The Story is the Same

 Isaiah 24:1-3

Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people. Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors -- none will be spared. The earth will be completely emptied and looted. The Lord has spoken!

I think most people would agree the earth is filled with a lot of evil. There is division, strife, hate, senseless death, and a plethora of news events that can bring us to despair. Isaiah was sharing that same story with the people 2700 years ago.

Isaiah makes a list of those affected by the devastation of his day. It covers nearly every part of society. Today is no different, we are all affected by the sins of the world. The Prophet Isaiah said, "The earth suffers for the sins of its people..." Then he gives us the reason why, "...for they have twisted God's instructions, violated God's laws, and broken his everlasting covenant." (Isaiah 24:5)

Isn't it sad! Over 2000 years later we can say the same things about our planet that Isaiah said about his and surrounding nations? Does that mean we give up? Did Isaiah give up? 

No, we must continue, even though we might be just a remnant, we must persevere to follow God's instructions, keep his laws, and honor his covenant with us. Even in the middle of the turmoil and doom of a story that is told over and over again, we cannot lose hope. We need to share the love of Jesus, praise his name, and devote ourselves completely to him. 

"Throughout the earth the story is the same -- only a remnant is left, like the stray olives left on the tree or the few grapes left on the vine after the harvest. But all who are left shout and sing for joy. Those in the West praise the Lord's majesty. In eastern lands, give glory to the Lord. In the lands beyond the sea, praise the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. We hear songs of praise from the ends of the earth, and songs that give glory to the Righteous One!" (Isaiah 24:13-16)

We cannot give up, even if we are the few left to carry on the name of the Lord, we must persevere. We must continue to shout and praise the name of Jesus. The fewer we are in number should embolden us to shout even louder! May the Glory of God be shared to the ends of the earth!

PRAISE THE NAME OF THE LORD!