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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Since ancient times no one has
heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on
behalf of those who wait for Him. You come to the help of those who gladly do
right, who remember Your ways.
Isaiah 64:4-5a
This ends today’s reading from God's holy
word. Thanks be to God.
Where is God when I need Him?
Perhaps it’s a question a lot of people ask when they are
in the midst of hardship or difficulty. Sometimes the waiting is hard when we
need relief from our troubles. The uncertainty over what the future holds can
be too much for us to bear. We cry out for the Lord to help us and try to hold
onto hope that things will soon get better.
But how can we be assured that when we seek God’s help, we
will receive it? Does it just come automatically to anyone who looks for it?
Today’s scriptures from the 64th chapter of Isaiah offer
answers to those questions. Look again at the word of God:
Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has
seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. You
come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. Isaiah
64:4-5a
From the very beginning of creation, since ancient times, there
was God and God alone. No one has seen or heard any other god except Him. He
was, is, and will always be our refuge and strength, our very present help in
times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).
But note that there are two prerequisites God’s people need
to meet if they wish to get the blessed aid and assistance the Lord provides.
Let’s look at them starting with the second one first.
1. God’s help
comes to those who gladly do right and remember His ways.
If we are going to gain the Lord’s help, we need to pursue
and carry out His direction and guidance. We need to obediently follow His will
and way in the way we live our lives. We need to ever seek to model what we do
after Jesus, remembering His actions, words, and thoughts for Jesus and God
were one and in living like Jesus, we can we assured we are living according to
God’s ways always.
Note here that we aren’t to feel coerced or compelled to be
compliant with God’s expectations out of some sense of duty. Our attitude isn’t
to be that we live like Jesus just because we have to live like Him. No, God’s
word says that His help comes to those who gladly do right.
In other words, true God followers are joyfully respectful and
obedient to Him. They find great gladness in living in His righteousness and
basking in the glow of His favor. It’s a blessing just to have a close personal
relationship with their Maker and Master. That He provides help and protection
is just a bonus.
2. God’s help
comes to those who wait for Him.
I have put this second because if we’re not willing to
surrender our own will and desires for God’s then this second point doesn’t
matter. God is not going to bless sinfulness and if we think God is going to
help us when we opt for wickedness, we’re going to be waiting for a very long
time.
But if we hunger and thirst for His righteousness in the
way we approach life, He will lead and guide us to right living and we can rest
assured He is working things for our good because His words assures us as much
(Romans 8:28). All we need to do is wait for Him to bring us His aid.
Therein is where we seem to get into the most trouble. You
see, we don’t like to wait.
We live in a society today where everything is expected to
come fast. We drive on interstates that have express lanes. We look for drive
through windows for fast food. We want our money fast and on demand so we go to
ATM’s. And we think God has to work along the same lines.
So we get impatient when we should be waiting faithfully
for God to do His perfect work in, through, and around us. And in our
impatience, we begin to lose the very faith that got us into God’s graces to
begin with. Perhaps we would be well suited to pray every day for God to grow
in us His fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) so that we might always have
an abundant harvest of life attitudes that are pleasing to Him, one of which is
of course, patience.
Embrace God’s righteousness in the way you live. Wait for
Him patiently to come to your rescue in times of trouble.
These are the things God’s word tells us will result in our
finding His help.
I pray these words today will be a blessing to you.
Amen.
In
Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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