07/22/18 Relying on God

READING: Psalm 76

“They do not look to the Holy One of Israel.”

Isaiah 31:1

None of us needs look far to find people and countries who rely on themselves rather than on God. In some cases, entire cultures deny there is a God at all. Others speak about God but give little attention to Him. Most rely on their political prowess or their military might rather than on God to press into the future. What they don’t realize is that today’s power is fleeting—particularly compared to eternity. Their weapons will perish, but the God of creation will remain. Hence, this reminder to God’s people in Isaiah’s day remains relevant: “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and who depend on horses! They trust in the abundance of chariots and in the large number of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel and they do not seek the Lord” (Isa. 31:1).

This same concern hits home for any of us who rely on anything other than God. It’s easy to do, too, even while we speak of the significance of relying on God. Our actions betray our words when we say we’re relying on Him, but we’re instead leaning on our education . . . our training . . . our position . . . our dollars . . . our politics . . . our personality . . . our looks . . . our church attendance . . . or anything else other than God. Most of us do it – we don’t automatically “look to the Holy One of Israel” first. 

Indeed, we often reveal what our real “gods” are when life smacks us in the face and the enemy seems to be winning. If we turn to “Egypt” first, we’ve turned in the wrong direction. 

ACTION STEPS: 

  • Monitor your heart today. Learn where you first turn when life gets hard. 
  • Seek the Lord all day long. 

PRAYER: “God, I am seeking You alone. Grant me grace to stay focused there.”    

TOMORROW’S READING: Isaiah 38-39, 2 Kings 20, 2 Chronicles 32:24-33

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