Hosanna Restoration Church

I think it is safe to say that we have all been stumped by the Word of God from time to time. By this I mean that what we read seems to go against what we previously understood. For instance, in this portion of scripture God has instructed Isaiah to tell the people not to understand, because if they did understand then they might turn to God and be healed. We know that God does not want anyone to perish, so why in the world would He want them to fail to see or understand?

When I am stumped by the Word, I tend to act on what I do know and pray that the rest will be revealed. For that reason when I look at Isaiah chapter six I focus on the promise of being healed! I do not take it as God trying to keep me away, but rather I see that there is a way to be restored. I also focus on the fact that we are reminded that everything is about the Holy God and not about me. Isaiah said he would go and God said tell them this.

So if I tell you to be sure not to get anything out of this because if you do it may hold the very answers you have been looking for; what would your response be? Would you quit reading or would you determine not to be kept from what God has in mind for you?

There are things in life that stump us. They not only confuse us, but leave us with wounds and scars. When a branch breaks on a tree we know it needs to be taken off. When things in life break our branches, we know they need to be taken off as well and that the sooner we do it the better. If we believe God, we know that He is able to restore us no matter how reduced we may be, but sometimes, we are just slow to let the stumping process fix us.

As I considered this it occurred to me that each of us are like a forest of faith. We have blooming trees that look so healthy. In other words we have areas of our faith where we are strong and flourishing. We also find in our forests those parts that have been reduced to stumps. In some cases we are now ready to grow up strong and healthy and in other cases we refuse to even visit those stumps so that they can grow up the way that God desires. We try to hide those stumps and wave our strong trees as a distraction so that no one notices while we hope that God will be satisfied with that.

We must understand that those stumps are Holy seeds and that they are intended to be greater than all the trees and that in fact they will supply the needed part to make the whole thing better. Isaiah Chapter 7 speaks of the Holiest of all seeds and that seed is Christ. The healer and restorer of all things came from the stump. He came when it seemed there was nothing left. The greatest came from the least. Does that sound familiar?

Being stumped often leads to the greatest revelations. Some of our greatest technological advances have come as a last resort. Your greatest revelations from God are yet to come. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. Keep asking. Always return to Him. Don’t despise reductions. Plan on them turning into great and wonderful things and always remember it is not about you, it is about the Kingdom of God.