When things aren’t going quite the way we’d planned, it’s easy to put our heads down, and just deal with the grind. Our eyes are downcast, our hearing becomes dull. Right then, it’s time to listen to God and wake up to the future He has planned.   An Improbably Journey Over the years I’ve done a lot of flying and on those long haul trips that I really like to do is to get from point A to point B by the most direct possible route, preferably flying business class; that pretty much sums it up when I’m sitting crammed up in an economy seat at the back of the plane on a 14-hour flight. And that pretty much sums up our attitude towards life as well. Whatever we’re traveling through we want it to be quick and comfortable and direct would you agree? Life is full of awkward transitions, from being single to married, from being married to being single, from being a child to becoming an adult, from being a couple to being a couple with a baby. It doesn’t matter what the situation is there always is an awkwardness to the transition. Have you noticed that? And somehow we always seem to be in some transition of some sort. If only we could just arrive, if only we could get to the end of whatever we’re going through from point A to point B in a straight line, preferably flying business class. If we can get better at travelling through life’s transitions – the change from A to B; from something we know to something we don’t know – frankly we’re going to have a much better life, we’re going to enjoy life a lot more. So I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Are you ready? Life is just one big transition, see we constantly want to arrive at the point where everything’s going swimmingly well, where everything is absolutely perfect, cause most of us have some seasons in our lives where things are like that but seasons come and go. It seems to me that most of our lives are about traveling through transitions, and instead of just wishing that the transition phase was over, instead of wishing today and tomorrow away I believe that with all my heart that God wants us to enjoy every minute of every day. Enjoy – quite literally entering into His joy. There was a time in the history of the nation of Israel where they were about to start going through a major transition and I guess over the coming weeks I want to explore that time of transition to discover how God handles transitions, our transitions in life, because where not traveling through this alone – you and I. He has a plan and the whole world’s plan doesn’t always revolve around us. We need to fit into God’s bigger plan and He’s a player in all of this. When we’re going through transition and we’re feeling uncomfortable and we’re looking forward to something much better. You know where our focus is? It is normally on ourselves, 100% on ourselves we become all inward looking and self pitying and we’re all woe is me, friend that’s no way to live our lives, it’s no way for me to live my life and it’s no way for you to live your life. Israel at the point where we’re going to pick up this story have been exiled in Babylon as slaves for close on 70 years it was God’s punishment for their unfaithfulness. Most of the Israelites couldn’t even remember the Promised Land and Jerusalem, because they had never been there! Most of them had been born in slavery but God is about taking back to that place the Promised Land, they’re about to go through a major transition – from slavery to freedom from Babylon to Jerusalem. Change is always difficult; even getting them to believe that change was going to happen! Hey, they had been slaves for all their lives. God appears to have failed them even though he hasn’t, but that’s how they see it. The Babylonian kingdom is so big and so strong and they’re been hoping that God would do something. They’ve been hoping beyond hope that one day … one day Israel would be restored and God’s promises would be restored. But you know in the face of the present reality – slaves in the most powerful kingdom in the world – that seems somewhere between improbably and impossible. Really? So this is what God says to them through the prophet Isaiah. Incidentally I believe that this is what God saying to anyone today who’s in that same place as the Israelites back then. Isaiah chapter 51 beginning at verse 1: God says, listen to me you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hue and to the quarry from where you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you for He was but one when I called him. But I blessed him and made him many. For the Lord will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places and he will make her wilderness like Eden, her dessert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and Gladness will be found in her thanksgiving and the voice of song. So what’s God saying? What does it mean to look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the quarry from where you were dug? God’s pointing them back to an impossible promise and an impossible journey that they’ve all heard about. They know it backwards. The promise God made to Abraham, 75 years old he was, and God promised him a son. His wife Sarah was barren and off they went on a 25 years journey. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was finally born. God promised a future, he promised to make him a mighty nation, and he promised him the Promised Land. And the very nation of Israel the descendants of Abraham and then Isaac, these same people who are now slaves were themselves the impossible fulfilment of that impossible promise. See, God’s saying to them, ‘I know it looks impossible, I know your present reality is all you can see at the moment but look back at what I’ve already done, look back to the quarry from which you were hewn. How far have I already brought you? Look back at the many impossible promises that I’ve already fulfilled and the many improbably journeys, like Abraham’s, that I’ve already made happen. It’s your heritage it’s your reality. I am that God; I am your God.’ Wow talk about standing on the promises of God Whatever transition you’re traveling through your life at the moment, look back and see how far God’s already brought you, look back at Jesus, look back at the cross, at the tomb, at the grace that God’s already poured out on you, at the many blessings, at the many provisions that he’s already bestowed upon you. However overwhelming your present circumstances may feel, this is your reality. This is who God is; this is who your God is. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, there will be comfort there will be a garden in the dessert the Lord will find a way to restore to you the blessings that he promises. They don’t call it the Good News for nothing. My friend, listen to me. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.   An Uncertain Destiny It’s’ true isn’t it we hate uncertainty. We want everything to be under our control so that we can make sure that we head to the right destination – the destination that we want. It may be that your job’s going just fine, your children are fine, your finances are fine but your marriage is anything but fine. Well what’s going to happen? How’s it going to turn out what can I do? Will it ever change? Will she ever change? Will he ever change? Why can’t things be different and if it’s not your marriage, it could be your job or your finances or your health or perhaps your children. At any point in life there is some part of our lives in transition, from point A to point B and often the outcome is uncertain. Well here’s what I believe, in fact here’s what I know – There is a light at the end of the tunnel. As we saw before the break Israel was at the point of hopelessness – 70 years in exile in slavery und...

Released on 16 May 2021