Isaiah 51:9-52:12

God's surprising future

"Wake up, Lord!” Our outward circumstances as God’s people can cause us think the Lord has forgotten us. The exiled people of Israel doubted both God’s goodness and his power. The Lord’s answer in this passage is that it is his people, and not him, who needs to wake up! They and we need to wake up to the magnitude of his salvation that has now been revealed through his servant. It is a rescue that surpasses anything the Lord has done in the past. It is the rescue that deals with our deepest problem and opens the way for the Lord's return to us.