A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (August 1, 2017)
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. (Isaiah 60:1)
There are several places in the Bible that talks about “wayfarers”. The Book of Isaiah is probably the best example to look at. The Prophet Isaiah was one of the greatest prophets of all time. He looked down the corridors of time and saw Jesus. He prophesied concerning at least twenty different specific events that Jesus would experience which included the virgin birth, His death between two thieves, and Him being buried in a tomb belonging to a rich man. This was 760 years before any of this happened!!!
I believe that Isaiah also looked down the corridors of time and saw the church age and prophesied about the critical need for “wayfarers”. In Isaiah 35:1 he said that the wilderness and the solitary place would be glad for them. In my opinion, the “them” here is later revealed as the wayfarers. In Isaiah 35:8 he said that the wayfarers would be travelling on a Highway of Holiness.
What exactly is a “wayfarer”? The Hebrew word used for wayfarer is “halak” which means a walker, a traveler, one that is conversant, or one that goes to and fro. The best picture that we have for a wayfarer is Jesus himself who went from town to town preaching the Gospel, healing the sick, and casting out demons. Probably the best examples we would have today are evangelists, but they seem to be a diminishing group.
The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth (Isaiah 33:8)
As we look at the Prophet Isaiah’s writings we see a picture of a Church where a lot of its members have been beaten down. They are described as living in a thirsty land where the occupants have drooping hands and weak knees. They are anxious and fearful. The wayfarers are nowhere to be found. We think this is a good picture of where we are today in a lot of our churches. Political correctness, the current progressive agenda, and the threats of lawsuits have tried there best to lock the Church in a closet and keep them there. The sad truth is that they have been successful in many cases.
We take this prophecy and warning from Isaiah very serious!!! God showed us this way back in 1982 and we started our first ministry (High-Way Ministry) based on Isaiah 35 and ministered in churches and prisons over many different states. We have just recently revisited that call and are going to start going back into some of these areas to strengthen the weak hands, to steady the weak knees, to say to them to fear not, to take the water to a thirsty land, to encourage, to edify, and to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is time for the wayfarers to get to work. It is time for the Church to “Arise and Shine”! God did not give His children a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. It is time to for the Church to stand up!
We ask you to please pray for us as we return to our first love. If you are interested in us speaking at your church you can call us at 800-322-5220 or contact us at newlife@newlifenetwork.org.
