44 “Family of Jacob, listen to me. You are my servant. People of Israel, I have chosen you. 2 I made you. I formed you when you were born as a nation. I will help you. So listen to what I am saying. Family of Jacob, do not be afraid. You are my servant. People of Israel, I have chosen you. 3 I will pour out water on the thirsty land. I will make streams flow on the dry ground. I will pour out my Spirit on your children. I will pour out my blessing on their children after them. 4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow. They will grow like poplar trees near flowing streams. 5 Some will say, ‘We belong to the Lord.’ Others will call themselves by Jacob’s name. Still others will write on their hands, ‘We belong to the Lord.’ And they will be called by the name of Israel.
This bit of Isaiah is about hope: God is rebuilding hope in his people, Israel. They feel as though nothing good will happen to them. God says to them, yes, it will: here’s how. God wants to say the same thing to us: expect good from me: here’s how. What do you expect from God?
Israel was in a kind of spiritual depression. They fell guilty and sinful. They were guilty and sinful. They felt that God has rejected them because of their sin. This wasn’t true: look at chapter 43, verse 25: God says “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” Because of what Jesus has done on the cross, all our guilt is taken away. You might feel weak, or afraid. God says: listen to me. Don’t listen to the inner voice which says: God has given up on me. Look at the three things that God says to you:
God says: I made you and I formed you. I made you for a reason. You may not even be aware of the reason for your creation. When I was young I thought my purpose was to play rugby for New Zealand. I was wrong. God has a purpose for you. God chose you. When you trust in Christ, God is choosing you for eternal life. You might feel overwhelmed sometimes. You might feel as if you don’t fit with God’s call and purpose. But he chose you, and he loves you. He sent Christ to die for you. But God has a plan for you. Note that God call calls Israel his servant. You are called to serve him with your whole life, and not only a part of it. So, we might feel unworthy, hopeless and useless. God says that he loves you, that he has formed and created you. It doesn’t matter what you deserve or the failures of your past, God has redeemed you. You are chosen. And you might feel useless, but you are God’s servant. He has chosen you to love and honour him, and to love and honour God’s people. Let’s have a look at why we resist that sometimes.
Is anything holding you back from following the Lord with all your heart? Is there anything are you afraid of?
God says “I will pour out water on a thirsty land.” This water is the Holy Spirit. The use of the word “Thirsty” is interesting. It means that there is a desire, or a need for the water. The land holds potential. Seeds are buried in that land. All it needs is rain. In England, all we need is sunshine for things to grow, but in the desert, rain is everything. What is thirsty in your life? Is there something where you want the Holy Spirit to do something new? Is there something dead, which you want to come alive. Without the Holy Spirit, we can live in dead land. Our hearts might seem dead, our emotions might seem dead, our prayers might seem dead, our hopes might seem dead. They are not dead. Like the seeds in the desert which can lie dormant for years, God can bring your heart to life, bring your prayers to life, bring your hopes to life. The Holy Spirit changes everything.
God does not ration the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t give you ‘just enough.’ God speaks of stream in the desert. We lived in a dusty town in the desert for five years. We lived on the edge of a wadi. When it rained, the wadi didn’t necessarily fill with water. First, the ground would absorb the rain, but then, when it couldn’t absorb the rain any more, the water would flow into the stream. When it rained hard, that stream was like a rushing river. God wants to do the same in your life. He doesn’t just want to put a little bit of the Holy Spirit in your life. He wants to fill you to the brim. He wants your life to overflow.
What thirsty land is there in your life? Where do you want the Holy Spirit to work?
Finally, look at the effects of the Holy Spirit’s work. Note the use of words like ‘spring up’ and ‘grow’. People who did not belong to the Lord now do belong to the Lord. God wants to multiply his blessing. Think about a watermelon field. We used to grow watermelons in the desert. One seed was enough to bring one plant to life. One plant was enough to bring several melons to life. One melon was enough to produce hundreds of seeds. It’s the same with the work of the Holy Spirit. Nothing is impossible for God. God can change you and He can change this city through his power. He wants you to bear fruit.
Finally, we might be tempted to think that God might not do this. God reminds Israel that he can and he will keep his promises. God keeps all of his promises. He alone is God – he alone brings life and power. As we pray, let’s remember that God is always true and will always give us the Holy Spirit when we ask him. The only condition is that we turn to Jesus. When we trust Jesus and give our lives to him, we have the right to ask for the Holy Spirit.
Prayer Topic: Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill us. Pray for him to fill the church. Pray for the Holy Spirit to change the city.
