Isaiah cries out to God in Isaiah 63:15: “Look down from heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength?”
The prophet Isaiah questions God as to the reality of His zeal and strength at a time when Israel was being devastated by its enemies.
Perhaps Isaiah should have questioned the strength and zeal of Israel.
In Isaiah 63:7-10 Isaiah exalts Gods “lovingkindnesses” (plural!) and His “great goodness” which He bestowed upon Israel.
Verse 9 says: “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.”
But verse 10 says: ‘BUT they rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and fought against them.”
How sad when God is forced to be the enemy of His own people!
God looked for helpers but there was none to help. He wondered that there was no one to uphold and plead Israel’s cause or to intercede on Israel’s behalf (Isaiah 59:16).
In this great hour of America’s history there is the possibility that we could reach the same plight before God that Israel was in. I hope not.
However, many in the church are indifferent to whole-hearted prayer and standing in the gap to turn this nation back to waiting on God. Who will give time to daily cry out for a breakthrough and a great revival of zeal and strength amongst God’s people?
The question is: if God did not let Israel backslide as a nation without reaping the consequences, why would He let America’s church get away with spiritual apathy and indifference to waiting upon God who alone can save us?
We cannot go very far with a flat tire! We cannot go anywhere at all with a flat battery. We can’t even start the car, let alone go anywhere.
Those of us who sense the great need of this hour must get our spiritual tires pumped up and our spiritual batteries recharged if we want revival and the breakthroughs we long for.
Without God’s Holy Spirit zeal, willingness, fervor, and fire flowing through the veins of the church we will end up in a greater trouble than we could ever dream.
In a short time this coronavirus brought about a lot of death and destruction, not only through the virus, but now through the implications of the lockdown. Many businesses have gone bankrupt. Suicide hotlines have increased 600%. Liquor sales have increased 300 - 600%. The church should earnestly be seeking to stand in the gap lest things get worse than they are right now.
The zeal of God operating in us will not allow us to be indifferent, apathetic, and unmoved to the spiritual needs of this hour. The zeal of God will consume us just as it did Jesus (John 2:17).
Isaiah 40;31: “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Be encouraged.
Colin Campbell