Doesn't belong? Do what?!
Isaiah writes, "Thus says the Lord," and continues with the words of the Lord concerning the "foreigner" and the "eunuch", people who, in the eyes of many, may not have belonged.
"Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, "Yet I will gather to him Others besides those who are gathered to him."" Isaiah 56:7-8
Somehow, throughout Israel's history, they became a people who believed that salvation was only for them. We even see this tension continue into the early church, eventually becoming a point of contention at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15.
But the Lord's plan all along was to reach all nations.
It can be easy for us to fall into the same mindset. In our own righteousness, we can begin to think that certain people aren't worthy, or perhaps aren't even called by God. Maybe it's the family member who continues to rebel or remains stuck in sinful behavior. Or maybe it's the person we see living recklessly and chasing after the ways of the world.
The Lord can save them too.
He saved you, didn't He?
We are not saved because we were worthy. We are saved because of His grace. And if God's grace was enough for us, shouldn't we want others to experience that same grace?
Today, think about that one person, or those people, you may consider unreachable. Pray that their hearts would be opened to the Lord. Keep them before Him in prayer.
And then love them like Jesus has called us to love.
Because they may feel like they don't belong.
But neither did we.
-To Know Jesus. To Live on Mission.