When it feels like there are areas of our life that are kind of in the ruins, it can cause us to ask some big questions. Questions like: Where is all of this heading? Does God still have a plan for my life? Does God still have a plan for this broken, sinful world? Or is life just about moving from circumstance to circumstance? Those were the same questions the Israelites were asking while they were in Babylonian exile. Even in the midst of their disobedience and idolatry, they remembered something about being the chosen people of God. They remembered something about God having some kind of ultimate plan and that they were somehow a part of that plan. This chapter helps us clearly see what God had in mind.

This week we are looking at Isaiah 58:1-12. It’s a reminder that life "beyond the ruins" is not just about going through the motions of religiosity. It’s about bringing heaven to earth. It’s about living out Jesus’ prayer that God’s kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven. In First Baptist as it is in Heaven. It’s a radical and counter-cultural calling that will change us, change our community and change the world.

Isaiah uses two metaphors to help us better understand this new kingdom that the “servant of the Lord” is building and the impact it has on our lives.

The focus on the second half of Isaiah is someone he calls “the servant of the Lord.” This is part of what is generally referred to as the “servant songs.” In these “servant songs” Isaiah prophesies about this mysterious figure that is coming in the future who is going to bring Israel out of the ruins and bring the salvation of God not just to the Israelites but to the world.

The next part of the story begins in chapter 42. The people are in Babylon. Everything that they have known from their past has been destroyed. And just like most of us would be doing, they are wondering where is God in all of this? But God will not leave his people in the midst of the ruins. The Servant of the Lord is coming. God is doing a new thing and his people will sing a new song.

Isaiah hears the call to communicate a difficult message that the city will one day lie in ruins. Yet, he accepts the call by answering, “Here I am, send me!” He comes face-to-face with the holiness of God that shifts his focus inward instead of outward and because of that is given the courage to speak out and use his voice.

Life is hard, but there are promises to grip, strategies to employ. Flee evil and pursue intimacy with your Creator. Uproot what is broken and cultivate what is life-giving. Make war on what is destructive and rest in the God who loves you.

The only solution to spiritual, emotional, and physical exhaustion is a spiritual, emotional, and physical rhythm of rest. Jesus, our Shepherd, invites us to join Him in a new type of life where our souls can be truly refreshed.

God created humans, and in the very next scene, He rested. From the beginning of human history, He has been training us to live to the beat of His heart, resting in Him before all else. We were created to work out of our rest, not rest from our work.

Unlocking your inner conqueror. Stare down your fears, shatter your insecurities. Shake off the apathy trying to hold you back. You’re not a prisoner—you’re a Conqueror. What you fear the most reveals what you value the most. In the fourth and final week of Conqueror, we will emphasize the importance of overcoming fear and trusting God.