”. Everything a person has done throughout their life will be written down, and one day the books recording it will be opened for all to see. In human terms, that would be a huge book. There used to be a television programme called “This Is Your Life”, and the presenter had a red book containing highlights, the good bits, from the person’s life, which were later played in front of an audience and the television cameras, with the help of family members or friends. But God’s book for that person will contain not only the highlights but also the lowlights. The contents will be painful to relive. Memories long forgotten will be revived. Sinful actions will be exposed. And all this will take place before a vast crowd of witnesses, “the dead, both great and small“.

Thankfully for us pilgrims, another book will be opened: the Lamb’s Book of Life, and we find that “ ... anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). In the previous verse, we find that the “lake of fire” is the second death for those who have refused to believe in Jesus. It makes me shudder to think that after someone has passed away and crossed the Great Divide, only to find themselves in the Place of the Dead, Sheol, or Hades, they will remain there until they stand before the Judge sitting on the Great White Throne, as He replays their life before countless witnesses. After this, they will be “thrown into the lake of fire“. I have sometimes reflected on the word “thrown“. Why did that have to happen? Because the “lake of fire” was a place they didn’t want to go; no amount of struggling or pleading would be allowed to prevent their incarceration in hell.

But let’s think for a moment about the Lamb’s Book of Life. This is a divine register in which the names of all who are redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ are written. It emphasises that those whose names are recorded in this book are granted eternal life and need not fear judgement. At the moment we believed in Jesus, our redemption was followed by a Heavenly pen making an entry in the Book of Life. Our names will be written there. But can they be removed? Revelation 3:5, “All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine“. The implication of this verse is that those who are not victorious are in danger of seeing God take His Heavenly eraser and remove their name. This conclusion does not sit easily with those who believe “Once Saved Always Saved”, but if someone turns their back on God and renounces their salvation and the redeeming work of Jesus, would God not have to grant them the consequences of their choice? But we blood-bought pilgrims, believers and overcomers through our faith in Jesus, have nothing to fear. Our names are indelibly written in a place that matters.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You that our favourite Book is not sealed away from our gaze and understanding. Within it we find Your gracious words of salvation and eternal life through Your Son, Jesus. Keep us close to You, we pray, this day and every day. Amen.

Understanding Dreams and Visions in Faith

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Glowing blue and orange energy ribbons swirling through ancient arched ruins

“All the nations fighting against Jerusalem will vanish like a dream! Those who are attacking her walls will vanish like a vision in the night. A hungry person dreams of eating but wakes up still hungry. A thirsty person dreams of drinking but is still faint from thirst when morning comes. So it will be with your enemies, with those who attack Mount Zion.” Are you amazed and incredulous? Don’t you believe it? Then go ahead and be blind. You are stupid, but not from wine! You stagger, but not from liquor!”
Isaiah 29:7-9 NLT

Visions or dreams? What goes on in our minds when we sleep at night? Sometimes we wake up with no recollection of a nighttime event. At other times, we wake up exhausted by the imaginary events that took place. Sometimes our dreams connect to something that happened the day before. But mostly, our subconscious mind sorts itself out. According to experts, dreams are mental, emotional, or sensory experiences that occur primarily during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, when brain activity is nearly as high as when awake, but the body is temporarily paralysed to prevent us from acting out our dreams. They help integrate recent experiences with past memories, strengthening learning and skill retention. Sometimes they allow the brain to process emotions, reduce stress, and work through unresolved feelings, which may explain why nightmares often reflect anxiety or trauma. But whatever, dreams are part of our sleeping experiences and often the subject of conversation the next day, starting with “I had a funny/scary/strange dream last night. I was in a …”. I’m sure we can all add our own experiences.

But would we recognise it if we had a vision? After Paul’s encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, we read what happened next. “Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied” (Acts 9:10). Many years before “ … the boy Samuel served the LORD by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the LORD were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon”. Reading on, “Suddenly the LORD called out, “Samuel!” “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?”” (two verses from 1 Samuel 3). Even earlier, we read, “Some time later, the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great ‘” (Genesis 15:1). My favourite visionary account has to be in Isaiah 6:1, “It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple“. To these people, three men and a boy, God appeared, visually or audibly, in a clear and indisputable way. There was no doubt that it was God speaking. But what else must have been present in these lives? There was present a close relationship with God. Otherwise, the vision would have been missed, or ignored or even denied. Perhaps the portion of cheese eaten for supper the night before would have been blamed. Or our minds would have rationalised the experience away. Where would Paul have been if Ananias hadn’t been obedient to the vision? What would have happened with Isaiah’s ministry if he shut his eyes to the amazing vision of God unfolding before him in the Temple?

