Isaiah 40:9 "You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” This episode is about how important it is that we share our faith. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
“Here is Your God!”
Isaiah 40:9 "You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”
When I was trying to decide on a verse for today I came up with Isaiah 40:10. I am not sure why, that is just the verse that popped into my head. Then, when I read the verse before it and the verse after it, I thought they were all really good. So I chose to share all three of them with you. However, when I started to write this episode, I spent the whole time talking about Isaiah 40:9. So I will share the other two with you another day. What really stood out to me about the first verse is when it said, “lift up your voice with a shout lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’” What struck me specifically were the words, “do not be afraid.” I know God says the words a lot in the Bible, and yet in this circumstance it seems different.
When I think of God saying, “do not be afraid,” I think more of don’t worry, don’t be anxious. And I guess He could mean that here too. But what doesn’t he want us to be afraid of? He doesn’t want us to be afraid to lift our voices and say to the world, “Here is your God!” When I read this my first thought was, “Yes, exactly!” Why are we afraid to talk about God? Actually I am not really asking that, because I get it. I know why we are afraid to talk about God. Or, I know at least one reason we are afraid to talk about God. It is not cool to talk about God these days. It seems like society is ok with us talking about everything else, but that. It seems like everyone is talking about tolerance and that everybody has a right to be who they are and believe what they want to believe, unless that belief is about God, or Jesus.
Is it just me or are you getting that feeling too? It seems to me that if you believe in God and want to live as He is asking us to live, you are judged and criticized. In an age where everything seems to offend everyone, it is easier to live our lives privately and not share our beliefs with others. This would be easier. This would be safer. However, we don’t grow when we stay in our comfort zone. We don’t grow in our faith when we hide it away. Matthew 5:15 says, “No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.” It would be a mistake for us to hide our religion or our beliefs because we are afraid of being judged or criticized.
Think about how the apostles felt sitting in that upper room. Their Lord had been crucified and people were looking to do the same to them. They had every right to be scared. They weren’t in the same situation as we are. What is the worst thing you think would happen if you shared your faith, your beliefs, or your God with the world? You might get into a confrontation, someone might yell at your or say unkind things to you, you may be judged, or you may even lose friends? These are all real possibilities and I am not trying to minimize them. However, the apostles were facing crucifixion, stoning, jail time, and I don’t know what else. The stakes were much higher, they were risking a lot more than that.
I was thinking that we are lucky that we live in the times that we live in. Times when we can express our beliefs without threat of losing our lives, going to jail, or other awful consequences. Then I realized that it isn’t just the times we live in, it is the place we live in. Not everyone lives in a country where they can talk about God without fear of serious consequences. I just looked up what the consequence for being Christian in the Middle East is and I discovered an article on a site called The Guardian called Where in the world is the worst place to be a Christian. Here are a few of the top places:
North Korea: Thousands of Christians are imprisioned, and many have reportedly been tortured and executed. Believers meet secretly, and risk arrest and death by doing so.
Somalia: This Islamist group al-Shabaab has stated that it wants to rid Somalia of all Christians, and people suspected of following the faith are likely to be killed on the spot. Many meet in secret, or don’t meet at all, and cannot own Bibles.
Iraq: As Islamic State has taken control of large parts of the country, Christians and other minorities have been forced to convert, pay a punitive tax or be killed. There have been public execution-style killings of Christians by Isis, some of them recorded and broadcast for propaganda purposes, and most churches have been demolished.
There were plenty more like these, but I didn’t think you wanted to hear all of them. I will put a link for the article in the show notes in case you are interested in reading it. (Click Here) When I think about what some people are having to go through just to believe in God, or just to practice a religion that I get to practice freely I am suddenly more grateful. After reading that article and then thinking about the reasons we don’t talk about God in our country, honestly, I feel ashamed of my behavior. I feel ashamed that I complain about things like mass not being at the best time to fit into my schedule, or that I have to wear a mask to church, or any number of things that I may complain about. There are people risking their life to live their faith in secret because it is the only way they can live it.
When I think about it like this it make me wonder, what are we actually afraid of? Why don’t we talk about God more? Why don’t we point out all the places we see God in the world? Why are we afraid to talk about God with our children? Why aren’t we inviting everyone we know to come to mass with us? Maybe instead of asking ourselves why we don’t do these things, we should ask ourselves, “What am I willing to risk to bring others into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?’ It is clear that God wants us to spread His Word. The verse says, “You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”
Basically God is telling us to shout if from the roof top or the mountain top that He is our God. If God is asking us to share His Word, and He is telling us to not be afraid, then why are we afraid? Do we not believe that He will protect us? Think about how he protected Daniel in the Lions’ Den. Daniel 6:16-21 says, “So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep. At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”
If we are faithful and if we step out in that faith and share God’s Word and God’s love with others, He will be there for us to protect us. Will you be brave with me? Will you step out in faith and see where you can talk about God’s word or God’s love? I am not saying you have to go out and talk about God to everyone you meet, although I am sure that would make Him happy. All I am asking is that if an opening presents itself where you can add God into your conversation, you won’t shy away because you are scared. You will be brave and step out in faith. What do you think? Can you do that? If you need extra courage remember what some people are risking to live their faith. What do you have to lose?
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, we want to shout from the mountain tops that you are our Lord. Help us to be brave enough to do this. Holy Spirit give us a Holy boldness to speak out and share God’s word. Lord fill us with the Holy Spirit as you did the apostles on Pentecost. Let us not be afraid. Father you often tell us that, please help us to truly hear it this day. Lord we ask that you protect all those that are having to hide their faith because of fear of losing their lives. If we can help them in any way Lord, please put that on our hearts. Lord, we love you and we thank you for all that you do. You are amazing and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen.