Reading through the book of Isaiah we will notice that there are these three words that are relatively interchangeable yet with a specific distinct meaning: Isaiah received the word of the Lord; Isaiah received the vision of the Lord; and Isaiah received the burden of the Lord. Recently I enjoyed the fact that the word of the Lord that we hear becomes the vision that we see! Whatever we do, we need to do not of ourselves or initiated by us, but being motivated / governed / controlled by this heavenly vision! Also, this vision we see becomes the burden that we receive and bear. Here are some main points recently shared about these matters:
- Our lives depend on the Lord’s words – we need the Lord’s speaking! Our work depends on His commands! The simple words of our prayer should be our longing for the Lord’s speaking! Lord, speak to me! Speak to us, Lord! In Eph. 5:25-27 we see that the way God accomplishes His organic salvation from the judicial redemption to the bride presentation(v. 27) is by the washing of the water in the word! And this word is the living word, the Rhema word, the instant word spoken by God to us personally – even the Word of God with our name on it! So what we need to do firstly in the Lord’s service is just like Samuel – to be attentive to the Lord’s speaking and tell Him “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening“.
- What we see is based on the Lord’s speaking to us! In the spiritual things, seeing depends upon hearing! If our ears are heavy, we cannot hear(Isa. 6:9-10) and we cannot see!
- The Lord always wants to open our ears to hear His voice! Lord, today open my ears to hear Your voice, to hear Your word! He wants us to hear and see so many things according to His economy!
- The dull ears need to be circumcised – Lord, circumcise my ears! May the flesh be cut off my ears! Acts 7:51 and Jer. 6:10 tells us of the need of having our ears circumcised.
- The sinner’s ears need to be cleansed with the redeeming blood and anointed with the Spirit! Just like the leper in the Old Testament, we need to have have our ears anointed with the blood and with the ointment, so that we may hear the speaking of God! Actually, as we have our ear anointed, we hear the words of God, and then do the work of God(our thumb is anointed), and walk the way of God(our toes are anointed).
- To serve the Lord as priests we need to have our ears cleansed with the redeeming blood.
On the other hand, when we talk about a “burden“, what do we mean? This is not a general burden, but there is a particular specific burden in Isaiah, something that weighs on God’s heart – weighing on His heart in a particular way, for His people to live and serve in the reality of His economy! And His burden, just like in Isaiah’s case, needs to become our burden! The word that we receive/hear becomes the vision that we see, and the vision we see becomes the burden that we bear! Here are some important matters related to having a burden from the Lord:
- Without a burden, there’s no ministry of the Word, and there is no prophesying for the building up of the church;
- Without a burden, all our activities are dead and ineffective. With a burden, we are living and flourishing!
- If we serve according to obligation instead of with a burden, some service will cause us to lose the Lord’s presence!
- We need to release the Lord’s burden, His vision, with His expressed word! Release the burden the Lord put in us through special and vivid words that convey the divine revelation. Lord, give me the expressed words, the vivid words, the special words, so that Your burden may be imparted into all the dear saints!
This is some enjoyment from the recent training on Isaiah – Crystallization Study of Isaiah(1), message 1.
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I enjoyed the opening words too! What a privilege to be under His speaking! May we live and serve Him according to the vision, the word and the burden we have seen!
this is the song version of portions of this post, made by brother David G, on the tune of: Jesus Lover of My Soul, Hymn #1057 – http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/1057
1) When we of a “burden“ speak,
What is it that we would mean?
Not a burden, general–
A particular burden seen.
Something that weighs on God’s heart –
Weighing on His heart this way,
For His people, live and serve
His reality–econ'my!
2) Without a burden, there is no
Ministry of the Word, to us–
And there is no prophesying
For the building of the church;
Without burden, all of our activities
Are just dead and ineffective.
Yet with a burden, we know
We are living, flourishing!
3) If we serve according to
Obligation, not burden,
Some serv'ce will cause us to
Lose the Lord’s dear, sweet presence!
Release the Lord’s burd'n, vision,
With His expressed word! Release!
Put in us through vivid words,
Conveying rev'lation divine!
4) The word we receive and hear,
Vision that we see, becomes!
And the vision that we see
Becomes the burden that we bear!
Lord, give me now the express'd words,
Vivid words, the special words,
So that Your burden may be
Impart'd to all the dear saints!