Crisis ConvertedSample
Theme: Reenacting the Exodus
Crisis Converted Then:
The prophet helps the Israelites in Babylonian captivity understand what God is about to do by invoking imagery of the Exodus. The Israelites understood the stories of the Exodus as their country's own birth story. God used Moses to bring them out of captivity, rescuing them from slavery through the water and bringing them into the land he promised. The connections between the Exodus and a return from Babylonian exile is clear. Just as the Israelites did not thirst in the desert but drank from a rock, in the same way the Israelites will now escape from the Babylonians and have their needs met.
Crisis Converted Now:
There is a contemporary worship song by Elevation Worship called “Do It Again.” The basic concept of the song is that God continually acts over and over again in the same way on behalf of his people. The chorus of the song sings, “You made a way, where there was no way. And I believe I’ll see you do it again.” This is the same concept in Isaiah 48:20-22. What God has done so many times before for the salvation and restoration of his people, he will do again in our lives today. If we will obey, he will take away the chaos, turmoil and destruction. Instead, he will give us peace like a river, well-being like the waves of the sea, and descendants like the sand. Our names will never be forgotten. Just like he’s done before, he will do it again.
Scripture
About this Plan
This study from Isaiah 40-55 explores our identity as people affected by trauma but living in hope. In the exile, God’s nation had to find new life when their old life had been completely overturned and destroyed. Similarly, we now find ourselves trying to “return to normal” in the aftermath of a global pandemic. Yet, God can take any crisis and convert it for his glory and our growth.
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