Devotions

“O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children” (Isaiah 54:11-13, KJV).

This is an amazing prophecy! The “pleasant stones” mentioned in verse 12 are jewels. Most everyone knows that a diamond was once just a piece of coal that has been worked on by the elements for years. God’s Word is telling us, “Your afflictions are meant to change you into something beautiful — something precious to me.” 

The “windows of agates” are a type of quartz, made transparent by fire. The “windows” aspect has to do with eyes or vision. God is saying that trusting him through your afflictions will give you clear vision, discernment. It will allow you to see into the unseen — with crystal clarity!

Most scholars believe the phrase “gates of carbuncles” more accurately reads “gates of pearl.” Pearls form from a grain of sand in the belly of an oyster. The grain is injected with fluid and then grated and irritated until it becomes a pearl.

When you think of all the grating, irritation and friction in your life, can you visualize a pearl being formed? Most of us can only feel the pain and agitation of being rubbed the wrong way; it takes real trust to envision a pearl being fashioned by God. Nonetheless, every pearl is a memento of suffering, pain, friction and time.

I believe Isaiah is talking about the beauty of Jesus Christ in this passage. In other words, affliction, when allowed to accomplish its work, brings about a people who shine forth the beauty of Christ’s character. We are made into precious jewels that will adorn His holy city coming down from heaven.

The secret to understanding how God delivers us from afflictions can be found in comprehending how he delivered Israel from their bondage.

“Now these things happened to them as examples and they were written for our admonition” (1 Corinthians 10:11)

Everything that happened to Israel — their bondage, their trials, their deliverance out of Egypt — are testimonies, patterns and examples to us today. Indeed, Israel’s physical deliverance represents the spiritual deliverance we are to see.

Have you ever wondered why Israel didn’t rise up in rebellion while in bondage under Pharaoh? After all, he was forcing them to make bricks without straw and commanding his taskmasters to beat them. Why didn’t the Israelites take matters into their own hands?  They certainly had the needed manpower, especially after the ten plagues, when Egypt was devastated, weak and in mourning. Even Pharaoh admitted, “The people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we” (Exodus 1:9).

The reason Israel never rebelled is because they could not have succeeded! It was God’s work to do for them. The Lord told Moses, “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them” (Exodus 3:7-8).

God clearly states, “I know their sorrows.” Beloved, if that doesn’t give you comfort in your affliction, nothing will. The Lord is saying, “I know what you’re going through, what you’re feeling. But this is not your battle. Your taskmaster, the devil, is too much for you so I have come down to deliver you.”

“I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God” (Exodus 6:6-7).

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:4-8).

What do you really focus on? Do you get all wrapped up in the most broken thing in your life, or concentrate on that one area that is not functioning well? If we aren’t careful, we can become obsessed with one problem and forget the many beautiful things God is doing.

A few years ago, my wife and I bought a new car. It was so quiet and I loved driving it. But one day a pebble flew up off the pavement and hit the windshield, causing just a little defect. I put off getting it fixed and little by little that small hole started to enlarge and before long it was all I could think about. Every time I thought about my beautiful new car, I fixated on that damaged window that was getting worse and worse because of my neglect.

That happens in our lives sometimes. Things that are meant to be precious gifts from God become obscured by a little (or not so little) annoyance and we begin to murmur, complain, compare. And instead of walking in victory and gratitude, we are consumed by the broken parts.  

Paul is addressing this here, instructing us to practice living an overcoming life of joy and thanksgiving, thinking and speaking of things that are pure and noble and worthy. The glorious result is that the God of peace will be with us!  

We are living in the last days and the world as we know it is going to plunge into unspeakable darkness. Biblical prophecy is unfolding before us daily, and soon we will see Jerusalem encompassed by armies.

Jesus warned that in the last days, many false prophets are going to arise and many Christians are going to be deceived (see Matthew 24:11). Let me tell you why they are going to be deceived: Quite simply, because they are not staying in the Word of God! They are following books, fads, and fancy speakers — but they are not opening the text of the Bible.

Remember, the Bible is a living Word. “The entrance of Your words gives light” (Psalm 119:130). “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 3, 14). “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:11-12).

The Word of God is alive with the power to create and recreate the human heart. It has the power to give sight, freedom, hope and strength. And perhaps most importantly of all in this generation, the Word provides direction. There will be a myriad of confusing voices sent by hell itself to divert the people of God and ensnare the lazy, yet God promises that his Word will be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (see Psalm 119:105).

Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 at the invitation of the founding pastor, David Wilkerson, and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001.

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11). The love for each other described here is not a mere handshake, a quick hug or flattery. No, this kind of love sees another’s need and does something about it. In fact, according to John, if we see our brother in need and do nothing, the love of God is not in us.

“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Obviously, loving one another pleases God, but it is impossible to love others until you are fully assured of God’s love for you. John writes, “God is love and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (4:16). We simply cannot love others until this truth has been firmly established in us: “In spite of all my weaknesses and failures, God loves me!” If you are convinced of God’s love for you, his love will flow out of you naturally.

If we hold a grudge against a brother or sister, we do not possess God’s love. Moreover, if we withhold forgiveness from another, God withholds his forgiveness from us. So love is not just something to talk about. It is a matter of doing, acting, living.   

If you truly want to please God, the Lord will open your eyes to the needs of those around you. Selfish Christians do not know this kind of love for others. The gift of caring is given only to those who seek it and pray for it. The Spirit of Christ will alert you to the needs of others, causing you to cry, “Brother, sister, let me help. I want to stand with you during this difficult time.” God will send you one person after another in need — yet it won’t be a burden. On the contrary, it will thrill you because you will share in God’s own joy!