God, Are You Punishing Me?
Scott Maze
Isaiah 41:1-14
2020 has been a roller coaster ride, hasn't it? Almost everyone thinks our world is in chaos in 2020. It's as if our world is a snow-globe shaking up and down. During this pandemic, we have seen empty streets, empty shelves in supermarkets, empty stadiums, and empty churches. These are unsettling times for us.
A young wife and mother, Kelly was driving along with her husband and 3 children in their mini-van earlier this year when everything was shut down. Her 7 year old son was looking out the window when he said, ''Mommy, I think God gave us the Coronavirus so that we could spend more time together as a family.'' It's cute response and warms the heart but should a 7 year old boy see God as the One who gives viruses?
A recent poll tells us that this 7 year old boy is not alone. Some 63% of religious Americans polled feel the virus is a message from God. Essentially, many people think, ''if we don't change, the misery will continue.'' I liked how Lance put it, a 52 year old man in Dallastown, PA. He said, ''It could be a sign, like 'hey, get your act together' - I don't know.''
Does God have a message for us?
Isaiah 41
Keep your Bibles open to Isaiah 41 or page 714 in your pew Bible. Let me set the scene for what you just heard for Isaiah 41 is a challenging piece of the Bible. The first 7 verses pictures a courtroom or a trial going on. God calls the gods and their representative nations to account. God is judge and jury, bailiff and prosecutor. He summons the court, makes the case, and declares the verdict.
In verse 1, God calls the far away nations ''coastlands'' to judgement. In verse 2-4, God makes His case against the nations like a prosecuting attorney. In verses 5-7, you see the nations frightened response because of the failure of their gods.
Let's keep this young boy's question at the forefront of our minds for the next few moments. Did God have anything to do wi ...
Scott Maze
Isaiah 41:1-14
2020 has been a roller coaster ride, hasn't it? Almost everyone thinks our world is in chaos in 2020. It's as if our world is a snow-globe shaking up and down. During this pandemic, we have seen empty streets, empty shelves in supermarkets, empty stadiums, and empty churches. These are unsettling times for us.
A young wife and mother, Kelly was driving along with her husband and 3 children in their mini-van earlier this year when everything was shut down. Her 7 year old son was looking out the window when he said, ''Mommy, I think God gave us the Coronavirus so that we could spend more time together as a family.'' It's cute response and warms the heart but should a 7 year old boy see God as the One who gives viruses?
A recent poll tells us that this 7 year old boy is not alone. Some 63% of religious Americans polled feel the virus is a message from God. Essentially, many people think, ''if we don't change, the misery will continue.'' I liked how Lance put it, a 52 year old man in Dallastown, PA. He said, ''It could be a sign, like 'hey, get your act together' - I don't know.''
Does God have a message for us?
Isaiah 41
Keep your Bibles open to Isaiah 41 or page 714 in your pew Bible. Let me set the scene for what you just heard for Isaiah 41 is a challenging piece of the Bible. The first 7 verses pictures a courtroom or a trial going on. God calls the gods and their representative nations to account. God is judge and jury, bailiff and prosecutor. He summons the court, makes the case, and declares the verdict.
In verse 1, God calls the far away nations ''coastlands'' to judgement. In verse 2-4, God makes His case against the nations like a prosecuting attorney. In verses 5-7, you see the nations frightened response because of the failure of their gods.
Let's keep this young boy's question at the forefront of our minds for the next few moments. Did God have anything to do wi ...
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