Isaiah 9:7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

This passage is usually quoted at Christmas, but it’s far too wonderful to limit it to that! As familiar as it is in English, for me it clicks even more strongly in Japanese because of the specific turns of phrase that are used. Because our theme is God’s Calling, I’ll focus right now just on the last line. The Japanese term for “zeal” is written as “hot heart.” That’s a very descriptive term. God gets all hot over this issue! Getting all anthropomorphic about God can be dangerous, but we do need to remember that Genesis says that mankind was made to be like Him. (Genesis 1:27) That means that a lot of things we experience are echoes of Him, and interestingly, that includes getting worked up over things. Frankly, when God is outside of time and knows the end from the beginning, I’m not sure just how that works, but the Bible attributes emotions to God in many, many places. The thing to remember here is that when God gives us a calling, a motivating purpose in our life, He cares about it even more than we do. He’s not just a disinterested observer. That is a vitally important fact: He cares. Again, with the whole outside-of-time thing, I can’t tell you exactly how that works, but the fact that He sent His Son to die for us is the ultimate proof of that. We are prone to ask, as the song does, “If I falter, Lord, who cares?” The answer is, God does! As Peter famously tells us, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) That’s the “hot heart” Isaiah is talking about. I couldn’t tell you how many times or in how many ways the Bible tells us not to be anxious, and the key to that is right here. God gets worked up over us! Again, I can’t explain how it all works, because frankly, quantum mechanics is simple by comparison, but it’s manifestly true. When God gives us a calling, He’s more desirous of our fulfilling it than we are! We need to rest in that assurance and go forth boldly, knowing that He enables us to do everything He requires of us.

Of course, this applies as much to me as it does to anyone. I’m not by personality a particularly anxious person, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get uptight about things sometimes. Every situation I encounter, I need to ask first what God wants me personally to do about it, and then be faithful to do exactly as He directs me, on His schedule. Sometimes my flesh rebels at that! I’m all too prone to throw in a lot of “buts!” I need to remember what He’s reminded me of just now, that He cares about the issue, whatever it is, even more than I do. When He is totally involved, I’ve got absolutely nothing to worry about. That’s not at all to say that I’m to be irresponsible. He doesn’t want any privileged brats! However, it does mean that if I’m committed and submitted, the outcome is totally in His hands, and it’s going to be good. The better I get that through my thick skull, the more peace and joy I will have, and that’s what He wants.

Father, thank You for Your absolutely incredible love and grace! We can only grasp a portion of it all in this life, but it’s who You are. (1 John 4:8) Help me not only rejoice in that reality myself, but communicate and share it with as many others as possible, so that together we may become the children that You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!