My uncle loved to celebrate Christmas. He was a strong believer in Christ and prayed regularly for his children, but they did not choose to follow the same path. Then he faced a stroke and other health complications. His time on earth was shortened. Despite many years of waiting, my uncle died without seeing his children turn to Christ. He never saw the answer to his prayers in this life, and now, in heaven he still waits for that to happen.
Isaiah preached to the people of Israel for over fifty years. He warned them of coming judgment, he wooed them with expressions of God’s love, he awed them with pictures of God’s power and glory. He prophesied in Is. 59:20, “A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob.” But after half a century of preaching and waiting for a response, Isaiah died without seeing his nation turn back to the Lord. His Redeemer appeared hundreds of years later.
You would not be reading this devotional if you were not waiting for God to do something special in your life or hoping that God will answer a prayer for a loved one. Will your faith remain strong even if you do not see your prayer answered in this life?
