September 8, 2015

Isaiah 1:22

Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils.  Of what account is he?

In January of this year, I made a resolution unlike any other I have ever made.  My resolution was to come to know the Lord more than I had ever in the past.  I wanted to understand Him and His words and turn to Him in time of need.  It has been a journey that at times does not go as I had planned.  It is a worthy and noble thing to give all of yourself to the Lord, but I believe as a human, it is very difficult.  I have friends and family, but it is definitely the Lord who has never left my side.  I want to grow in my faith and dependence on the Lord and know that if I trust Him with my whole heart, that He is all I will ever need.  People let you down and say things to hurt you, but with the Lord on your side - these things do not matter; nor does the hurt and disappointment that accompany them.  Rise up and know that we are worthy because of the blood of Christ.  It is by the blood that we are saved and not by any act of man.

The words in Isaiah are very powerful indeed.  In Isaiah 1:21 - men try to hide anywhere possible to escape from their wrongdoings and defiance against the will of God.  They flee from dread of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth.  This brings to mind the song - He's Got the Whole World in His Hands.  The Lord can indeed shake the earth like a child shakes a rattle, and no one can hide.

In trying to walk closer with the Lord this year, I am also reminded of the need to give more.  I am still working through many senseless debts that I have incurred, but the Lord put me on a path to help clear them.  It may take a while, but the path is clear and I just have to stay the course.  When I read Proverbs 22:27, the message was reinforced - If you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you. 

Lord - help me to continue in my walk to be closer to You, to know You, to trust in You only.  Help me to be considerate and caring for others, but not to the point that it overwhelms me with anxiety because I must know that only You heal and mend what is broken.