Some may know and some may not know but I work at a funeral home. While it can be an eye opening experience, but it also is a blessing because I get to help and minister to families who are going through a difficult season in their lives. One thing that I often hear as I work a service or anything else of that nature is “Why did they have to die?” In other words, they were asking the why behind the what. One thing that I have learned is that death is inevitable. We cannot escape it. It is going to happen sooner or later or when God calls us home. What we need to understand is that everything happens for a reason within a season (Ecclesiasties 3:1) and that we called by God according to His purpose for us (Romans 8:28).
In today’s passage from Isaiah 57:1-13, the prophet is talking about the idea that evil leaders will be rebuked. In the first two verses, it talks about how the godly or the good people would pass away or die before their time. Part B of verse 1 says that God is protecting them from the evil which is to come. How interesting is that? In other words, God calls us home so that He will protect us from what is going to happen on earth. It goes back to what was mentioned earlier: everything happens for a reason. In verses 3 following to verse 13, it speaks about how idolatrous worship will be condemned. It is interesting how the wording is laid out for us in verse 13 where Isaiah says “Let’s see if your idols can save you when you cry to them for help. Why, a puff of wind can knock them down! If you just breathe on them, they fall over! But whoever trusts in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.” What’s unfortunate is that people are turning to other things for their source of salvation. While people turn towards those things, we need to understand that man made things last for a temporary period of time. God’s love and salvation lasts for eternity. According to the Bible, there are two things that will last forever: the word of God (Isaiah 40:8) and people (those who will live forever, either with God or apart from Him) (Matthew 25:46). While things may bring fulfilling and nourishment, only the love and grave and goodness of God will last for eternity.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank You for your love. Without Your love, I don’t know where we will be. Help us to receive nourishment from You and fulfillment from You and You alone. We know that the enemy is trying to rob us and steal and destroy (John 10:10), but we ask for Your help to keep us filled with Your wisdom, goodness, love, and strength. We recognize that we are human and we do make mistakes, however, we ask that You help us to learn from our mistakes.
In Jesus name, Amen