Sometimes the Lord takes 700 years to answer a prayer. It’s good to remember that. Because when we have a really earnest prayer session on Monday, pleading with God to move powerfully, we think He’ll probably do it by the weekend. When He doesn’t we are perplexed.
I’ve been thinking about the prophet Isaiah today and particularly chapters 63-64 of the book of Isaiah. He’s probably my favorite Old Testament prophet. His writings were full of poetic imagery and glorious vision of the future kingdom of Christ. But it’s good to remember the poor guy had a tough ministry.
One of the most famous chapters in Isaiah is chapter 6 that describes an encounter Isaiah has with the Lord.
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. — Isaiah 6:1-4
Wow! This is exciting! The chapter goes on to tell us that Isaiah became overwhelmed by His sinfulness in view of this grand vision of the holiness of God, but the Lord touched Isaiah with a fiery coal and cleansed him. It gets better—the Lord then rings out the question, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Like an eager schoolboy Isaiah in essence says, “Ooh ooh pick me Lord!” And he gets picked to be the special messenger of the King of the Universe. What an exhilarating moment!
I’m sure Isaiah was wondering and anticipating what the Lord’s assignment would be. The Lord doesn’t hesitate to unveil to His servant the details. The Lord says to him,
"Go, and say to this people: "'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." — Isaiah 6:9-10
What? This does not sound exciting at all. The call was basically to preach to people who would not only refuse to listen to his words but would actually become hardened by his preaching.
Raw and real
Fast forward to Isaiah 63 and 64 and we find a very raw prayer. This is obviously later in Isaiah’s ministry after years of preaching to a people who closed their ears to his message. I’m sure Isaiah prayed thousands of prayers for an outpouring of the Spirit but the state of the people was still this:
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. — Isaiah 64:6
In his prayer, Isaiah complained of the utter desolation and spiritual decay. The people wandered from God and became hard; they had no fear of God. They had become like a polluted garment. None were rousing themselves to seek God. The face of God was hidden from them. They had fallen so far away that Isaiah says,
We have become like those over whom you have never ruled, like those who are not called by your name. — Isaiah 63:19
Our generation
I wish I could say the condition of things in our day is different—but it's not. We have fallen from great heights. America was powerfully awakened at many points in our history, and the Church was ablaze with fervor. But oh how she has fallen! It's said that 50% of America identifies as Christian, and there are an estimated 400,000 churches that bear the name of Christ. We are a land of Christian bookstores and Christian radio stations, Christian seminaries and Christian amusements. But little evidence of genuine New Testament Christianity.
It seems that en masse modern Christians have cast off restraint and do as they will. Difficult parts of the Bible are denied. Christians cower to fit in with the rapidly changing societal standards. Divorce is now commonplace. Christians use alcohol, drugs and pornography. They engage in sex before marriage. They lie and steal. Many have dropped out of church completely. Few give faithfully and generously. The Church has become widely prayerless and tearless. It's hard to find men and women who know how to wrestle in prayer as the saints of previous generations. We have opened the doors to homosexual practice and drape our large rainbow flags over the house of the Holy One. The Church has become utterly powerless but doesn't seem aware at all. The description of one of the churches in Revelation fits us well—
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. — Revelation 3:17
The Church in our day is in her own bubble, not realizing that the nations have lost respect for her. We have become like frothy raving bobbleheads evoking derision on account of our hypocrisies.
The Church of Jesus has become a modern-day embarrassment. The Lord has hidden His face from her. But no one seems to care. The Lord has stripped her of influence. But no one is bothered. The majority bow down to the god of TV and images. The land is filled with idols. Even the priests, pastors and prophets have become corrupt. They have molested children, had adulterous affairs and mishandled God's money. They feed the flock sour milk and bad meat. They have lived lazy and careless lifestyles. Few weep between the temple porch and the altar.
So I believe the condition of things in Isaiah’s day is relevant to our day. Thankfully, the Lord is raising up a holy people in our day. They may be a misunderstood minority in the Christian world but the hand of the Lord is upon them. They understand the times like the sons of Issachar. They grieve over the ruin of Joseph. They weep, fast and mourn.
Isaiah’s cry
Isaiah didn't crawl into a hole and do nothing. He prayed. It's what we must do in our day. He reminds himself of the way God has been merciful in the past. It's almost as if he's building a case to God and appealing to the Lord's passion for His own glory. He declares the mercy of God and the steadfast love of God. He appeals to the fact that the people are His heritage. He declares, “You are our Father, and you are the Potter, and we are the clay.” He appeals to God, “We are all your people.”
The prayer at different points seems almost audacious. It's as if Isaiah has momentarily forgotten that he is a tiny speck of dust before the blazing Eternal King. It almost seems like he's crossing a line in his appeals, challenging the Lord's inaction and telling God—rend the heavens and come down! He says,
Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and beautiful habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me. — Isaiah 63:15
In so many words Isaiah is reasoning with the All-Wise God and saying, ''This is not good for your name” (God must chuckle when we attempt to consult Him). But this is a cry of haste that God would do the things He has promised to do. I think Isaiah is utterly worn out at this point living in a season of God’s judgment and was longing for the King (Messiah) to come. He was aching for the new heaven and new earth to be established.
Isaiah did not see the fulfillment in his life. He was sawn in two (Heb 11:37).
It’s okay
Isaiah is an example of a burning and shining light amidst a wicked generation. He was “faithful unto death.” He did not go the way of the masses. He refrained from idolatry. He lived a godly life; he kept his eye on what was coming and prayed that it would come. He saw no revival. He did not see the Messiah come. He spent his life praying for something that he never saw answered. Did he spend his life for nothing? No.
The reality is that our prayers and labors may only be answered in part during our lifetime. Isaiah’s words were used not just in his generation—but for every generation after his death to this present day! Not one of his bold prayers fell to the ground. I believe Isaiah’s prayers landed on John the Baptist and upon the early church. They land on us today as we read his words!
I understand that the idea of praying and laboring and never seeing a turnaround is not a pleasant thought. It's so much more fun to believe there's going to be a great revival in the land and multitudes will be swept into the kingdom. “Prophets” abound telling us—from their own imagination I fear—that prosperity and positive things are coming. I hope they are right, but the fact is there may not be a great revival in our lifetime.
My point is that whether we get to enjoy a revival in our lifetime, or not, doesn't matter. Our prayers and labors are not in vain. When we stand before the Lord He won't say, “Well done with your successful revival.” Rather, He will say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”
Oh, I want to see the Lord move in my day. But if my prayers are answered in the generation of my children, or their children, then so be it. My heart burns to see a revival in this generation but if on my deathbed at 90, after 70 years of praying and fasting for it, I am still waiting, it’s okay. It’s okay because I know that the Lord knows what He’s doing and His timing is perfect. His ways are not my ways. That said, may we be the Lord’s watchmen all our days—
On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the LORD in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth. — Isaiah 62:6-7