We are in such a time where the Church in this age is short of God's power and more of ritual, short of holiness and more of ungodliness, short of integrity and more of perfidy, short of the fear of God and more of the fear of man. If there is any time in the history of the church where creation is yearning for God, this is it! The Lord is about to reverse these curses as we seek His face.

Isaiah 54 will be a typical example on how the Lord would restore the glory of the church. (All scripture is taken from New King James Version)

Is. 54:1 - “Sing, O barren, you who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman,” says the LORD.”

The spirit of praise and worship is key to allowing the favor and mercy of God to unfold in the life of the church. Sing while you are barren says the Lord. Don’t wait till you see the result. Praise Him in advance. Praise is more about your attitude than your action. Your attitude determines your altitude. Instead of being discouraged about what is all around us, let’s praise the one who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. (Ephesians 3:20)

Is. 54:2 - “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.”

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:4) God is calling us to a place where we are able to see beyond our present circumstance and  be prepared for the coming fulfillment of His word. Your faith upon His promises should actually cause you to plan and prepare with great expectation. Don’t believe the lies of the enemy and cease your advancement. Live for God as if you are the only person on the entire planet that He is counting on and be humble enough to work with others. 

Enlarge, why? Is. 54:3 – “For you shall expand to the right and to the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities inhabited.” When you do your part, God will do His part.

Is. 54:4 - “ Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.”

Sometimes, your past will be the stumbling block for your future. When God speaks, your past is only history. You can talk about where you were and what happened, but the promises of God violates all experiences, facts and traditions. It is time to soar above your present circumstance and hang on the word of God.

Is. 54:5 – “For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.

Each name reveals different side of Him in her situation.

 As God is to Israel so is Jesus to the Church in the New Testament. Therefore, don’t loose heart but trust the one who is saying to the church, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.^” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Is. 54:7 - “ ’For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,’ says the LORD, your Redeemer.

Why would the Lord forsake His people at times? So often when He blesses His people, men tend to lean towards the blessing than to the One who blessing, which results in turning the blessing to a curse. This will cause many to notice that a blessing is blessing only when God is in it. That is why God would sometimes hides Himself that His children would seek Him.

I believe the church is in such hour. Many are running after the blessings of God but few are seeking His face. Many seek Him for a reason but few are longing to fellowship with Him. When He hides His face, hunger arises.

Is. 54:10 – “ ‘For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,’ says the LORD, who has mercy on you.”

Where we are cannot limit the power of God’s covenant to change the present situation. The covenant that we are in is much more stronger than the time of Abraham or Moses – it is in the precious blood of Jesus Christ. All we need to do is to come back to Him. There is a powerful story in the bible about King Manasseh. The bible tells us that he did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger (2 Chronicles 33:6). Because of his action, the LORD brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon (V. 11).

And yet it tells us more about the amazing restoration that took place after all this rebelliousness. “Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.” (V. 12-13)

Let us come to God with such humility and honesty, and let the Lord remember His covenant.

Is. 54:17 – “ ‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,’ says the LORD.”

Finally the Lord exhorts His people by promising to them that

1. The weapon of the enemy has no power over you.
   • “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
   • Every challenge that rises against you is unaware of God’s upper hand in the situation.
2. Every time you stand in court, you will win the case. Why?
   • The Judge is your Father — the Abba.
   • The Defense is your brother, the Firstborn — Jesus Christ.

 Be encouraged and focused to run and live a life worthy of your calling.