Family Chapel Pastor Joshua Lim

The prophet Isaiah receive a vision of God's glory. This prompts him to receive cleansing and to be commissioned to preach to hardened hearts. Even if the message is difficult and even if the message falls on deaf ears, God's servants are commissioned for the sake of his glory. We may not have a specific vision, but we have put our faith in the glory of the cross and the risen Christ. Thus, we have been cleansed and commissioned for the sake of God's glory.

Isaiah presents a beautiful picture of our future hope in God's Kingdom - people from all nations will gather together to worship God and live in perfect peace. But because human pride is the greatest obstacle to experiencing that future hope, we need to embrace a hopeful humility. This humility repents of prideful self-exaltation, removes idols that promise false hopes, and relies on God for true salvation. In the end, there is no belonging to God's Kingdom apart from humility because the King himself is a humble king.

This first chapter opens up like a courtroom scene with God as the plaintiff and Judah as the defendant. Even though God has been a loving Father, God's people have rebelled against Him with their impiety and injustice. At the heart of rebellion is not merely the breaking of God's Law, but moreso the breaking of God's heart. Nevertheless, God graciously extends the invitation to repentance in order for God's people to experience restoration.

We are called to weep with those who weep and bear each other's burdens with wisdom. Walking with others in grief means presence, empathy, and sacrifice.

While lamenting is just one part of a multi-faceted journey in processing grief, for Christians, it is an essential part. In this passage, we see four major steps for engaging in the practice of lament: turn, complain, trust, and ask. As we engage in these steps of lament, we can begin to process our grief.