Isaiah 7:10-16

Isaiah’s prophecies are for both his present context and the future. These involve the coming of Jesus Christ to free God’s people from oppression. King Ahaz, the king who received this prophecy, trusted his human allies and refused to put his trust in God, even as his enemies were sitting on his doorstep.

However, God is patient and kind. Despite Ahaz’s doubts, God told Ahaz to ask for a sign to prove how powerful and faithful God is. Surprisingly, Ahaz rejected the offer. He suggested that asking for a sign would be offensive to God. So, God calls him a fool and tells him that He will give him a sign anyway.

There will be a boy, born to a virgin in Bethlehem. His obedience to God, rejection of sin, and willing sacrifice of His life will save humanity and restore the world to divine intentionality.

This prophecy and what we celebrate as Christmas are about the same thing: What do we do with God’s big invitations in our lives? God’s big invitation to Ahaz was to ask for a sign, and it is the same in our lives. He is asking us to ask Him for a confirmation.

Jesus has come, and He is patiently waiting for us to accept Him. God’s grace and mercy are so deep that God will answer our rejection with other opportunities. He looks beyond our faults and caters to our needs. He does all of this because He knows that sooner or later we will taste and see that the Lord is good.

This is why we ought to love God. God never lets our limitations be His ceiling. He meets us where we are and gives us more opportunity and provision than we have ever asked for. God has always stood one step further than we thought was our last step. He pushes us so that we might achieve what He has in store for us.

Our struggles in life are because God loves us so much that He wants to sharpen us. He is always trying to teach us to walk by faith so that we can ultimately stand in His presence. God wants us to be able to enjoy the fullness of our blessing. It may not make sense in the moment, but God’s love for us is so wide and deep that He is always working for our good.