Impossible!

The prophet, encouraging the children of Israel as they were living in oppression and suppression and exiled in a foreign land, said:

“Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.” (Isa 54:1)

Isaiah was encouraging the suffering people of God with words that were hard to understand because the words spoken were not possible with human understanding. With God, less is more. With Gideon, it was not 30,000 that God used it was 300 that won the victory. It was Elijah alone that won the battle against the godless government of Ahab and Jezebel.

When the Prophet said, “Sing, O barren” he was simply making the same observation that Jesus made about living a life not only believing in God but trusting in Him:

“With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Mat 19:26)

Living a life for Jesus often seems fruitless. We live in the present, wonder about the past and worry about the future. Jesus gives His followers this advice:

“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Mat 6:34)

As a follower, “We see through a glass, darkly.” (1 Co 13:12) Satan seeks to discourage you from living a life as a witness and proclaimer of the grace of God because we cannot see the full effects of our desire to share the love of God to the lost and undone. We are encouraged to not falter in our service to God with these words:

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Gal 6:9)

We seldom see the effects of a kind word spoken to a stranger or the effects of the gospel shared in the lives of the lost and undone. Many people are discouraged having never seen the harvest of a soul in the planting of the seeds of hope. Rest assured:

“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isa 55:11)

Sometimes we need to be reminded that we are only sowers of the hope of the Gospel of Jesus:

“So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” (1 Co 3:7)

As long as you are a planter or a waterer of the gospel you are not fruitless in your labor in the work of the Gospel of Jesus. Our faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus, as we proclaim God’s love for His creation, should be our way of life. We do not share the gospel because we are encouraged by others. We share the gospel because we are empowered by God’s Spirit for this very purpose.

Jesus said when the Holy Spirit was given to you it empowered you as well as indwelled you. As Jesus ascended to Heaven He said:

“Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Act 1:8)

You are living a life of faith, walking by faith, seeing by faith. Trusting God, not only for your eternal future, but your “here and now.” Are you living a life of faith and  not looking for daily results or verifiable evidence that God is indeed using you in His work?

We must not measure our value to God’s work by the “harvest” we see. We must by faith serve our Lord, friend and brother without validation but because of who He is. The Word of God encourages you to:

“Not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Gal 6:9)

Let’s do what the old gospel hymn tells us:

We’ll work till Jesus comes,

We’ll work till Jesus comes,

We’ll work till Jesus comes,

And we’ll be gathered home.