In his Day of Pentecost sermon Peter quoted the prophet Joel when he said, “‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams'” (Acts 2:17). We note three things from this verse. Firstly, in these last days, God’s Spirit will be poured out on everyone. The Holy Spirit is no longer limited to prophets, priests, or kings. Instead, it is poured out on all people, meaning every believer, regardless of age, gender, or social status, can experience God’s presence and empowerment. There would not just be occasional and rare visitations on particular men for a particular purpose. All of us pilgrims have had an experience of God’s Spirit being poured out becaise we have been Baptised in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5, “Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptised with water, but in just a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit”“). Secondly, God communicates with His people in three ways: by prophesy, through visions and through dreams. These gifts symbolise a deeper spiritual awakening, hope, and purpose in believers’ lives. Thirdly, Acts 2:17 emphasizes that the Spirit’s outpouring is an invitation for believers to participate in God’s plan. It encourages faith, boldness, and active engagement in spreading the gospel, reflecting a shift from selective Spirit-giving to universal access. We pilgrims today are called to seek the Holy Spirit for guidance, empowerment, and spiritual gifts, and to continually pray for an infilling with the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote, “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). And in all this, we remember, Acts 2:17 reminds Christians that spiritual gifts are meant for service, encouragement, and building God’s kingdom, not personal gain.

Visions or dreams? Manifestations to the young or old? In faith, we ask God for more of His Spirit in our lives because we need Him and His perspective as we navigate this bad and sad world in which we live.

Dear Heavenly Father. Fill us afresh with Your Spirit today, not for our gain but for Your glory. Empowered we can realise what Paul wrote, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think”. Help us to think and act outside the “box” so that we can accomplish great things for You. Amen.


Understanding Isaiah: Voices from the Grave

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Golden wispy light rising from a cracked rocky landscape beneath dark clouds

“Then deep from the earth you will speak; from low in the dust your words will come. Your voice will whisper from the ground like a ghost conjured up from the grave. But suddenly, your ruthless enemies will be crushed like the finest of dust. Your many attackers will be driven away like chaff before the wind. Suddenly, in an instant, I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, will act for you with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and storm and consuming fire.”
Isaiah 29:4-6 NLT

I love Isaiah’s very descriptive language. The first verse of our reading this morning speaks to me of a people destroyed by the armies that surrounded them and realising at last the extent of their sin. Their bodies destroyed, but their spirits living on and crying out to God to save them. They cry out from the “dust”, their voices sounding like the ghostly whispers from another world. But to be true, that is where they are, their souls wandering around in the afterlife somewhere. Hebrew thought about the afterlife was complex, initially being that all departed souls ended up in Sheol, good and bad alike. But during the time of the exile, a new thought emerged: that perhaps there was a resurrection of the dead coming. But there were one or two Scriptural hints in the Old Testament before then. In Ecclesiastes 3:11 we read, “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end”. Moses’ thoughts after the death of Abraham can be found in Genesis 25:7-8, “Abraham lived for 175 years, and he died at a ripe old age, having lived a long and satisfying life. He breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death”. But clarity emerged with Jesus when He said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am”. But before He said that, we know so clearly His explanation to Nicodemus: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved”. From Sheol to Heaven took the Hebrews on quite a journey. But why should they be surprised? “Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:26-27). God is eternal, so is it too much of an extrapolation to think that His original intention was to make man eternal as well? 

Luke 16 tells the story of a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus, and He narrated it to a group of Pharisees. Some translations call it a parable, but it is unlike the rest, and some biblical scholars believe the story Jesus told them was more fact than a story made up to make a point. The thrust of the story was that the poor man, Lazarus, “ … died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side”. This was consistent with what Jesus said to Nicodemus, “that whoever believes in [Jesus] should not perish but have everlasting life”. There is a clear distinction between eternal life with Jesus and eternal life perishing. So, Jesus blew away any doubts about the afterlife and set the choice of which of the two places available firmly in the hands of mankind.

In the Rich Man and Lazarus story, the Rich Man in hell was able to communicate with Abraham in Heaven. Why Abraham? Because Jesus knew the thoughts of the Pharisees, that they believed their ancestry, grounded right back in Abraham, would lead to their salvation, assuring them a place in Heaven. So back in our verses from Isaiah today we read about the whispers calling out to God from the grave. And the amazing thing is that God heard them, despite their rejection of Him in their lives before the Great Divide. He answered their prayers and as we read on we find that God’s reply was that “your ruthless enemies will be crushed like the finest of dust. Your many attackers will be driven away like chaff before the wind”. 

As we pilgrims reflect on the words of Jesus, we have an assurance that our souls will be with Him in Heaven one day. What will our new home be like, we wonder? What will it be like, joining the beggar and Abraham at the Heavenly banquet? We don’t know, of course, but can we feel a rise in our spirits at the thought of what is to come? Or are we unsure, fearful of the place where the Rich Man is in torment, but unsure as to our worthiness for eternal life with Jesus? Through faith in Jesus’ promises, we know where our eternal home will be; one thing is certain: we will not be calling out to God from the dust of the grave, bitterly regretful that we missed the eternal life Jesus promised. There will be many calling out, like the Rich Man, from the place of torment, finding that it is too late to change their minds.

Dear Father God. The grave is a terrible place to be for those who don’t know Jesus. But we know that You want no one to perish there in a place of torment. Please help us to plant Gospel seeds in the hearts of those who don’t know You, so that they will find salvation. Please enlarge our vision so that we can see the people around us through Your eyes. Please grant us words of knowledge so that we can speak out words of faith. And we pray all this for Your sake. Amen.