Isaiah 26:3 – 4 started me on a quest in the Bible yesterday. The verses were those that came to mind as I was thinking through the passage. Here are the passages that came to mind:
What are the common elements of those passages? What comes to mind as you read them? I will share my thoughts tomorrow…
- Psalm 28:7
- Psalm 37:3, 5
- Proverbs 3:5 – 6
What are the common elements of those passages? What comes to mind as you read them? I will share my thoughts tomorrow…
Trust; more specifically, Trust in the Lord. More specifically yet, "with all my heart."
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me is the alternative; there's really only one. I trust the Lord, or I trust my own understanding.
This probably stands out to me so strongly is what God is doing in my own life. Anything else I put my trust in other than God (consciously or unconsciously) is my own understanding. I think my solution to anything is better than the Lord's solution.
The results of that are not good. In 2 Kings 18:21 Israel had been invaded by Assyria. The King of Assyria assumed that Godly King Hezekiah of Judah was resisting because he was counting on help from Egypt. So trying to get Judah to surrender the envoy of Assyria compared Egypt to "the broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any many who leans on it." Ouch! And even worse, the result would likely be falling flat, compounding any injury.
The next step by Hezekiah is instructive; rather than give in to fear and surrendering to the Assyrian invaders he repented and took his people to God, proclaiming their trust in the Lord, their God.
The result? One angel slaughtered 185,000 of Assyria's troops in one night. Just for reference, the lowest estimate I've seen for all killed in the atomic bomb blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki is 129,000. (That angel doesn't seem quite like the little cherubs with wing and tiny harps floating around in puffy clouds somewhere.)
My own response (the Lord is showing me) to the uncertainty of the future as well as uncontrollable current events in the present is feelings of insecurity - or when I'm honest, fear. That for me is the opposite of trust in the Lord. If I let myself proceed an inch down that road, I land directly in despair.
This is clearly idolatry, trying to trust myself, my ability to "think things out." The results of idolatry are not good. And the Lord is unwilling to let me walk that road.
The solution is simple - and incredibly hard at the same time: repent. Then take immediate refuge under the shadow of Christ's bloody cross, followed by coming back to confess my trust in the Lord, a solid, strong staff that can bear my full weight.
Great post, Mike! Looking forward to latter today...!
Not sure I can do any better...
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