the Vine

Immanuel, this prophetic name meaning “God with us”, was shot like an arrow through the mouth of Isaiah, flying through the centuries, finally finding its mark, its full resting place in Jesus Christ. What does this mean? That Jesus is the proof. Jesus is the sign. Jesus himself is “God with us.” He is God come close to us. Not far away, not unfeelingly distant, not untouchable. He is God right here. Not waiting up in the sky somewhere, demanding that you climb up there to Him. Not waiting in some deep, dark depths, waiting till you die to meet your Maker. He meets us in this place, right here, somewhere between heaven and hell.

As we walk through the wilderness experiences of life and read the words in Isaiah 35, we catch a prophetic vision for what will happen here, in this very place. We begin to understand, or perhaps remember, that God even now offers spiritual life to us, even when everything around us looks like a desert.

The desert wilderness is always a low, low place on life’s journey but God’s mercy, like water, always flows to the lowest part. Like streams in the desert.

"Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit." (Isaiah 11:1) What is this? This is mercy. Yes, the stump of Jesse is the proof of our own failure. But there is mercy even here, especially here. God delights to bring hope from hopeless situations, to bring life where no one thought it could possibly happen. Mercy is the outpouring of God’s abundant love on people who haven’t done anything to deserve it. Mercy is a shoot growing from the stump of Jesse. Mercy is waiting for you and me.

The birth of Jesus Christ is the beginning of this new reality, heaven meets earth first in his person. The Kingdom that is coming breaks through in the night cry of a baby. His life, his teachings, his miracles, his sacrificial death on a cross, his resurrection his commissioning of his disciples, all of them the breaking in of this new reality, all of them glimpses of the kingdom that is here… but only in part. 

We’re leading our world the best that we can, but even with all our good will, knowledge, influence and wisdom combined over centuries, well, this is what we’ve done with the place. Somehow, despite the whole of human history and experience to prove that it isn’t possible, we still long for something that we haven’t seen yet.

‌Whether we realize it or not, we’re truly waiting for a kingdom we haven’t yet seen, we’re waiting for the king we were promised

God doesn't bless what the world prequalifies as worthy. Not one of us can get ourselves into the position to be blessed by God. God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong, what is foolish to shame the wise, what is insignificant and despised in the world, what’s viewed as nothing, “to bring to nothing what is viewed as something.” (1 Cor 1:27-28) God reached out to rest his hand of blessing and we all thought his hand was passing us by. But then he sent his Son into the world, sent him to live among us, sent him to die in our place. And God’s hand began to move, and the earth began to shake, and the veil in the temple was torn in two, and God crossed his hands, and the blessing due to God’s one and only Son, the firstborn over all creation, instead rested upon you.

Providence means God finely tuned the entire universe. He’s had the whole world in his hands from the very beginning. And providence means he’s still got the whole world in his hands, that nothing happens outside of his sight and outside of his governance. Just as all things are finely tuned in the universe, so is God even now finely tuning everything according to his plans. Joseph trusted in the providence of God, even when he could not see it. And ultimately, Joseph rejoiced in the providence of God, when God’s purposes were at last (partially) revealed.

We are so accustomed to doubting faith. What if we tried something different? What if we doubted our doubts instead? I want you to be like Pharaoh so that one day you can be like Joseph.‌ Pharaoh trusted the word that came from God enough to stake everything upon them. Joseph trusted God himself enough to stake everything upon Him

‌Joseph wasn't playing for short term gains. Joseph was playing the long game of moral integrity and courage, of walking with God in all his ways. His loving loyalty to God was not situational; he didn’t lay his loyalty to the side when the circumstances would have allowed it. Joseph played the long game of faithfulness, what some have called “a long obedience in the same direction”. Remember: 

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Have you ever been disappointed with God? Disappointment assumes that this is where the story ends, that everything significant that could happen has already happened and now this is the reality I have to live in. Disappointment stops reading in the middle of the story because it cannot see how what I once thought was true could somehow still be true in the middle of this dark night of the soul. But the word “yet” is a word of hope. Its an affirmation that even you cannot possibly see how this all ends. Its a word of hope that you don’t necessarily have to “feel”. But the more we say it, the more we acknowledge that the story isn’t over, that The pen is still in the author’s hands.

Like Joseph when we meet him in Genesis 37, your story is still being written. Even when disappointment has settled in and you can’t see a way forward. If you’ll look, you’ll see, the Lord is with you. Your story will be the story, not of your struggles alone, but of God’s faithfulness to fulfill all his promises.