Isaiah

Hundreds of years before the Messiah arrived in Bethlehem, Isaiah prophesied about him many times. And when modern readers turn to this Old Testament prophet, passages related to Christmas can’t help but leap from the page. Prophesies about a great light, a child born, someone named Immanuel, a suffering servant, the lamb of God, and, of course, the prince of peace.

To help unpack this book of Christmas prophecies, Charles Morris speaks to Ray Ortlund Jr., Old Testament scholar and son of Haven’s third Speaker. If you are a longtime listener to Haven, his voice will be immediately recognizable. A pastor to pastors, Ray is the perfect person to help you reflect on the powerful themes of Christmas and the cross in the book of Isaiah.

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How is the Lord helping you?

What a wonderful question. Someone asked me this recently about a trial I am going through: my husband is deployed with the U.S. Army for the first year of my son’s life. He left three weeks after our son’s birth. We are now five months in, with seven to go. What seemed impossible when we got the news—me parenting a newborn alone, in a sleep-deprived state—has been made possible by God’s providences.

God has given me teenagers who volunteered to clean my house and watch my son so I could get a break. He has given me a church that prays diligently. He has given me an iPad, through my uncle, so that father and son can see each other better over FaceTime. He has given me a two-month reprieve at my parent’s house on a peaceful inlet in Washington State. He has even helped me find my wallet when I was imagining waiting days to get a new debit card, and thereby grocery money.

Another woman asked, “Is God meeting your needs?” Then she laughed. “Of course He is,” she said. “How is He meeting your needs?

What if, instead of asking people how they are, we asked them how God was meeting them in their current trials? We would be pointing each other to where our eyes should be focused: the Cross, God’s promises, and God’s blessings.

We would be helping each other remember that God met our biggest need when Jesus became a lowly man, was cut off from His Father, died, and then rose again, opening the door for us to follow Him into Heaven.

So do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
— Isaiah 41:10

God’s promises are sure, because His biggest promise—to rescue us from our sinful state—has already been fulfilled.

Lindsey M. Roberts is the editor of the All About Jesus blog. After seven years in secular journalism, she is thrilled to explore in words how everything—from taking a walk to doing the dishes—is an opportunity to meet and glorify God. Lindsey lives with her husband and newborn son in Virginia.