What About Power?

What would you do if you had the governor's powers and options for one week? If you could do anything the law allowed a governor to do, what would you do? What would you do if you had the powers and options of the president of the United States for one week? If you could do anything the law permits a president to do, what would you do? If you had the right and the power to rewrite the tax laws of this nation, what would you do? What changes would you make in the tax code? If you had the right and the power to change the Social Security system, what changes would you make? How would you make the system different? Please allow me to ask this one silly question, if you had any superpower in the world…, what would it be and how would you use it?

Suppose you were given those rights and powers with a condition. The condition was simple. You had to personally witness the impact of your choices on the lives of each man, woman, and child affected by your decisions. Suppose for just one day, 24 hours, you could function in God's position. For just one day, you could see what God sees. You could hear what God hears. You saw and knew the hearts and the motives of every individual. You saw and knew every expression of evil in people and their actions. Suppose that just for one day you saw everything evil that occurred in the entire world. Suppose worldwide you saw every child who was abused, and you saw every child’s abuser. You knew what happened within each child because of the abuse. You knew exactly why the abuser committed those horrible acts and used those horrible words. Suppose for just one day worldwide you saw every spouse who was abused, and you saw the husband or wife who was the abuser. You knew what happened within the adult who was abused. You knew exactly why the abuser committed those horrible acts and used those horrible words. Suppose that just for one day worldwide you saw every assault, every injustice, every murder, every person in despair, and every person in grief, every hurting heart, you saw how the life of every victim was affected. You knew the motives of every person who committed the evil and suppose on that day that you had God's power.

What would you do? How would you use your knowledge and power? Before the Babylonian empire captured the nation of Judah and placed them in captivity, God gave Judah a special message through His prophet Isaiah. God through Isaiah made it very clear that their evil had reached a level that He could no longer ignore or forgive. They were so thoroughly evil and rebellious that they were like a person that did not have a single, healthy place on their body (Isaiah 1:4-6). Their worship so sickened God that He hid His eyes when they sacrificed and closed His ears when they prayed (Isaiah 1:10-15). The city of Jerusalem was like a prostitute who helped murders and thieves take advantage of widows and orphans (Isaiah 1:21-23). God promised that the time of reckoning would come soon, and He would punish all their evil (Isaiah 1:24-31).  As God continued to speak to Judah through Isaiah, basically Isaiah declared two things. God documented their evil and proved they were a wicked people. God promised that vengeance and devastation would consume Jerusalem and all the people of Judah, and it happened. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, starved Jerusalem into submission. Israelites were taken as captives to Babylon. They lost the "good life" and became slaves.

The city of Jerusalem and the temple were completely destroyed. The city and its walls were reduced to rubble. The rubble served as a home for wild animals. After Judah was taken captive into Babylon, God through Isaiah invited Judah to come home to Jerusalem (Isaiah 55). Within this chapter the structure is fascinating.

First God speaks (55:1-5). "All you exiles who realize how much you need Me, come to the waters. Then Isaiah speaks (55:6-7). Then God speaks (55:8-11). Then Isaiah speaks (55:12-13). I pray you will take time to read this conversation with God within these passages. We spend much time trying to figure God out. We ask, “Why did God do this or that?” We wonder in amazement how we landed in the chaotic situation we find ourselves, and then blame God for our circumstances. Let’s stop trying to figure God out. Let’s just abide in Him through faithful obedience. Let’s follow Him because we trust Him.