Isaiah 42:10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
you islands, and all who live in them.

I love this chapter, but I was starting to wonder how I had chosen it when the theme is Faith, until I got to verse 17 that mentions trusting in idols. That said, the reason I love the chapter is the repeated references to islands. Actually, that’s one of the many reasons I like the whole book of Isaiah! Born and raised in Japan, as well as being commissioned to minister here, islands have always been close to my heart. An inescapable characteristic of islands is separation, since the definition of an island is “a body of land completely surrounded by water.” It just occurs to me that you could use that definition to define a person as “a spiritual being completely surrounded by flesh.” Separation is a characteristic of the human condition, and we all long for connection, in one way or another. The newborn infant wails and flails, because they have lost their connection to their mother. “Skin­ship,” physical touching, is an essential part of communicating love, from parents to children, spouse to spouse, and more broadly. We spend our lives seeking connection, which is one reason electronic communication is so popular, and yet so isolating, because it lacks the physical touch. God sent His Spirit to destroy that separation, because Holy Spirit knows no physical limitations. He isn’t just with us, He lives in us, as surely as a fetus is in its mother. (Of course that analogy falls apart pretty quickly, but you get the idea.) We really don’t have words to express the degree of connection that is objective reality on the spiritual level. That’s why Jesus’ statements about being “in the Father” and the Father being “in Him” and both of them being “in us” can get so confusing, until we experience it ourselves. Probably the closest human connection we experience is between husband and wife, which is why the Bible speaks of the Church as the “Bride of Christ.” The devil does all he can to pollute that by spreading sex outside of marriage and perverting it in countless ways, but that doesn’t eliminate the reason God designed it in the first place. A husband and wife who share the spiritual connection of a common faith and intimacy with their Creator and Savior are indeed connected to a degree that is surpassed only in heaven. That heaven is going to exceed that connection can be hard to grasp, but once it is grasped, it creates a huge anticipation or heaven!

I don’t go into this sort of detail, but this is something I touch on in marital counseling all the time. I tell couples that if they don’t have the heart-to-heart connection (since most of my counselees aren’t Christians) that they can get tired of the physical connection, and that’s a major trigger for infidelity. However, if the heart connection is strong, infidelity becomes out of the question. As a pastor, I try to help people understand and believe the intimacy our Lord desires and has prepared for us. That can be difficult without using sexual metaphors, and sex is NOT part of heaven! My position on this issue is backed up by, so far, 54 years of what I think any objective observer would call an excellent marriage. My wife and I don’t have perfect connection – that will have to wait for heaven – but what we have is deep and wonderful. We do have lapses in communication, particularly related to current health issues, but we know that those are temporary. All in all, we have tasted heaven, and we are looking forward to its fulfillment!

Father, thank You for this beautiful exposition. Thank You for the message You’ve given me for this morning, that Holy Spirit is personal and individual and we need to relate to Him that way. I ask for clear words and anointing so that Your truth may penetrate the heart, mind, and spirit of each hearer, bringing us all into closer connection with You, for our blessing and Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!