RIGHT ATTITUDE IN TROUBLE
TEXT: ISAIAH 26:12-21.
🔑KEY VERSE “LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them” (ISAIAH 26:16).
Charles Swindoll once said, “The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace from that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string that we have and the string is attitude.”
In this prophetic song in our text about the latter days, Isaiah prophesied what the altitude of Judah will be in reaction to the judgement of God in scattering them among the nations. Judah had lived in sin and God had visited them with judgement, allowing their enemies to take them into captivity. However, in this song, Isaiah was hopeful that Judah would eventually demonstrate the right attitude by turning to the Lord in repentance. For this reason, they will be saved from the onslaught of the antichrist who will torment the world.
It is clear from the submission of Isaiah that what is needed while in trouble and perplexity is the right attitude. Unfortunately, however, many people portray an adamant attitude when faced with God’s chastisement. Rather than return to God, they choose to go farther away from Him.
Conversely, the attitudes of some others are even more alarming when God shows undeserved acts of mercy and kindness to them.
Rather than being grateful, they choose to be contemptuous.
It is important to everyone to know, as Swindoll has noted, that we all have a choice concerning the attitude and course of action we adopt each day. A positive attitude goes a long way to determining an eventful end. It is futile for anyone to fight his Maker. How we need to humble ourselves and wholly submit to God’s counsel even while passing through divine chastisement!
✍THOUGHT FOR THE DAY The heart focused on God will never cease to beat.
COVER TO COVER LUKE 22.
MEDITATION
Travail before Testimony
1. There are some breakthroughs that will remain a mirage without (painful) travails in prayers vv17,18. In the text, Tribulation pain preceeds resurrection of OT saints.
Lord give me the grace to always pay the price of great breakthroughs 🙏🙏
2. There is no genuine peace, internal, societal, family etc without inward transformation through the Holy Spirit first v12. Any other peace outside this will not last.
Lord, do a deep work of transformation in my heart and make me a peace lover and liver🙏
3. Oppression of the enemy backed up with true repentance, persevering prayers and praise will inflict heavy and devastating toll on the enemy It is a matter of time vv13,14.
Pray for all the oppressed in the Church to be assisted by the Lord to do their part🙏
4. No dead OT saints will partake of the great tribulation (GT) They will be preserved in the grave till the GT is over and after that resurrection of the OT saints at the second coming of Christ vv19-21.
“Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His saints”
Ask God to mercifully delete your name from those assigned to eternal punishment🙏
HYMN Turn your eyes upon Jesus
1
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
2
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion
For more than conqu’rors we are!
3
His Word shall not fail you, He promised;
Believe Him and all will be well;
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
