Three Powerful Advices from Isaiah: Living by God’s Grace and Power
The book of Isaiah is not only a prophecy about the Messiah, but also contains living truths that provide powerful advice and encouragement for the Christian life. We will explore three key pieces of advice from Isaiah.
- Be Ready to Bless Instead of Judge (Isaiah 61:1-2)
Isaiah 61:1-2 is a prophecy about Jesus being anointed by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the gospel of salvation. This is also the passage that Jesus read in His first sermon in Nazareth (Luke 4:19). It is noteworthy that He stopped at announcing “the year of the Lord’s favor,” without mentioning “the day of God’s vengeance.” This is because that day of judgment has not yet come.
This contrast shows an overwhelming ratio of grace to judgment: 365 days of grace to 1 day of judgment. This clearly demonstrates that God desires to show us grace rather than judge us.
Our attitude toward others should also follow this truth. We should be 365 times more willing to bless and show mercy than to judge them. God comes to remove every burden and replace it with a spirit of praise (Isaiah 61:3). Furthermore, He clothes us with the righteousness of Christ, making us His bride (Isaiah 61:10). This is truly a blessed way of life.
- Exchange Human Strength for Divine Strength (Isaiah 40:29-31)
Isaiah 40:29-31 teaches that Almighty God will give us strength when we are weak. Even young, strong people can get tired and exhausted trying to serve God in their own strength.
But the wonderful promise is: “Those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
Another translation of this verse says: “Those who wait for the Lord will exchange their strength.” This means that we give our finite human strength to God, and He gives us His divine strength in exchange! Hallelujah!
In serving God, we need His supernatural strength, His resurrection power – not just in spirit but also in body. When we trust and exchange our strength with God, we will bear fruit for Him even in old age (Psalm 92:14).
- Let God’s Glory Be Revealed in You (Isaiah 40:3-5)
Isaiah 40:3-5, often understood as a prophecy about John the Baptist preparing the way for the Lord, also has four important applications for our lives:
“Every valley must be exalted” (v. 4): The new covenant has no place for discouragement or sadness. We should not feel self-conscious or worthless. God is our encourager, He has lifted us up in Christ and given us dignity. We are children of the King, and He lifts our heads high.
“Every mountain must be made low” (v. 4): All pride and arrogance in us must be brought low. Humility is the foundation for God’s glory to be revealed.
“The rough places must become smooth” (v. 4): There can be a lot of roughness in our lives. These need to be smoothed over, and we need to become gentler and gentler in our dealings with others.
“The crooked paths must become straight” (v. 4, Luke 3:5): The crooked, unrighteous areas of our lives—such as money matters or dishonest behavior—need to be straightened out. This is the essence of repentance: valleys are exalted, mountains are made low, rough places are smoothed, and crooked paths are made straight.
When we do these things, the glory of God will be revealed in our bodies. Others will see the glory of Jesus Christ present through our lives.