Looking For The Return of His Favor

And there are days when the words of scripture hit me just right and I am… forever changed.
Isaiah 8:11-22. It’s a call to trust the Lord.

And I hear Him calling into our own wilderness season today, these very words.

Verses 12-16 say this, “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah He will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem He will be a trap and a snare. Many will stumble and fall, never to rise again. They will be snared and captured. Preserve the teaching of God; entrust his instructions to those who follow me.”

And then there following, the verse that stands out among the rest… “I will wait for the Lord, who has turned away from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my hope in Him.”

The prophet Isaiah saw the coming of a time when the Lord would hide His face from His people. But in His recalling to His mind the great character of God, chose to remove doubt, and with sweet expectation, look for His return of favor on them again.

I remember when I was first married to my husband. I used to have this one recurring dream that he had left me. It wasn’t a “cheating” situation… but rather simply an “abandonment” issue. And in the dream I specially remember calling him to talk with him, but he refused my call every time. I remember waking up from this nightmare in tears at even the thought of his turning away from me and refusing any kind of relationship with me.

While I can’t tell you what that dream meant in our early season of marriage, I know it shaped much of the way I did “relationship” in those critical years.

My prayer almost every single day of my life includes these words, “God, don’t hide Your face from me… I cannot do it alone.” And then I remind Him of His promises:
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18
“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Debt 31:8
“Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” Psalm 55:22

The prophet foresaw that the Lord would hide His face from His people… but he remained hopeful in looking for His return to shower favor once again.

You and I, as followers of Jesus, have been summoned to live a life differently than those who live outside of the faith. We are called, as verse 11 says, “… not to think like everyone else does.” Isaiah calls this a, “warning.”

And we can only act differently because we think differently.

Maybe today it feels like He has abandoned you. Like He has left you in your fear, in your isolation, and in your heartache. And maybe you are living in a state of panic and dread. But can I call to you from that same wilderness and remind you that, “Many will stumble and fall, never to rise again,” because they have lost sight of the One who knows our suffering better than we do.

Keep your focus on Jesus. Remind yourself of His promises. Repeat them often and out loud.
Though He may appear absent in the moment, He is never out of reach of the persistent heart that seeks and yearns and clings.

And so today I choose to say it with brave, bold confidence and straight into the face of evil, danger, illness, loss, and pain… I’m looking of the return of His favor!