Calling Forth People of Faith

The prophet Isaiah says godly people dream great things, not just for themselves but for the needy. He speaks of godly people standing up for the lost and serving the outcast.

“You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

“Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply” (Isaiah 58:5-9).

What a beautiful vision of God’s glory manifesting through his people, and what a powerful corrective to our concept of how to serve him. God is calling forth a people who induce faith, defeat Satan, and spread love and hope. The destinations he lays out for us may be beyond our imagination to the world, but they cannot be to those who take on his name.

A living faith brings life-giving results. “Thus says the Lord God: ‘This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them: to increase their people like a flock’” (Ezekiel 36:37). As our faith increases, so do the results that God brings.

When your dream, your ambition, your goal is fulfilled, will it be a blessing to many? Ask Jesus to lead you into the mission and purpose he has for you to serve others and bring honor to his name.