Sermon Central
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Watchmen On The Wall
Contributed by Christian Cheong on Jun 22, 2006 (message contributor)
Summary: God ties the accomplishing of His will to His people’s willingness to pray. He looks for "watchmen" who are committed to pray unceasingly and persistently for the fulfilment of His promises.
“I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.”
In Isaiah’s time the cities of the Middle East were fortified with walls surrounding them.
• People were set on top of these walls as look-outs.
• Their job was to keep a watchful eye out for the enemy who might attack without warning.
• They were the first lines of defence for the city.
Here God gives an unusual application to this familiar sight.
• He describes these watchmen as those who cry to Him on behalf of the city.
• They were not called to watch out, but to cry out.
• They are to pray that God establish Jerusalem as the praise of the earth.
This was not a simple goal – in fact, it looked impossible for this to happen.
• The people are in exiles in foreign lands. The city is lying in ruins.
• Yet God promised that Jerusalem will be restored, and not just that, it would become a glory, and a praise of the earth!
• Nations and kings will sit up and take notice, that they will acknowledge the glory and beauty of this city.
To the listeners in Isaiah’s time, this is something that is as impossible as moving a mountain and throwing it into the sea.
• But that was what the watchmen were to pray for.
• It was not because the watchmen had a brainstorming session and suggested that this might be a good thing to pray for.
• It was the promise of God. This prayer was God’s idea.
Do you see something here?
There is a CONNECTION here – one the one hand we have the PROMISES of God, and on the other, we have the PRAYERS of the watchmen.
• The connection is very clear – God wants people to pray so that His promise can become a reality!
• We are called to do the 1st part – pray, only then can we see the 2nd part – Jerusalem will be established and become the praise of the earth.
And God wants them to pray UNTIL His promise is fulfilled.
• The first part won’t stop if you don’t see the second part happening.
• The truth is clear - without prayer, you won’t see God’s blessings; you won’t see His works.
This is a powerful view of prayer.
• Prayer is taking hold of what God has promised and laying claim on it.
Whatever it is, bro/sis, pray God’s will and see your “mountain” removed!
• Without prayer, you won’t see your obstacle remove, your problem solved.
• What is God’s will for your life? What is God’s will for this church? Pray it into reality.
• Do you know what God’s will is for you now? In your relationship? In your work? In whatever you are doing?
• Are we taking the time to pray it into reality?
God ties the accomplishing of His will to His people’s willingness to pray.
• This fact is underscored in Ezekiel 22:30, where we find God getting ready to destroy the land because of the evil people in it.
• He makes this statement, "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none."
God will accomplish His will in our lives through prayer.
God will accomplish His purposes in our church through prayer.
• The goal of prayer is not to see my will done, although God will bless us, more than we ask or think.
• But that’s not the goal of prayer. We pray that God’s will be accomplished!
• “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!”
• Prayer is always centred around and in the will of God.
* * * * * * *
The Lord says, “You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.”
• God tells those who pray to (1) take no rest for themselves and (2) to give God no rest until God does something very specific — “till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.”
• In the NASV translation, “You who remind on the LORD” – the word ‘call’ literally means to ‘recall’, cause Him to remember.
• Their job was to cry to God and remind Him of His promise until it was fulfilled.
