For Zion's Sake I Will Not Rest

In one paragraph

Brian opened Isaiah 62 as the beginning of a multi-week series, but before getting there he set the table with context from across the book of Isaiah. The thread running through the whole service was the idea that God is faithful to his people even when he disciplines them, and that worship, prayer, and Scripture are not passive habits but active weapons. The service began with a time of open...

Read together

1. Romans 10:17 quoted by a friend of the man with cancer, on faith coming by hearing the word of God
2. Proverbs (unspecified verse) Nate quoted it during his word about fallow ground and abundant food in the poor man's untilled soil
3. Jeremiah 23:18 Steve read it as an invitation to stand in the counsel of the Lord
4. Isaiah 62:1-12 the full chapter read aloud by members of the congregation as the main text for the series
5. Isaiah 1:11-14 God's rejection of Israel's empty ritual worship, incense and festivals described as disgusting and burdensome
6. Isaiah 29:13 God says the people honor him with their lips but their hearts are far from him, worship reduced to man-made rules learned by rote
7. Isaiah 6:1-8 Isaiah's vision of the Lord on the throne, the seraphim crying holy, Isaiah's undone response, and his yes to being sent
8. Isaiah 1:25 God says he will raise his fist against Israel, melt them down and skim off their slag, removing impurities
9. Isaiah 48:10 God says he has refined Israel not as silver but in the furnace of suffering
10. Isaiah 30:19-21 the Lord waits to show compassion, the bread of adversity, and the voice behind you saying this is the way walk in it
11. Psalm 91 Brian read portions aloud during the silent intercession for the 203 hostages held in Gaza

What was said

• Open Psalms 91 this week and pray it aloud over someone you know who is in danger or suffering.
• Write down the names of the 203 hostages held in Gaza on something you will see daily, and take one minute to pray for them.
• If you have snow boots, snow pants, coats, gloves, or mittens in any size that you can spare, drop them off at the TMC this week for the Riverton trip.
• Pick a moment this week to sit quietly and ask the Lord what he is saying to you, rather than scrolling a news or social media feed, treating it as choosing to stand in the counsel of the Lord rather than the counsel of the world.
• Read through Isaiah 62 on your own before next Sunday so you are ready to join the conversation when Brian picks up the themes from the chapter.

Talk about it

1. Brian described Israel going through the motions of worship while their hearts were far from God, and God calling that out plainly. Where do you see that same drift toward habit over heart in your own life?
2. Brian talked about the Lord putting the signature page on top of the contract, asking Isaiah to say yes before knowing the details. What has God asked you to commit to before you could see where it was going, and how did that go?
3. During the time of silent intercession for the hostages, Brian shared that he felt the Lord say he would weaponize worship if asked. What does it mean to you that worship could have a real, tangible effect beyond the room you are in?
4. Isaiah chapter one describes God saying he hated the religious gatherings of people whose hearts had drifted, while Isaiah chapter 62 shows him as a God who waits to show compassion. How do you hold those two pictures of God together?
5. Brian read from Isaiah 30 about a voice behind you saying this is the way, walk in it. Is there an area of your life right now where you are trying to figure things out in your own strength rather than turning to that voice?