God Desires to Communicate with Us

Praise the Lord most High for bringing us into a new calendar year! Our goals for this year are: we want to continue our conversation with the Lord, keep walking through His word regularly and intentionally look for things He says to us as His daughters. We have already walked through several books together. We closed out the wisdom books right in time for the holidays. I hope you were all able to glean more from these writings in your private time with God. Let’s jump into the prophetic books. All of these books share common themes: teachings, warnings, calls for repentance and words of encouragement. The authors of these books are people God chose to be His spokesmen, His prophets. Their job was to convey direct messages from God, calling His people to turn back to His commands and away from the world.

Isaiah is the first prophet in this series. His assignment was to deliver a message that many people did not want to hear. During Isaiah’s time, God’s people had allowed their hearts to grow corrupt, centered upon vain emptiness and worldly practices. This sounds much like our world today. Most of the first half of Isaiah you will find God using Isaiah to urge the people to come back to Him and repent. The second half of Isaiah is a message full of hope and forgiveness.

As I prayed and asked God what He wanted me to share with you from these 66 chapters in this book, I heard Him say, “Tell them about Isaiah’s family and My Son.” So Ladies let’s dive in.

Isaiah had 2 sons and his wife is referred to as a prophetess.

Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Ja-Shub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman’s Field. Say to Him, “Be careful keep calm and don’t be afraid.” Isaiah 7:3-4a
The Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shal-Al-Hash-Baz. And I will call in Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberkiah as reliable witnesses for Me. Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said to me, Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. Isaiah 8:1-3

God Desires to Communicate with Us
The first phrase that sticks out to me from each verse, “The Lord said to me.” Ladies did you hear that?-God desires to speak to us! He is a very personal God and He desires to have intimate fellowship with each one of us.

During Isaiah’s time God chose to speak through prophets because the people did not want to be intimate with God. Still now, God will use prophets to speak and reveal His truths. They are called to help us understand His holy scriptures, teach us how to hear His voice and the proper way to respond. Today Jesus calls prophets to edify, encourage, and build His body of believers.(see Ephesians 2:19-22)

Next, God gives Isaiah His instructions and He is very specific about what He wants Him to do. Here again ladies, when God speaks to us, He will tell us exactly what He desires for us to do.

All of us are created for a purpose on purpose. If you haven’t spent any time talking with God and asking Him about your purpose then, I encourage you to go and get His instructions.

Isaiah’s wife is referred to as a prophetess. This means she was also called by God to speak for Him.

As coaches’ wives God has an assignment for each of us. Intimacy and regular fellowship with the Lord gives Him an opportunity to show us His will and assignments for our lives. (see I Corinthians 12, 13 and 14 Spiritual Gifts for the body of Christ).

Last, Isaiah was an Old Testament writer. He wrote the most about the promise of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. I pray you will read this book on your own, so that you can see all of the references made to our Lord.

Let’s end by looking at some of the more familiar scriptures:

He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire Him.
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted.
But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:2-6

Coaching families have one of the best opportunities in our time to influence our world for Christ. The world is always watching what we do. I pray we seek to use all of this attention for His glory.

Father thank You for desiring fellowship with us. Thank You for choosing to be our God. Thank You for making a way through Your Son, Jesus, for us to come back to You. Thank You for the assignments You have given us here in the earth to build, encourage and edify Your body. Thank you for Your word. And thank You for the influence You have given us, in Jesus' name, amen.