The message that is given to us from the Prophet Isaiah this morning is one of great hope. He’s not only talking about the restoration of the people of Israel from captivity and exile in Babylon, but he is speaking to them about the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah is trying to instill this sense of hope in the Chosen People of God that they have not been abandoned, that God had not forgotten them. They will soon see their vindication.

The coming of the Messiah was not something that should have frightened the Israelites. It wasn’t something they should have been afraid of. It was something their enemies should have dreaded.

So often in our culture, many of us are frightened by the idea of Jesus’ return. I think part of that comes from our misconceptions about God, but then, I think, another aspect of that comes from recognizing our own sinfulness. We all acknowledge that there are areas of our hearts that need to be changed. We all need to experience conversion in some sense. For me sometimes, I think, I would love for the Lord to return now…but then I remember that I also am not ready for Him to come back just yet because there are things that I still need to work on. That’s totally normal.

So, what do we do? Instead of getting caught up in fear around those areas of our lives where we still need conversion, let’s bring them to the Lord with a sense of hope, with a sense of expectation that He is going to walk with us and lead us to a place of transformation. Jesus is able to do the impossible. He is able to change the heart of the worst sinner. He is able to break through any wall…we just have to ask Him.

Today, let’s open that door. Let’s ask the Lord to come into our hearts, to help us to recognize those areas of sinfulness, not in shame or fear, but in the joyful expectation that He is going to lead us to a moment of change.

Image: Denys Nevozhai. Used under Unsplash license.