ZPCBlog

About the author: ZPC missionaries Josh and Kelsey will be celebrating 6 years in a country in the Middle East in January! Their time overseas has had a lot of different seasons–the first two years were difficult and full of cultural and identity adjustment, the second full of loss and security issues, with many of their friends being kicked out of the country and a few going to prison. These last two years have been really incredible. The most difficult season yet, but so full. They both have careers in country (Josh as a personal trainer and Kelsey as an adventure guide, taking girl groups hiking), and are connected with an underground gathering that has been baptizing new, local believers regularly and growing through persecution and demonic opposition. They have loved getting to walk with new believers and watching them fall in love with Jesus and his Word in front of their eyes. It has made their faiths grow, made them trust God more, appreciate their personal access to his Word, and made them love his community of believers. They’ve had opportunities to be bold in sharing their faith and God has been at work in the hearts of their friends. Their jobs provide them access to new people and a visa to stay in country. They don't know how long they’ll be able to be in the Middle East because the government has a habit of booting people around year 8. But for now, they are loving what God is doing and what they get to be a part of.

Josh and Kelsey will be visiting ZPC on Sunday, Dec 4. You can catch up with them at 4 pm in Room 202.

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign, look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel. 

Isaiah 7:14

If you look at the surrounding verses of Isaiah 7:14 (today's scripture), you will see an interesting setting for this prophecy. Isaiah 7 starts with God sending Isaiah to King Ahaz to share with him about what will happen with Judah and the surrounding nations. Then the Lord offers to confirm this with any sign that King Ahaz requests. Ahaz responds in verse 12, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” I read through Isaiah 7 and Ahaz’s response and thought, “Wow, solid answer, and even biblically correct.” I mean, Jesus quotes an Old Testament passage from Deuteronomy when he says in Matthew 4:7, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” However, if you read Isaiah’s response to what Ahaz said it seems that the king said something wrong. Matthew Henry lets us in on a little secret in his commentary. He explains, “He [King Ahaz] would not ask a sign for the confirming of his faith because he resolved to persist in his unbelief, and would indulge his doubts and distrusts; yet he pretends a pious reason: I will not tempt the Lord; as if it would be a tempting of God to do that which God himself invited and directed him to do.”

King Ahaz doesn’t believe what God has communicated through Isaiah, and he knows he is planning on sitting in that doubt. Now Isaiah’s strong response in verse 13 makes more sense. And then comes the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14:

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

These words were given to Isaiah from God and then spoken from the prophet’s mouth to the then King of Judah. The fulfillment of this prophecy was to be a sign and flew in the face of the doubt and unbelief that Ahaz was experiencing. And yet even today, the words of this prophecy and the birth of Jesus by the virgin Mary continue to be the answer to our doubt, unbelief, pain, hurt, and loss. 

Immanuel, God with us, that is his Name. Doesn’t that make all the difference when we are facing uncertainty or maybe even wanting to sit in our doubt? If we are his follower, then even today he is with us through the Holy Spirit.

Let’s invite God into this moment:

Holy Spirit, would you come in this moment and speak to us. Would you give us peace in the painful places in our lives. Would you speak to us about places of doubt or unbelief in our hearts. Thank you that you live in us. Thank you, Jesus, for humbling yourself and coming to be near us as a child. And God, thank you that you promise to never leave us nor forsake us. Thank you for the hope we have in you! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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