This is what the Lord says –your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” –Isaiah 48:17-18
A message that seems to have been laid on the hearts of many writers, ministers, musicians, etc this year is the importance of taking the time out to get to know God. I don’t know if I am the only one that noticed it, but a lot of the sermons and music I have heard in the past few months have echoed that very same idea.
I believe the same message is echoed in the verses above. In Isaiah 48, the Lord first showed the Israelites how far they had fallen, and then He reminded them of who He was and what His role in their lives was and what their lives would have been like if they just listened to and obeyed him.
This seems like a very simple and straightforward message, but why do we still struggle with listening to and obeying the Lord? Why do so many find it difficult to walk in God’s will for their lives? Is it because we do not trust that He knows what is best for us? Do we think that He might perhaps withhold good from us? Or do we think that we can direct our paths better than He can? It is very important to consider what really believe about God in our hearts because it affects our relationship with Him, how much we trust Him, and how we respond to Him.
I challenge you today to take some time out to really consider what you believe about God. I do not mean what you think you are supposed to believe, but what you truly believe. Be honest with yourself! What are your believes based upon? Your experiences with Him? Other people’s experiences with Him? What you read in Scripture? Or perhaps in books?
I recently rushed into a situation by taking matters into my own hands. I was convinced that I was doing what was best for me until a friend asked me the simple question, “Did you pray about it? What did God say?” I hadn’t prayed about it and I certainly was not sure what God’s take was on the situation. As I began to consider why I hadn’t been patient and gone to God first, I realized that it was because I was afraid that God might not approve of something I desperately wanted. I was afraid that God would withhold from me what I believed to be good for me.
I was completely humbled when I took the time out to consider what I believed about God. I thought that I completely trusted Him, but my actions and thought process proved otherwise. It had been quite easy for me to trust Him with things that were out of my control, but when it came to things I could control, I barely consulted Him because I did not trust that He knew what was best for me or if He did, wanted me to have it.
What do you believe about God? Do you truly trust Him? If you think you do, do your actions prove it? Please take some time to really consider these…we’ll pick up from here tomorrow.
Grace and peace be with you.
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THE REALITY OF WHAT WE BELIEVE