It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. – Psalm 118:8
God’s word is full of warnings that help us to be made aware of what needs to be done to protect us from harm. As pointed out in “Getting to the Other Side”, without God’s instruction, there is no light of dawn. There is only distress, darkness, and fearful gloom.
But as the song Come Let Us Return to the Lord – Matt Redman points out, with brokenness of heart we can repent and consecrate our lives. We can follow God’s plan for us with realigned priorities. The Holy Spirit will be our guide, and we can be assured that we will be going towards the destination. We will be able to give our best and proceed with poise because victory is assured.
Two donkeys were standing at a roadside. One ask the other, “So, shall we cross”? The other said, “no way, look at what happened to the zebra”. [1]
Crossing the roads in Texas can be hazardous. There is construction everywhere because of the tremendous growth and one can easily get run over if not following the pedestrian signs and warnings.
As we walk through life, our pedestrian signs and warnings are found in God’s word. In Isaiah 21, the prophet sees in a vision the fall of Baylon. He warns Edom that morning and night is coming. He tells them to return to the Lord for safety. Unfortunately, they did not heed the warning (16-17).
God’s word is full of warnings that make us aware of what needs to be done to protect us from harm. As pointed out in today’s passage, without God’s instruction, there is no light of dawn. There is only distress, darkness, and fearful gloom.
It’s important to know God’s plan for us, have the right priorities, and do the things that really matter. Then, keep going in the right direction with the Holy Spirit as our guide. With the discipline to follow, we will get there. We can step ahead and cross the road to the other side without being run over. We can proceed with poise because victory is assured.
This day with You God, Your word sheds light so we can see the Way. We trust You God more than anyone. We live out Your plan for us towards the glorious light of eternity. The path marked out for us is the Way of Jesus. There is direction in each step as we step ahead toward the victorious finish in Jesus’ name … Amen.
[1] Short-funny.com – 99+ Short and Funny Jokes (Only the Best for You!) https://short-funny.com/.
A thought from John 11:1-16 is that things turn out alright by walking in the Light. Jesus demonstrated His willingness to die to accomplish God’s purpose. Take this encouragement and know God’s glorious power is available to conquer fear and step ahead.
In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. – Isaiah 19:23
Some thoughts from “Trust In What God Has Made” are the need to go the way of God to receive peace at home and with neighbor. To come home to God and trust in His Way.
A society can be renowned with wisdom and science yet collapse if it doesn’t understand the importance of lessons learned from the past, living according to the principles of God, and sticking with ideas that work.
As the song The Way by Jeremy Camp points out, Jesus is the way. Walk in the Light and lift high the King of kings.
Sometimes, things built by man can’t be trusted like the bridge in the picture. Instead, trust in what God has made rather than what man has made. As we read God’s word today, let us learn from the lessons of the past. With God by our side, we will always have the upper hand. Let us plan our future using the lessons from history and know that God’s grace is needed. Once received, we can gain wisdom to live the way life is meant to be lived.
Reading today in Isaiah 19-20, the prophecy is judgment on Egypt. God will stir up the people against each other. He will hand them over to the power of a cruel master (v. 19:4). There will be drought, plague, and economic depression until they come home to Him.
I remember around the age of five that mom had given out some punishment for doing something. I can’t remember what it was, but I was ready to run away and find a mom that wasn’t so strict.
I talked my sister into going with me. She was only three. We got about a block from home, and we saw the mail man. He asked where we were going. We had our lunch, a change of clothes, and a few other things needed for our journey as we set out to find another mom.
The mail man asks a few questions, got our names, and knew exactly where we lived. He convinced us to return home. We started our return, and, in the meantime, mom was in a panic. She couldn’t find us but then noticed us walking up the sidewalk with the postman.
We had talked to someone to bring us home to where we belonged. We note in today’s reading that Isaiah said that the people would turn to the Lord and there would be reconciliation. This spiritual conversion would bring blessings to Egypt. Political change so that Israel, Egypt, and Assyria (modern Iraq) would cooperate and enjoy the blessings of God (v. 19:18).
Also predicted in reading today is a major highway construction (v. 19:23) in the area which suggest that there would be travel between the nations and that there would be peace. There would be exchange of products freely between nations and they would worship together.
Later in today’s reading, there is another prediction that Cush and Egypt would fall to the Assyrians. There would be humiliation as Israel would realize that they should trust the Lord for protection rather alliances with other nations.
A society can be renowned with wisdom and science yet collapse if they go wayward. If they don’t return home to God. There is pressure we all face in society to fit in, to think we can run away instead of turning to Father God.
It’s important to take in the lessons learned from the past and live according to the principles of God. Stick to common sense practical ideas that work like brought out in the book by Robert Fulghum called “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”. Many times, it’s not always the parents that can lead the child to where they need to go. It may be a grandparent, a teacher, or even a postman.
This day with You God, we come home. We go wayward at times but know that true wisdom comes from You. Without You, there is uncertainty and misdirection. When we come home to You, there is direction for living the way we should. Our decisions are better as we gain lessons from Your word, our experiences, and the Spirit who speaks to us deep in our heart about lessons learned. We ask today for Jesus to take the wheel as we travel the highway to our destiny. Steer us along the Way. For in Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
This Day With God - A Spiritual Journey 