"In my faithfulness I will reward my people..." (Isaiah 61:8)
This announcement by the prophet Isaiah heralds a new day and a renewed commitment. There had been a few bumps in the road for the people of God. They hadn’t a particularly good track record of faithfulness and found themselves in a long and painful exile. The same can be said of you and me, we need God’s faithfulness to inspire our faithfulness and thankfully that is who God is.
When people encounter God’s faithfulness something erupts inside of them. It is no wonder the Psalmist declares
Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.
Psalm 36:5
It is a reality that has inspired countless poems, hymns and worship songs over thousands of years
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. – laments the weeping prophet
God’s faithfulness doesn’t lead to him saying I will tolerate my people or put up with them. He goes much, much further by speaking of reward. A reward of eternal consequence for the people then and for us today.
In my faithfulness, I will reward my people with Jesus (emphasis mine). Jesus is our exceedingly great reward, his presence, his power, and his purpose within us.
How will you respond to God’s faithfulness today?
We invite you to join us as we journey slowly and prayerfully through Isaiah 61 - line by line over forty days.
