** Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea. ** Isaiah 24:15
Reading through the book of Isaiah, this verse grabbed my attention. In several of our latest posts, we have talked about our walk with God. In others, we have talked about how to deal with conflict and suffering. Isaiah teaches us how to glorify the Lord in the middle of the fire.
In the Reina Valera 1960 Spanish Bible, fires is translated ‘valles’ which means ‘valleys’.
In English or in Spanish, whether you are going through a fiery trial or a deep valley, we are encouraged to glorify the Lord in the middle of both.
I’d like to try and break down this verse so that we can take a closer look.
Glorify.
Glorify means– to praise, give thanks, worship, or sing a song. So, one way we can get through a tough time is by focusing directly on the One who can help us in our trial. We can praise Him for His Qualities. We can thank Him for all that He has done in the past and for what He is about to do with our current problem.
We can take time to really consider all that the Lord is and bow in worship and prayer before Him and His power and sovereignty.
And then we can sing. When I am really struggling and getting buried under my circumstances, singing can really break through the cold hardness of my own spirit, and any anxiety or worry I might be experiencing which frees me up to hear from the Holy Spirit. It gets me out of my head and opens my heart again.
Our style of music and songs of praise are a very individual thing, but our verse says that we can glorify the Lord using His name.
Wonderful. Counselor. Mighty God. Jesus. Yahweh. Prince of Peace. El-Shaddai. Adonai. Jehovah. Jah. Jehovah-Jireh. Jehovah-Tsidkenu. Jehovah-Shalom. Jehovah-Nissi. The Bread of Life. The Light. The Good Shepherd.
Fiery trials are a great time to delve deep into the names of God. It helps us to remember Who He is and Who we have fighting for us. If we can find songs of praise that include His Name, all the better.
Lord God of Israel. The Chosen Nation. Separated for God’s purpose and glory. Does that sound familiar? Are we not chosen? (Romans 8) Are we not separated for God’s purpose? (Romans 8:28) He is Israel’s God and He is our God. Same God. Same power!
In the isles of the sea….the isolated place of pain…the loneliness…the place where we are vulnerable…where just one more storm could wipe us out and plunge us into the stormy sea. When we seem to be surrounded by problems and there is no way to get away from them. When we feel so completely alone and helpless.
No matter how overwhelming our problem is, when we choose to glorify God in the midst of it, we will see His Loving Hand work for us.
** Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea. ** Isaiah 24:15
When we are being singed by the next fiery trial…let’s praise, give thanks, worship, sing out loud the many names of Jesus. Let’s remember that we have been called, chosen, loved, separated for His purpose and that whatever burning pain we feel today will yield beautiful results once the fire cools down. Let’s step away from how the trial feels when it burns us and focus on the One who is in the fire next to us.
**Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. ** 1 Peter 4:12, 13