Isaiah 25:4 “For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.”
God is the Great Architect, and oftentimes before He builds up, He must tear down. The previous chapters in Isaiah are about God’s judgement on Tyre, Babylon, Jerusalem, Arabia, Egypt, and Ethiopia. In Isaiah 25:2, the Bible says, “For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin. . . .” Yet in verse 4, God is “a strength . . . a refuge . . . a shadow.” A city that is destroyed may not be able to be reconstructed, but thankfully people can be!
God is not only the Great Architect in life, but He is also the Great Architect of lives. In your life, if God has torn down, it may well be that He is going to build up. Whenever we see God’s hand of “destruction,” there is always a context. We may not always know that context, however. It is like flying on a plane that reaches an altitude above the clouds-no matter the weather below (rain, fog, etc.), your perspective from the window seat is pretty amazing. We do not have that perspective, but God does.
Strong people and strong nations do not look to God nor fear Him until something is torn down. Remember, things must be torn down before they can be built up. When God tears down, it is because He is the Great Architect.
I was recently at a church that has a new auditorium. Actually, I still call the “old” auditorium the “new auditorium” because, in my mind, it hasn’t been that long ago! The “old” auditorium was very beautiful and well done on the inside. But when the most recent building project started, that auditorium was completely gutted. The shell of that auditorium is still there, but the building is brand new. I was completely lost in the new auditorium! What was torn down was not “old” in the sense of out-dated or worn, yet the old had to be demolished before the new construction could begin.
And so it is with God in our lives. I like strength, refuge, and shade; but I do not care for poverty, distress, storms, and heat. But there is no shade without a hot sun. God is everything we lack and need, but God is nothing to us if we have no lack.
God tore down cities so that they would not be rebuilt (verse 2), but He tore down lives so that they could be rebuilt (verse 4). Is God out to “get us”? No, He is not. He is the Great Architect of life and lives. Before God can build a life, He must tear down. Like a farmer that plows before he plants, or a builder who clears trees before building, God just may be tearing down in order to build up. You may not see the “blueprints” He is using, but you can always trust the Great Architect.
Prayer Requests:
1. Revival services tonight in Kalamazoo, MI and Beecher City, IL
2. Deaf Rally in Concord, NH this weekend
3. Bill Rice Ranch Homeschool Conference and Competition (April 8-10)