Thursday 3 Jan 2019

January 3: Isaiah 31:1-5

Key Verse: Isaiah 31:1
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord.

Devotion:
I am sure that all of us are guilty of trusting in the things which look the best or look the strongest. Why? Because that is normally the best thing to do; we look for strength and surety and follow it. But as with the old saying “all that glitters is not gold” we have to try and make sure what we are following is actually true. What would be the use of going out of your way to follow something only to find out it is a gaping hole and totally useless. We only have to look at recent financial events in the virtual market to see how people were persuaded to put their trust into something that sounded so good, only to find that the institution fell overnight! That is the type of situation Isaiah was trying to warn the Jews about and it is a timely lesson for us too.

At times our own world (not earth but our own little part of the world) seems to be broken or crumbling and we try to shift things around to hitch on to the back of something stronger in the hopes it will pull us out of our problems when in truth we are running away from our Protector! God continues to be our Saviour and Protector, no matter how bad we think things are getting. At times He will allow various issues into our lives knowing that it is going to prepare us for what lies ahead. Is Israel's case He was fulfilling His promise. We have been shown that even the biggest institutions will crumble like dry cake before God. We have seen nations and kingdoms come to an end. Egypt used to be the power to be reckoned by, and yet now we look at the ruin of the pyramids and marvel at what used to be.

We need to make sure our faith and trust is in God alone. He, through Christ, has given us redemption. He, through the Holy Spirit, gives us guidance. We need to stop trusting in the powers of this world and put Him first in our lives. Only then will we be sure of being able to ride out the storms that are approaching; only then will we be sure of making it to Heaven with Him.

Points to Ponder:
Which mighty power do you look up to?

Are you trusting in the Almighty Power