AWAKE AND SING, YOU WHO DWELL IN DUST
Two men wake up one morning in different parts of the same city. Each has been in the midst of a trial of his faith.
Each of these men reaches for the Bible on his nightstand and happens to flip open to Isaiah 26. They each glance down and notice verse 19, “Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust.” Then each turns to the point in Isaiah where he had stopped reading the night before.
⇒ THE RAZING
The First Man resumes in Chapter 30 of Isaiah. As he reads, the Spirit of God fills him with the answers he has been seeking and in his realization he is filled with a reflective joy which can barely be described with words.
⇒ THE BREAD OF ADVERSITY
The Second Man continues his reading in Chapter 52 of Isaiah. As he reads, he allows the voice of the enemy to fill his mind with condemnation. Losing his focus on the Word of God, he is reminded of numerous ways in which he has recently turned from God’s directives and has been a miserable witness for Christ. In his hopeless state he cries out to Jesus for help once again.
⇒ BACK AROUND TO YOU
The First Man ventures out across the city revived with peace and joy. Along the way he reflects on how faithful God is, even when he himself is not (2 Tim 2:13). He has a blossoming sense that the Spirit of God is leading him to somewhere or to some thing quite important this day.
⇒ IN THE WAY
The Second Man also heads out across the city, but full of self-loathing and with more nagging questions for God. He senses that God must be leading him somewhere today, yet as doubt fills him with the same old feelings, he groans and confesses his confusion and his great need for help as he trudges onward.
⇒ WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?
The Second Man stops for a fast food breakfast in a part of town he usually avoids. Knowing no one there and feeling so very alone, he wipes his eye and stares blankly down at his meal.
Suddenly a curiously familiar stranger approaches him and confidently exclaims, “Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust…” With amazement in his eyes, the Second Man responds, “I just read that this morning. Did God send you to say that to me?”
“I believe He did,” says the First Man, “So be encouraged!” And the two proceed to engage in a most intriguing discussion.
⇒ GONNA GET BETTER / THE RAISING
One of the things that the Second Man shares with the First Man is that he had been reading from Isaiah 52 earlier that morning. He questions whether he could ever have the “beautiful feet” that the prophet refers to. The First Man responds by sharing from the Gospels in regard to Jesus and Peter, and by relating that to Isaiah 52. It all works together for the good.
⇒ ARE MY FEET BEAUTIFUL?
The two men discuss the trials they have each been through lately. The First Man reminds the Second Man (and himself) of how God tests and tries us to show us where we are in our walk with Him, and in what areas we must seek to improve.
⇒ THIS IS A TEST
The Second Man admits to the First Man that he is constantly filled with questions about God; always feeling like the more he learns or knows, the more questions he has. However, he confesses that his faith in Christ is certain and real, and he shares with the First Man that while he has always struggled while worshiping God, he clearly understands that it is the very reason he was created by God; for God’s pleasure and to worship Him and Him alone – in Spirit and in Truth, just as Jesus said. It all makes sense, but then it doesn’t…
⇒ WHAT I WAS CREATED FOR
This strange and marvelous encounter concludes with the First Man reminding the Second Man of Ephesians 2:10; that we were created in Christ Jesus for good works, prepared beforehand by God, and that we should walk in them.
He urges the Second Man to seek God with the trust that God has created him to follow His voice and harken to the things God is leading him to do; which is also an act of worship.
The First Man shares a few examples of how God has allowed him to be of use – including today, when he boldly spoke these words to a stranger, “Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust.”
⇒ THE MAN GOD USES