“Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Isa.42.9
Discussion
When an artist completes a painting, he/she will usually include their signature for easy recognition. The signature lets us know who's work it is. God is the ultimate artist. He created the world and left His signature on His work; Rom.1.19-20; "But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So, nobody has a good excuse. “MSG. God hasn't only left His signature on the canvas of creation; He still leaves His signature on the events of our lives. Thus, if you pay close attention to the events of your life, you can tell if it's God at work or the devil's mischief making. When it's God at work, all you need to do is cooperate with Him by faith. But if it's the devil at work, your response should be to resist him by faith in God's word. Jas.4.7; "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
One way to recognize God's signature is in our opening verse; Isa.42.9; He says 'before they spring forth, I tell you of them.' It's very much like planting a seed in the ground. After a while, the blade of its leaf springs forth out of the ground. This is the first visible sign that something was planted. This visible sign brings rejoicing. The farmer can see that his seed is growing. Harvest is in sight. But the reason he is expectant of the spring forth is because he is aware that a seed was planted. Without the planting, there is no expectation of a springing forth. The planted seed symbolizes God's word to you. God's signature is that He declares peace and good to you when there is no sign of any possibility of peace and good. He calls things as He sees them not as you see them. He says they are, when they seem not to be; Rom.4.17. That's God's signature. We find it all over the bible, and when you pay attention, you'll also find it in your life. If God has said it to you, even though it may not look like it right now, it will surely spring forth. God's word to you is the guarantee for your harvest. Shalom Uvracha!
Meditation
Rom.4.17 — We call Abraham "father" not because he got God's attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn't that what we've always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, "I set you up as father of many peoples"? Abraham was first named "father" and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. “MSG.