June 9, 2023 - Isaiah 49:3 & 6

“He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, and you will bring me glory.” He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”” Isaiah 49:3 & 6 NLT

Lord, you didn’t make Israel your chosen people just because they were special or because you wanted to favor them above all other people. You called them chosen because you chose them to bring your light into the world. They were called by you to be an example of your righteousness, love, power, etc. to the world around them. You wanted them to be your missionaries to the rest of the world. It is a very special calling you put on them, but they often didn’t do a great job. We see how time after time they were influenced by the pagan practices of the people around them. They changed their behavior to match the lost instead of the other way around. When they were living for you, instead of having a focus to reach the lost to show them who you were, they typically closed themselves off and excluded foreigners.

Jesus, like Israel, you have called each of us to be your witness to the lost world around us. It is such a privilege to be able to serve you this way. Help us to shine your light into the world in a strategic and effective way. Open our eyes to the ways that we are adapting our lives to the ways of the world instead of living your kingdom ways. We want to shine our light brightly into the darkness, not try to hide our light and blend into the darkness. We also want to take our light into the darkness. If all we ever do is keep our lights together and avoid the darkness, we will never light it up. Show us where you want our mission field to be and then give us a strategy on how we can be the best example of you in that place. Help us walk out our calling.

In Jesus name, amen.