In a few weeks I plan to start teaching verse by verse through another book of the Bible: the book of Revelation. There are good reasons to study The Apocalypse on Sundays, and I’ll probably explain some of my intentions in the introductory message. I’m telling you now, ahead of time, not just so that you can make plans or prepare arguments (one way or another), but so that you can be excited.

On a higher level, God also reveals many things He plans to do and often some of His reasons. God does not only tell us what was and what is, but also what will be. When the Lord sent a prophet with a word, and that word came to pass, the Lord demonstrated that His Word is trustworthy. That He knows the end from the beginning distinguishes Him from other gods (Isaiah 46:10). It also shows God’s nature as a God who communicates. So prophecy, including future plans, causes us to worship God. For those who hear and keep His Word, it also causes us to be excited.

Think about Isaiah 53 from the perspective of Isaiah’s original audience. We know who the Suffering Servant is. We know His name: Jesus, the son of Mary, from the city of Nazareth. But what the Israelites knew around 700 B.C is that they were sinners, that they were in a cycle of sin and then in need of sacrifices to cover their sins. Though the promised deliverer in Isaiah 53 did not fit all of their expectations, and even though He didn’t come for about 700 years, they had every reason to be excited for His coming.

We worship the Lord because of who He is, what He has done, and what He has said about tomorrow. Don’t be anxious. A farmer is not pessimistic about all the seed deaths in his field, he knows those deaths will make for an abundant harvest. Listen carefully to the word of the Lord about the future, and believe.