SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 43
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise. Yet you have not called upon me, O Jacob, you have not wearied yourselves for me, O Israel. [Isaiah 43:20-22]
In this chapter Isaiah describes God’s mercy and power on behalf of His people – how He has helped them in the past [a way through the sea, Isaiah 43:16] and will help them through all crises [Isaiah 43:2] – because He loves them, and they are precious to Him!
But God’s frustration is that despite all that He has done for His people, they do not honour or thank Him.
The animals do, but His people do not…
And the worst of it is that this is exactly why He chose and established Israel, Abraham’s children, to let all the nations know about God: my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him–and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” [Luke 17:15-19]
Ten people healed by Jesus of the dreaded skin disease leprosy, but only one comes back to thank Him.
And that one a Samaritan, one of the unregenerate apostates according to the Jews.
Jesus’ frustration, like God’s in Isaiah 43, is that the people who ought to be praising God do not, while the foreigners do.

We need to remember that God’s rescue operation involved human participation.
His counts on people to spread the word, to be His witnesses, to let everyone know that He is God, and good!
He has formed our lives, and worked out His grace, in such a way that we would have reason to tell others about Him.
Yes, God could have gotten the word out without human help (He let the wise men know through the stars), but His purpose from the beginning is to partner with humans – in creation and in recreation.
He chooses and blessed Abraham, so that through Abraham the nations may be blessed.
Jesus sends His disciples to the ends of the earth as His witnesses.
Today, all believers (or ‘the church’) are “my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.”
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. [1 Peter 2:9]

So imagine His frustration now when His chosen witnesses are silent, when they do not respond to God’s mercy by expressing gratitude and praise?
Are we the silent ones, the ones that have been remarkably blessed, formed for God’s praise, yet saying nothing?
If we see the Jesus story as a statistical comparison, might we say that in the church today (at least in the west), 90% are saying nothing, and only 10% are speaking – and usually they are the outsiders, the fringe members.
I can’t back this up with real numbers, but it seems to be true.
Is the church – those called by God to be His witnesses – frustrating God?
Am I?

PRAYER:
Lord, I know that I am hesitant to speak for You outside of church circles, I am always afraid to sound preachy or ‘like a fanatic’. Help me to speak openly, honestly, humbly, in a way that makes You look good!