Devotionals

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Isaiah 53:1
Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
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Of all the things we as Christians are called to do, evangelism is probably the hardest. It was Jesus' last commandment to us, this commission to go and make disciples of all nations, to preach the gospel to all creatures. (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15) I suppose He was saving the tough words for the last, waiting until after the Resurrection to be sure He had a faithful group who would do as He directed them. That's all well and good for the men and women who knew our Savior personally, but what about later generations who simply hear the gospel and yet are expected to believe?

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John 20:29
Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
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Jesus knew that the gospel would be hard for many to believe, and yet He also knew that in order to be saved, in order to accept the saving grace of God, then people would have to trust that He had indeed taken the sins of the world to the Cross. And so His commission to His disciples was that they would tell everyone, that the word of His life, death, and resurrection should be presented to every living thing. Jesus wanted the bread of life - the Word of God - to be given to everyone so that His "sheep" might be fed, nourished by the one thing that gives life: the gospel.

But Isaiah asks, "Who has believed our report?" He has just spent the previous two chapters telling Israel that redemption is coming, that they shall know freedom and abundance, that they shall have peace with God at last. And that peace shall come through the Messiah, the One who shall bear the sins of all men. Today we read that He was "a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" and we automatically associate that with the suffering of our Savior, but in Isaiah's time, few took him seriously. So the prophet was quite right to ask "Who has believed our report?"

"To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?" the prophet goes on. Who among us recognizes the work of the Lord God in our salvation? God is not a man that He should be seen going about His work of salvation. As Jesus alluded, God's Spirit that works in men's lives is like the wind in the trees: we don't see Him or know where He has been or where He is going, and yet we can see the result of His presence. (John 3:6-8)

So who is going to believe? Who will see and understand that God is moving in their lives? I can tell you from my own experience that sometimes we need a true epiphany - a real, live manifestation of God's presence - to bring us to faith. I had heard the gospel and read bits and pieces of the Bible, but I had avoided God for three decades, sure that my sins were far too great for any God to forgive. And then He orchestrated my return to a Bible-believing church, and I could deny Him no more. I believed the report and I saw His arm and hand and heart revealed in my own life. And it didn't take a Bible-thumping preacher or amateur evangelist at work to bring me to belief. All it took was the seed of the gospel dropped in the broken ground of my heart, and then God watered that with His own Spirit, touching my life in undeniable ways to bring me to Him. And now, just five years later, that belief that started off as baby steps has grown into a fiery run to the finish line, a passionate call to help others believe, to be the one planting the seeds in other lives.

"Who has believed our report?" We don't know, and it is not up to us to decide. God alone knows who shall be moved by His gospel of peace. He knows who will answer His call, who will come forth to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. Call it predestination or call it omniscience, but in either case, the knowledge of who shall believe is God's alone, and the only control we have over it is in presenting the gospel.

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Romans 10:14-15
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!"
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No, not everyone will believe, and as much as God wants everyone to repent and be saved, He also knows that some will refuse Him. But that is not our worry. Our sole concern is to take the belief that we already have and share that with the world. Our mission is to speak boldly and without shame, knowing that, even when we are persecuted for our beliefs, there will yet be some who hear and are brought to belief in the Lord.

"And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?" To you and to me and to every Christian who truly confesses Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord. To the believers who have gone before, and to believers who will come after. To everyone who will listen with an open heart for God. But the arm of the Lord will not be revealed if we keep it hidden away, if we make a secret of the gospel. Our mission is to follow the example of the angels who announced the arrival of our Savior, who said "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you thus day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11) That is good news indeed! Who wouldn't want to believe that?

It's okay to doubt, to wonder if you're being a good witness for Christ. And it's alright to join with Isaiah and ask "Who has believed?" But we can't let out own fears and wondering get in the way of our witness. We cannot let the questions outweigh the gospel itself. Jonah moved the city of Nineveh with just eight words! (Jonah 3:4) Imagine what you and I can do with eighty, with eight hundred, or perhaps even with just six. "Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15b)

Today, my friends, our Lord is calling. His Word is going forth throughout the world, being spoken on all the continents, being read aloud or read in secret, being preached in the open air or spoken in hidden rooms. Who has believed? God alone knows. A better question is this: Who has spoken the gospel so that others can believe? I pray that the answer is you and me.

Lord God, You are sovereign in all You do, and You alone know whether Your Word shall fall on fertile ground or a stony heart. I trust in Your Word, and I will speak it today to at least one other person, and hopefully to more. May Your Word go forth from me, may I be bold and faithful to the gospel I believe. Amen.

© 2010 Glenn A. Pettit-Noel

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