37 DAYS
TO PENTECOST
TEXT: ISAIAH 59:15-21
15Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil
maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there
was no judgment.
16And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that
there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his
righteousness, it sustained him.
17For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an
helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for
clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.
18According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay,
fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will
repay recompence.
19So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west,
and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a
flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.
20And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that
turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.
21As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the
LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth,
shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of
the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.
KEY TEXT: Isaiah 59:19 “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord
shall lift up a standard against him…”
REFLECTION: And so the Old Testament reveals the Holy
Spirit to not only be the one who broods upon the face of the waters—bringing order
out of chaos (Genesis 1:2), not only the one who will strive with the hearts of
the unrepentant even if only for a time (Genesis 6:3), but also the one who
will defend His Holy Cause against the Enemy even when He and his minions come
in like a flood.
On the ancient
battlefields combatants aligned themselves for hand to hand warfare. Leading
the charge would be a “standard bearer.”
The standard--a flag or banner that was emblazoned with the insignia of
the faction—was carried by one of the strongest warriors. Soldiers who were weary in the midst of
battle would take heart and fight on when they saw their standard flying
high.
If there was ever a day
when it seemed that the enemy has come in like a flood it is ours. Not only are the opponents of Christ
stridently attacking our Holy Standard, even those who profess to be Christ’s
are surrendering territory that they once claimed for righteousness. But look!
There in the thick of the fray, see the Spirit lifting up a standard
against Him. Confident and courageous,
the Spirit is advancing. His truth is
marching on.
We can look forward with
faith in the future for ancient and recent history confirms—“When the enemy
comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against
him!”
The same Spirit that
overshadowed the virgin to bring us Messiah,
The same Spirit that
raised up Jesus from the dead,
The same Spirit that
filled the disciples at Pentecost,
The same Spirit that
inspired God’s men as they perfectly revealed the Word of God,
The same Spirit that
strengthened the martyrs as they faced the sword,
The same Spirit that
protected the truth from heretics and aggressors,
The same Spirit that propelled
the Church to the greatest force for good in the history of mankind,
Is the same Spirit that
will sanctify and secure God’s people until Christ returns.
PRAYER: Our Father, our hearts our blessed and our faith is
strengthened by the knowledge that your Holy Spirit will never allow the enemy
to defeat your Church. We pray that in a
day when men’s hearts are failing the for fear, when so many are surrendering
their convictions, and when the enemy is intimidating God’s people into
inaction, that we would rest on this unfailing promise—the Spirit of the Lord
shall lift up a standard! Spirit of the
Living God lead and guide us in every way through every day we pray! In the name of Jesus, Amen. “Our Father, &c.”
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