Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.” Isaiah 58:9

When we use the word then, it’s usually sandwiched in between two phrases or sentences. Ex. _ then _. Typically whatever comes before then has to be “completed” first and then the following phrase or sentence proceeds. Does that mean God will only answer us after we’ve done something first?

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In Isaiah 58, the verses leading up to verse 9 talk about a sacrificial fast: feeding the hungry, giving shelter to the poor, and covering the naked. The focus here is on doing something for the other, putting others first, not self. 

Romans 5:8 comes to mind, where it says, “God commandeth his love towards us [first], in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ [his only begotten Son] died for us.” There is no then here. God loved us before “then” came into the picture. There wasn’t anything we could do first to deserve this love. So why does God use then in Isaiah 58?

In a way, God’s love demonstrated in the death of Jesus displays great selflessness. He had us in mind. With that said, what does that mean for us? Is nothing required of us? Or should we keep only God in mind? Should we forget our needs and only think of others? Should we neglect ourselves? Sometimes we only want to take things from God and the people in our lives – thinking only of ourselves. There could be many reasons for this: past hurts, our upbringing, etc. Despite all this, God always takes care of us.

To answer the question asked in the beginning: there is something God wants us to do first. I think he wants us to be more selfless. He also wants nothing more than to have a relationship with us. He’s always participating. He’s waiting on us to become givers first not takers. When we begin to engage in a giving relationship first, considering others, then we’ll see and experience God working in our lives. Then the blessings will follow.

“Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer.”

My prayer is that we can become more selfless. That we will joyfully and humbly participate in a daily giving relationship with God first, then our fellow man. In Jesus name, Amen.