Isaiah 51:9-10 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old… (with Isaiah 52:1): — 1. Everything seemed to have gone against the exile. Life had no longer for him a programme, but only a retrospect; no longer a radiant hope, but only a fading reminiscence; no longer an alluring vision, but only a distinguished history. Here he lay in captivity; the songs of Zion had fled from his lips, and his mouth was filled with wailing and complaint. "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me." "Where is He that brought us up out of the sea with the Shepherd of His flock? Where is He that put His Holy Spirit within us?" And now and again the exile half-turned himself in angry, hopeless cry, "Oh, that Thou wouldst rend the heavens, that Thou,, wouldst come down!" And again he relapsed into the low and cheerlees moan: "My Lord hath forgotten me." And yet again he pierced the heaven with his searching supplication: "Awake, awake, put on Thy strength, O arm of the Lord, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. 2. What will be the Lord's reply to the cry of the exile? Here it is: "Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion!" The Divine response is a sharp retort. "It is not thy God who sleepeth! It is thou thyself who art wrapt about in a sluggish and consuming indolence! Thou art crying out for more strength; but what of the strength thou hast? Thy trumpet is silent, and thine armour is rusting upon the walls! Thou art like a vagrant asking for help, when thou hast a full purse hidden between the covers of an idle bed! Thou art pleading for reinforcements, and thy soldiers are on the couch! Thy prayer is the supplication of a man who is not doing his best! Clothe thyself in thy present powers, consecrate thine all to the purpose of thy prayer, and stand forth in battle array." I need not say that there is nothing in the Lord s response which disparages the ministry of prayer. It does, however, tend to put prayer in its right place, and to give a true apprehension of its purpose and ministry. Prayer is not a talisman, to be used as an easy substitute for our activity and vigilance. Prayer is a ministry in which our own powers can be quickened into more vigorous and healthy service. God has given us certain endowments. Certain talents are part of our original equipment. We are possessed of powers of judgment, of initiative, of sympathy; and the primary implication of all successful prayer is that these powers are willingly placed upon the altar of sacrifice. Any prayer is idle when these powers are indolent. We too frequently pray to be carried like logs, and it is the Lord's will that we should contend like men! The principle is this — our "strength" must back our supplications. Is the backing always present? (1) Take the matter of our personal salvation. Every one is conscious how immature he is in the Divine life. we know how dim is our spiritual discernment. We know how few and infrequent are our brilliant conquests, and how many and common are our shameful defeats. And again and again we supplicate the Almighty: "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord!" Is it possible that the response of the Lord, may be the retort of the olden days: "Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion"? We are so prone to divide the old psalmist's counsel, and to pay heed to one part and to ignore the other. "Bring unto the Lord glory!" And so we do! We bring our glorias, our doxologies, our hymns, and our anthems, and we do well, but it is a maimed and lifeless offering if, with the glory, we do not bring our strength. "Bring unto the Lord glory and strength!" It is in this lacking of strength in our personal religion that we are so woefully deficient. We need to bring to our religion more strength of common-sense — more inventiveness, more fertility of ideas, more purpose, more steady and methodical persistence. And we need to bring a more commanding strength of will. So many of us would like to be saints without becoming soldiers, and the desire can never be attained. Let me tell you a story. Two little "girls" in the same class, one at the top and, the other at the bottom. The one at the bottom consults the one at the top. "How is it that you are always at the top of the class?" "Oh, I ask Jesus to help me!" "Then I will do the same," said the undistinguished member, and she forthwith put the counsel into practice. Next day their relative positions were unaltered, one at the top, and the other at the bottom. The consultation is renewed. "I thought you said that Jesus would help me, and here I am at the bottom again!" "Well, so He will, but how long did you work?" "Oh, I never opened a book!"(2) Take the matter of the salvation of the home. We have interceded for our little ones at the throne of grace. Are we putting our "strength" into the salvation of the home? I do not know a better pattern of a home than Charles Kingsley's, but he brought his strength to its creation. It was a home whose moral atmosphere was like the air on Alpine heights, home in which, in all perplexities, the only referendum was the Lord Himself, a home all of whose ministries were clothed in grace and beauty. I shall never forget hearing a long conversation between two men, one of whom had inquired of the other the size of his family. "I have ten," he said. "What a responsibility!" replied the other. To which there came at once the glad response: "And what a privilege, for they are all workers on the side of God."(3) There is the matter of social redemption. How often have we prayed for the city: "Awake, awake, lint on strength, O arm of the Lord!" And still, I think, there comes the Divine retort, "Put on thy strength, O Zion!" We abuse the privilege of prayer when we make it a minister of personal evasion and neglect. That is my message. There is no true prayer without a full consecration. (J. H. Jowett, M.A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? |
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