Rely
“Then they shall be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their hope and of Egypt their boast. And the inhabitants of this coastland will say in that day, ‘Behold, this is what has happened to those in whom we hoped and to whom we fled for help to delivered from the king of Assyria! And we, how shall we escape?’†Isaiah 20:5-6 (ESV)
Life frequently changes. It is quite frustrating because when life changes, what we rely on changes. Losing your parents is a devasting event. There is much sorrow at the loss of a loved one and much natural mourning, but there is also that subtle reminder that someone you used to rely on is gone. Losing a parent is a natural part of life, but it is still transformative.
When you are younger, life is simple. As I have aged, I see life differently. The things I once thought were secure and dependable are not. They are a phantom. In the above passage, Philistia had put their hope in two traditionally huge powers to protect them, but unfortunately for Philistia neither of these powers could protect them from the enemy. They had their hope in the wrong place.
I understand this desire to make alliances to protect my life. Nothing in my life seems that dramatic. My alliances are more subtle. I am tempted to rely on things that do not bring about life: money, power, success. I want to build alliances with people who could help soften the falls of life.
I do think we are to have friends, but our friends are supposed to be those who bring us to Jesus. When you find out Jesus is all you have, you learn Jesus is all you need. I struggle to understand this deep truth: Jesus is all I need. The old alliances will always fall. The Jesus never does. He will never let me fall.
In what areas of your life do rely on something other than God? How does wisdom and faith intersect in our life? How do we know when our wisdom is of God or of man?
Life frequently changes. It is quite frustrating because when life changes, what we rely on changes. Losing your parents is a devasting event. There is much sorrow at the loss of a loved one and much natural mourning, but there is also that subtle reminder that someone you used to rely on is gone. Losing a parent is a natural part of life, but it is still transformative.
When you are younger, life is simple. As I have aged, I see life differently. The things I once thought were secure and dependable are not. They are a phantom. In the above passage, Philistia had put their hope in two traditionally huge powers to protect them, but unfortunately for Philistia neither of these powers could protect them from the enemy. They had their hope in the wrong place.
I understand this desire to make alliances to protect my life. Nothing in my life seems that dramatic. My alliances are more subtle. I am tempted to rely on things that do not bring about life: money, power, success. I want to build alliances with people who could help soften the falls of life.
I do think we are to have friends, but our friends are supposed to be those who bring us to Jesus. When you find out Jesus is all you have, you learn Jesus is all you need. I struggle to understand this deep truth: Jesus is all I need. The old alliances will always fall. The Jesus never does. He will never let me fall.
In what areas of your life do rely on something other than God? How does wisdom and faith intersect in our life? How do we know when our wisdom is of God or of man?
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