REPEATING CYCLES OF GOOD TIMES AND BAD TIMES

PROCLAMATION

“Till The Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest.”  Isaiah 32:15 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

In chapter thirty-one the prophet Isaiah continues to present the woes which will befall the children of Israel, for relying on Egypt instead of The Lord God, which he began in chapter thirty. (Isaiah 31:1-5)  Isaiah encourages them to return to The Lord and tells them that God will take care of their enemy Assyria. (Isaiah 31:8-9)  In chapter thirty-two Isaiah predicts a time of peace and happiness and prosperity for Israel. (Isaiah 32:1-8)  Then he prophecies to the women that in one year their crops will fail, their great cities will be deserted and abandoned, and their fields will become wastelands. (Isaiah 32:9-14)  After this, The Lord God will pour out His Spirit upon the people and the land and it will become fertile again and there will again be peace in the land. (Isaiah 32:15-20)  one day, there will come a King who will reign in righteousness with justice. (Isaiah 32:1)

APPLICATION

We have become a very proud, complacent, self-indulgent, stingy people and we seek help from everywhere but from The Lord God.  Therefore, like the children of Israel, we will continue to go through periods of good times followed by periods of bad times.  Then we will pray for mercy and act right for a while and The Lord will bless us again, until we start to turn away from Him again.  Our lives are like the mathematical sine wave with repeating cycles of ups and downs.  If we really want our country to be healed, then we need to humble ourselves and pray, and seek God, and turn from our wicked ways before The Lord will hear us and answer our prayers. (2 Chronicles 7:14)  Repent people, the kingdom of God is at hand. (Matthew 4:17 and Mark 1:15)