Reoriented by Hope

By Dean Collins

Have you ever been disoriented? We often think of disorientation as it relates to medical issues and treatments. Not having command of information, including your name, location, and time, are associated with conditions like dementia, Alzheimer’s, or possibly dehydration or electrolyte imbalances. In those cases, we need appropriate treatments and help to live.

We may not always notice it, but we can also become disoriented during times of other crises, like the sudden loss of a job or relationship or possibly a sudden diagnosis of a life-threatening disease or after a sudden accident. And though this type of disorientation is usually short term, we need others who are clear-headed to remind us of both basic information as well as help us begin to reassess or next steps.

Sometimes whole communities become disoriented. Remember the early weeks and months of Covid? As a nation, we struggled to know what to do and how to be safe because of lack of information and lack of community. When we are disoriented, we need clear and calm assurance about who we are and what we are to do next.

As you read Isaiah 51, we see the prophet reorienting the beloved of God who were disoriented from their exile to Babylon. Those in exile were physically removed from their homeland. Those that remained were poor and powerless. There was a complete sense of loss of control. For those in Babylon, they had to adjust to a new culture. Time had passed and a sense of hopelessness had set in their minds. Isaiah speaks words of hope that began to reorient God’s people toward the future.

 Isaiah began by telling his audience to listen to him and look to their origin story:

“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.”

When we have temporarily become disoriented by the pressures of this life, we too need to listen to the words of scripture and seek the Lord. Our tendency is to work and strive for answers to our day-to-day problems, but we can easily forget where our true source of strength and answers come from. In the case of those in exile, they were reminded of their heritage. They came from the seed of Abraham and Sarah. They had a God-ordained past. Isaiah reminded them that way back when this all started, when he called one man, Abraham, to follow him, and that he would bless him beyond anything imaginable. The people of God needed to remember what God had done and that he was still involved and even planning a wonderful future!

Isaiah reminded his listeners that:

God blesses.

God comforts.

God transforms and will renew even the earth back to the garden state of Eden.

God does not forget.

God supplies what we are lacking. 

Ultimately, the prophet reminded his listeners and us that we are God’s people. And as the beloved of God, he will never abandon and allow us to live in fear and scarcity. He is our provider, our healer, our deliverer, and our salvation. And one day we will live completely transformed and renewed with Jesus in the perfect new creation when heaven comes to earth and all is made new.

So today, Father, we ask that you pull us out of our hopelessness that is caused by our staring at the problems instead of focusing on you as our help and strength. Renew our minds and hearts, that we might lean into all of your promises. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Isaiah 51:1-3, 12-16 ESV

Photo by Pexels
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