Keep Praying Until
- Nov 22, 2024
- 6 min read
Isaiah 62 is about the one that lives in the "until of life", between the promise and its fulfilment. Living and praying in the 'until,' what’s it like?
Until that dream is fulfilled, until that hurt is healed, until that new dawn appears! Until you are convinced of God's incredible love for you.
"I’ve posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem. Day and night they keep at it, praying, calling out, reminding God to remember. They are to give him no peace until he does what he said, until he makes Jerusalem famous as the City of Praise" (Isaiah 62:7 MSG Bible).
The setting of Isaiah 56-66 is Jerusalem in the years following the initial return from exile. They’d come home with the visions/dreams of Isaiah 40-55 in their minds, only to find a different reality awaiting them. They found not a glorious city, but a ruin. The city walls lay breached and broken, and the temple was looted and wrecked. As the years passed, the struggle to rebuild was getting hard. Not only the physical damage, but also the psychological damage.
I guess we’ve all been there, where expectations have been dashed and we are left in the ‘UNTIL of life!’
The question is, can we continue to trust the promises of God with everything that’s going on, or not going on with our lives?
Absolutely, a resounding YES!! is the answer from the prophetic community in Isaiah 62.
In these verses, we meet the memory-makers. They are given a title, ‘mazkirim’, which literally means the 'ones who cause to remember.' They are bringing memories alive. One translation for verse 6c: "you watchmen who remind the Lord.” Then followed by verse 7, “and give him no rest”.
The memory-makers are seeking and calling on God to embrace His people and His city again. These are the intercessors. They remind the Lord of His promises. They will never be silent day or night. This requires persistence, perseverance and prayer.
The prophets in reminding God not to forget the promises, also encourage the people not to give up believing in it. In fact, we mustn’t retreat from the promises, but intensify the prayers for their fulfilment.
Oswald Chambers said, "We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties."
Until – Breakthrough Happens
What is a breakthrough? It’s an offensive strike. It’s an act or instance of breaking through a barrier. There’s a process, an investment, and there’s prayer involved. God wants you to persevere in prayer UNTIL! Note - "can’t keep silent about" (vs 1&6).
We’re first of all seeking a breakthrough into heaven, that God's kingdom will come, and His will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven.
Also, a spiritual breakthrough begins personally in us; surrendering ourselves fully to God, transferring all ownership to the one true Owner, Jesus Christ. We can never choose to let God have His way with us if we continue to hang on to our own desires and dreams. We do not pray with our hands in fists, but with our hands and hearts open to all that God is.
There are some of us who still live in the shadow of deserted and desolate (v4): rejection, fear, hopelessness. We have embraced so much less than the Lord has planned for us. What will you do? Will you cry out in prayer to Him UNTIL a breakthrough happens?
This is an assignment for the faithful to call out and to watch for the first signs of the promised new reality. We can’t just sit back and wait for breakthrough and the release of God’s purpose and presence in our home, or relationships, or church.
We mustn’t become disheartened when God’s prophetic purposes are delayed, nor give way to the temptation to give up or pack it in! Instead, we must expectantly pray and do whatever it takes UNTIL the breakthroughs come.
The people who have returned to Jerusalem are living in the "until."
"For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch" (v1).
God is moving towards His treasured nation in love. He is determined, “I will not give up” on these people. This is good news!
Please hear this from the text - “You are worth fighting for.”
Feel heartbroken? Upset by the test results? Shaken by redundancy?
Listen, God hasn’t finished with His plans for you. So keep praying UNTIL there’s a breakthrough and until you begin to stand victorious again over those darkest of days.
It’s wonderful to read what He longs to do. Instead of deserted and desolate, He gives us a new name and that means a new life again.
He tells us this in Isaiah 43, “I have called you by name; you are mine.”
God has adopted us into his family. He gives us all the blessings that come in His name. In our text, He calls us “Hephzibah and Beulah.” I’m pretty sure those names won’t make the top baby names of 2024/5. They might not be very beautiful sounding, but they have beautiful meanings behind them. Hephzibah means, “my delight is in her.” Beulah is simply where God has reclaimed his people and dwells there! God says, “They may have rejected you, but I rejoice over you.” It is time that we stopped living like the deserted and desolate and start understanding the glory, relationship and purpose we have in God.
Breakthrough is experiencing:
"Life instead of death; Righteousness instead of sin; Grace instead of law; Reality instead of religion; Holy Spirit’s anointing instead of our own natural ability; Love instead of fear; Active faith instead of dead works;
Joy instead of sadness; Victory instead of defeat;
Being fruitful instead of being fruitless."
R. Francis
May we never keep quiet! May we never stop coming to Him giving Him no rest- UNTIL the breakthroughs occur and we move from deserted and desolate to a true, beautiful and right relationship with Jesus.
Until – Beauty Returns
"Until her righteousness shines out, and her salvation as a burning torch" (v1).
What is God’s vision for us? A new dawn (v3): “you will be a crown of splendour in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God… the Lord will take delight in you… your God rejoices over you.”
His purpose is that we shine for His glory and reflect His beauty, for His renown. What is the objective of the prophet’s message? To drive out the darkness in our lives (lies, rejection, suffering) and for beauty to return.
As a pastor I have had the opportunity of coming alongside those that have experienced some of the darkest moments one can encounter in life. Maybe after a diagnosis, after lies surfaced in a relationship, or after a loss of a loved one. I wondered what (if anything) could be left to say when life appeared so broken even beyond repair!
The ancient city of Jerusalem, full of God’s people is wondering the same, doubting they could ever pick up the pieces again. They were a city in ruins; having been rebuilt over and over, only to be destroyed again. But what God said to them in the ruins was surprising. New beauty will dawn.
Wonderfully, God makes the same promises to you and I, no matter where we are today. Even if your health has left you, those great plans have failed you, and you’re crying in a heap. The "Lord will take delight in you." A new dawn and outstanding beauty will return.
What do we do in the meantime? How do we wait for God to act as He’s promised? Give Him no rest UNTIL!
When you feel all alone, had far too many second chances, sitting in the wreckage of your dreams, totally unsure of what the future holds, that’s when God speaks and acts. He takes hold of our lives and proclaims His love for us again saying, you are mine. It’s as if He doesn’t care where you have been or what you’ve done. Others may have rejected you even at your best, but God rejoices over you, even at your worst.
Do you want the splendour to return? To see the power of God give you the breakthroughs in areas that were once dominated by darkness and defeat! Then give him no rest!
Remind God of His word, of His promises and call for the breakthrough and for beauty to return.
PRAY UNTIL!
What an encouraging verse in Isaiah 62:6 I have posted a watchman on your walls; they will pray day and night continually.Take no rear, all you who pray to the Lord. We have to have faith and trust, believing in God’s promises and his goodness, He will never fail us. He does the big stuff, but we need to bring things to His feet and leave it with Him, until.