When God Doesn’t Move

I would not say that I'm able to predict the future of America in terms of whether there'll be another great revival here or not. That's certainly my hope and prayer, and we’re seeing some inclinations that might lead in that direction. Here’s the thing I want us to consider, though. What if the Lord gives us an Isaiah type calling?

Remember when Isaiah said, “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. …And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. …And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’” (Isaiah 6:1,4,8, ESV)? We often stop at that part with the lesson that when God calls, we should respond, “Here I am! Send me.” 

Don’t get me wrong. We should respond to God that way, but we also need to take in what God tells Isaiah next. “Go, and say to this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed” (Isaiah 6:9-10).   

Basically, God tells him, “Go. But know that they're not going to listen to what you say. Their hearts are going to be cold, and they're going to be far from me. However, you preach the Word faithfully.”

It’s not up to us to only witness where there could be revival or when we’re seeing that our ministry or calling is making a tangible impact. Obviously, that’s our hope and desire, right? We have to be ambassadors for Christ, though, even when there’s no revival or conversions. We have to be faithful and true even when we don’t see any results around us. That’s going to be very hard.

It’s at lot easier to be faithful when we see God dramatically moving and people being saved, but can we be faithful when there are no deliverances or spiritual awakenings happening? Will we still trust in God and testify to his goodness when he isn’t moving? Let’s ask God for the strength to be such steadfast witnesses!