THE HERITAGE OF THE RIGHTEOUS

Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that rises against you will be condemned. This is the heritage of the servants of God.”

Have you ever had the experience of planning to make something absolutely wonderful and at the last moment something went wrong and messed it all up? Have you ever played in a game, and it looked for certain that your team was definitely going to win, and somehow things started to go wrong and you just could not believe you lost? Have you ever met a person and you knew deep inside, this was the person you really wanted and you were hoping to spend your life with, but somewhere the relationship went sour and came to a painful end? Life is full of situations that come into our lives and alter our plans for the future. Sometimes we make bad decisions and are forced to deal with things we do not like. Sometimes though, difficult and painful circumstances can come into our lives simply from us making a commitment to follow Jesus Christ. It is inexplicable, but it happens.

As believers we are sure to encounter difficult times. The Psalmist wrote, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous.” But there is great hope found in our scripture today. Nothing that is created to harm us will prosper. Notice that it doesn’t say that weapons won’t exist. There is no promise that life will be free of difficult moments, some which are extremely trying. The promise is that they will not prosper. The word prosper means “to be successful”. What an amazing promise. Weapons will be formed. People will talk. We may be persecuted. Times may be stressful. But according to the promise of Almighty God, nothing designed to destroy us will succeed.

I get the mental picture of a toy gun. It looks real. If you didn’t know it was a toy and it was pointed directly at you then you may be fearful for your life. Then the trigger is pulled. And slowly from the barrel of the gun comes a small flag with the word “BANG!” You see, many times the enemy attempts to overcome us with the mere threat of destruction. When times do get rough, we may feel as though we have lost. We may experience desperate feelings of hopelessness. That is the enemy’s game plan. Convince us to give up, to quit trying based on the perception of defeat. The prophet Isaiah proclaims, don’t worry and don’t quit. No weapon formed against you will prosper.

Why can we have this assurance? The prophet teaches us that it is the heritage of the righteous. The word heritage means “something reserved for one.” Victory has been reserved for you and me. It is mine. Not because I can fight hard enough to win. Not because I am strong enough to overcome. I have the promise of victory simply because I am a child of the Most High God. It is my heritage.

Understanding that promise ought to change our perspective about trials and troubles. Sure they are uncomfortable, but they will never defeat you and me. In fact, these troubles just solidify my standing in the Kingdom. You are a child of God. Nothing will be successful in destroying you. Let us all walk today in the confidence of our heritage.