We all need something to look forward to. Whether it is goal to achieve, a child to be born, a promotion in a job, or a relationship blossoming, we need a future with promise. Why? It provides us with hope. That hope is the driving force that gives us a reason to continue.
God gives us hope, if we will only read his prophecies and promises. The Israelites had hope of the Messiah coming. They looked forward to the Messiah restoring Israel, making them a great nation once again. Their hope carried them through many difficult times.
Though we know today that the Messiah has come and He will return, there are still prophecies and promises from God yet to be fulfilled. Some of those prophecies were made in the Old Testament and some in the New Testament. They all foretell God showing his glory, an eternity spent with him, and his righteous judgment.
In today’s passage, through the prophet Isaiah, we see that God’s house shall be above all. Though Isaiah uses the imagery of a mountain, it should not be taken literally. Often prophecies use figurative visuals to present the Israelites, and us, with an image we can relate to. The point is that God’s house will be the place everyone goes to. They will naturally be attracted to it to worship him. His light will shine all around.
We may hear of “a city on a hill.” The phrase should remind us of God’s prophecy and promise of eternity. It should remind us that we have hope because of those prophecies and promises. That hope can carry us through whatever trial we face. We know there is an eternal home waiting for us.
I pray we all read the prophecies and promises of God. I pray we put our hope in the prophecies and promises of God. I pray each one of us has a hope in God that will carry us through whatever we face. Read God’s Word. Read God’s prophecies and promises. Put your hope in God.
Isaiah 2:2
In days to come
the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
Marty Pressey 