Look up for hope
December 2, 2020 | Cynthia McCall
About the author: Cynthia McCall is married to Brian McCall. They have four grown children, two of whom are married, with one grandchild and another on the way!! This is Cynthia, Brian, son, Zach, his wife, Alex and baby, Max. Cynthia is currently in her second year of seminary.
Based on: Isaiah 2:1-5; Revelation 21:4, 10-11, 23
When I heard Jerry’s meditation challenge, I immediately flashed back to 1997 when I was dealing with depression and saw a counselor. The first assignment was this, “For the next week, I want you to sit for five minutes, every day, and contemplate how much God loves you.” At that point in my life, I could not imagine, even for a second, that God loved anything about me. That five minutes was excruciatingly long. I finally started praying something like, “Lord, I can’t imagine you love me. If you do, help me to know it.” Journaling wasn’t my “thing” either, but something changed. I can’t say how it happened. Over the years, day in and day out, God lovingly and faithfully healed my heart. Imperceptibly, five minutes stretched to ten; to fifteen; to thirty; to a desire to spend whatever time I could with my Daddy, God, who loves me dearly and wants to spend time with me.
I learned how to minimize distractions.
- Find a quiet moment in the day.
- Find a quiet spot (maybe the car).
- Turn off my phone ringer.
- Have a piece of paper handy to write down thoughts that need to be remembered.
- Use a Bible reading plan or devotional to focus.
- Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal truth, protect the time and protect family.
As I read Isaiah 2:1-5 and the scriptures on either side, I realized that this is a picture of hope in the midst of bleakness. Israel had sinned. There was judgement coming. Life was not going to be easy for them. And right in the middle of this really harsh reality, God drops in promises for the future. Notice the eleven times God uses the word “will.” (NIV). God’s not saying, “I might,” or “if.” He says he “WILL” do all these wonderful things. Verse 2 says, “In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains…and all nations will stream to it.” (emphasis mine). Verse 5 says, “Come,…let us walk in the light of the LORD.” I thought of Revelation 21. The Apostle John is recounting a vision from the Lord. Verses 10-11 say, “And he [an angel] carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God….” And 23 says, “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” As if this isn’t enough, the Isaiah passage says in verse 4b, “Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (emphasis mine). Revelation 21:4 says, “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (emphasis mine).
If you haven’t realized it yet, these hope-filled promises were not just for the Israelites in Isaiah’s day. These promises of hope are for us as well. We may go through bleak times (i.e. pandemics, discipline for sin, depression, health issues, loneliness, etc.). Look up. Look up to the “mountain of the LORD.” He is always near. He will help you keep going, day in and day out. Enjoy this great song from Lauren Daigle, “Look Up Child.”