Timeless Truths ................................................................Pages

Sing, oh Mountains!

Isaiah 49:13: “Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people, And will have mercy on His afflicted.”

The prophet Isaiah lived about 2,700 years ago. Around that time, the Assyrians invaded the northern part of Israel and forced many people into exile. More than a hundred years later, the Babylonians conquered the southern part of Israel, destroying Jerusalem and the Temple, and forcing people into exile once again. Before the Babylonian takeover, many prophets had warned of this happening, but God’s people paid no attention and refused to amend their ways. Many people were also killed at that time, but the Lord never forgot them; nor will He forget us.

Sometimes we feel, though, that God has forgotten us, especially when we are afflicted with troubles. They cause us to waver in such a way that we don’t rest on the promises of God. We become weak and stumble, and fall. But Isaiah 49:15 tells us,

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.” The Lord’s affection for His people is greater than the devotion a woman has for her nursing child. How could He, who chose you in Christ to save you before the foundation of the world, ever forget you? Yet, God’s people complained that their God had forgotten them. And because of their unfaithfulness to Him, He faithfully disciplined them because He will not and cannot let

them walk in the error of their ways. When God disciplines us, we murmur and complain. We become depressed and despondent. But God tests us in order to prove what is in our hearts, desiring that this will humble us and teach us to rely on Him. The goal of God’s discipline is to always bring His people back to Him. Isaiah 54:7-8 says, “’For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,’ says the Lord your Redeemer.” Unfortunately, as long as we are filled with fear and anxiety, we doubt God. God reminds the doubting Jewish nation that He will protect and free His people and return them to their land. Despite their hardships, the Lord never forgot the children of Israel, whether they were exiled in Babylon or scattered all over the earth. God’s purposes are to be fulfilled there. Those who try to ruin that will be defeated and the land will become well populated and prosperous again. Isaiah 49:22-23 says, “Behold, I will lift up My hand in an oath to the nations, and set up My standard for the peoples; they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders; kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers;

they shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick up the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord, for they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.” God is saying, “I’ll fight with those that fight with you.” Any nation that opposes the Jews is contending with the eternal God of heaven. We need confirmation and convincing that we have a cause to rejoice and be happy. We need to remember that whenever the Lord promises anything, we ought to be thankful and hopeful in the power of a God who has dominion over all the heavens and the earth and everything in it. When He lifts His hands, the heavens and earth are moved. Jesus’ nail-scarred hands prove how much He loves us… He has engraved us on the palms of His hands! This engraving is a present and permanent

Sing, oh Mountains!

memorial by which He remembers us. We have been cut into God’s flesh. How can we think that God could ever forget us? Isaiah 53:5 says, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”

God disciplines us with His fatherly love that we may become godly. His ultimate purpose is to conform us to the image of the Lord Jesus. We should consider it a privilege and blessing to receive His discipline, for without holiness, no one can see God or have fellowship with Him. These truths remind us that, even amid challenges or discipline, we should praise the Lord in all things and be glad because of the blessings of grace, peace, pardon, righteousness and salvation.

In prayer, enter the presence of His sanctuary and listen to what He speaks to you in your heart. Read your Bible and look to the cross. Then you will know the truth: “Yet I am always with You, You hold me by my right hand” (Psalm 73:23). When all human love fails, God’s love will see you through.

We may wander and sin; God will discipline us when we do. But He will never leave us or forsake us. He will restore us, heal us, and comfort us. He will not treat us as illegitimate children, who nobody cares for. We are children of God; God will rebuke us and correct us when we stray.

We all have tough days, and they can be hard. On such days, we need to recognize that every day we are breathing is a gift from God. Jesus is the very reason every Christian has hope and peace amid the battles and storms of life. Through our trials, we can know God’s faithfulness and can rest in His love in such a way that we can face any challenge.

Before my feet hit the floor every morning, my heart is singing Psalm 118:24: "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Our God is an allpowerful God; nothing in all creation can withstand His power. Kings and rulers will rise up and worship Him; true religion will reach the four quarters of the globe.

We are to be glad because we have been delivered from sin and from the effects of the Fall. Even heaven and earth are asked to join in this great celebration. So let us rejoice in that hope and in the glory of God with the presence of the Holy Spirit abiding in us, guiding us through our lives, every step of the way.

"Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts." (Colossians 3:16)

WOOD Ministries