Solemn pleadings for revival
‘Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew
their
strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come
near
together to judgment.’ Isaiah 41:1
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Psalm 85:1–13
The text is a challenge to the heathen to enter into a debate
with the living God. The Lord bids them argue at their best, and let the controversy
be calmly carried out to its issues, so as to be decided once for all.
He bids them be quiet, reflect and consider, in order that with renewed
strength they may come into the discussion and defend their gods if they can.
He urges them not to bring flippant arguments, but such as have cost them
thought and have weight in them, if such arguments can be.
He bids them be quiet till they are prepared to speak, and then,
when they can produce their strong reasons and set their cause in the best possible
light, he challenges them to enter the lists and see if they can maintain for a
moment that their gods are gods or anything better than deceit and falsehood.
We also who worship the Lord God Most High have a controversy with him.
We have not seen his church and his cause prospering in the
world as we could desire; as yet heathenism is not put to the rout by
Christianity, neither does the truth everywhere trample down error; nations are
not born in a day; the kingdoms of the world have not become the kingdom of our
Lord and of his Christ. We desire to reason with God about this, and he himself
instructs us how to prepare for this sacred debate.
He bids us be silent, consider and then draw near to him with
holy boldness, plead with him, produce our cause and bring forth our strong
reasons. It seems to me that at the beginning of the year I cannot suggest to
Christian people a more urgent topic than this, that we should plead with God
that he would display among us greater works of grace than as yet our eyes have
seen.
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