Three strategies for coping when it seems we’re living in exile
By Dean Collins
Hope for those who have been living in exile. That was part of the message Isaiah brought to the children of God who had endured the Syrians and then the Babylonian exile. God’s children had been waiting for decades; now deliverance was coming.
How long have you been living in exile? It might be the number of years you have been alive. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that “here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” Or as the old gospel song says, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through.”
Sometimes certain assignments the Lord gives us may feel like we have been placed in exile. Being the president of a Christian university has often felt like I am waiting for deliverance. Maybe for you it is a long battle with a health issue, a hard season with family dysfunction, or maybe a long wait for a business opportunity or job search to finally resolve. Living in exile for any length of time can grow wearisome and tempt us to put our hope in the wrong things.
Silence
Isaiah tells us to listen in silence. Sometimes we need to consider the obvious. If we are talking or distracted by the phone, the streaming devices, or even the noise of the thousand things we are thinking about, we are not in optimal condition to listen. Silence might really mean that we unplug, slow down, and literally listen for the voice of the Lord to speak.
When we listen for the Lord, we are promised that God is available and approachable, and he may very well be ready to speak into our various situations.
Waiting
In the case of Isaiah chapter 41, we can see that God had a plan of deliverance, but the children of God needed to listen for it and wait for it. God was sending assistance, but not in the way or by the person they might have imagined. I have certainly found that to be true many times in my life. Sometimes it was a phone call, a visitor, an unexpected check that arrived, or a prayer that someone prayed for me when I was too discouraged to pray for myself. God’s Spirit is always active, and he is always stirring activity around us and ahead of us, even though it might not be visible just yet.
One of my favorite verses, a verse I have prayed nearly every day for more than ten years, is prefaced by this line from the verse before: “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off.” Think about the power of that sentence. Chosen by God and he will not let go of us! And Jesus takes this thought to another level in John 15:
“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
Yes, we are servants of our Lord Jesus, but he has now made us his friends. And in our deep and abiding friendship with Christ, he will never let us go. Jesus reminds us of the order of events: We did not choose him; he chose us and appointed us to go and bear fruit, and that fruit will abide. When Jesus chose us and filled us with his Spirit, he sent us out to do his kingdom work. His promise is not only to be with us and never let us go, but also that the work we do in his name will last for eternity. And then it gets even better: When we agree with Jesus, we can pray confidently, knowing he will answer our prayers.
Trusting
Which gets me to Isaiah 41:10, which I have prayed so often and for so long: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Fear not! Why? Because God is with us! Don’t be dismayed or alarmed by what you see or are experiencing! How is that possible? God says, “I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”!
When we are living under the strain of sickness, setbacks, financial struggle, or relationship challenges, we need to cling to this truth. This is not just a verse to put on a postcard; this is a verse that contains the living and trustworthy promises of God.
As chapter 41 continues, the prophet promises that no matter how bad it looks or how steeply the trend line seems to go the wrong way, we can trust God to hold on to our hand and to pull us through to the other side. Opposition will be stopped. Injustice will end. Ultimately our exile will be over, and we will stand in awe before the King of kings rejoicing for the victory he has delivered for us.
Lord, the challenges we see around us distract us and even frighten us. Our minds race, and we sometimes even think we should just give up and run for some other source of help. But you have given us a firm promise that you have a plan and have sent a helper. We submit to you and trust you as a Father who will never abandon us and who will hold us all the way through until we see you face-to-face. Renew our strength as we wait for your deliverance. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your time with God’s Word
Isaiah 41:1-16 ESV
Photo by Navi on Unsplash
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