I Did Them (Isaiah 48:3)

 


Saturday, 13 December, 2025


Psalms 101; 102:1-11

Isaiah 48:1-13

Revelation 14:13-20


I Did Them (Isaiah 48:3)


The former things I declared of old;
    they went out from my mouth, and I announced them;
    then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.


God seems to be really concerned about making sure we know who did what. It makes sense; we don’t like to act under false pretences with each other, why would we want to worship the wrong deity? In our first lesson from Isaiah, there seems to be a bit of competition in people’s minds between the true God, and the little statues people have on their shelves at home. Who made the universe? Who holds it together? Who makes it all move the way it does? The thing on my shelf that I made? Or God? God says: I told you I would do it, then I did it, so give me credit where it is due.


Then God turns around and says look, I’m going to do new things. Because, if people are so ready to discredit God for the things he does even with God giving us all the heads up, then God might as well do something new. And the explicit reason he gives for doing this is that people are inclined to be smug and say “I saw this coming a mile off”.


Whether God tells us in advance, or comes up with something wildly new, people seem so eager to give themselves credit for what God alone is responsible for. A healthy instinct for us, then, seems to be to be ready to see God’s hand in everything. It makes sense: God is the first, and the last. His hand laid the foundations of the earth, and his right hand spread out the heavens; when he calls to them, they stand forth together. Why wouldn’t God also be involved in all the little day-to-day things in our lives?


What are some seemingly benign things in your life that you might find God responsible for? What would your response to finding God in them be?


Lord of hosts, you created all things and direct all things according to your good purpose: give us open eyes to see you in all things, and humble hearts to receive your works with joy and gladness.

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