Ezra skipped his nap today. He’s nearing two and he is definitely beginning to test boundaries. He sees his older sister and cousins playing independently and even though he amazes us all daily with his climbing and running and new vocabulary, being the youngest, he must feel like he’s always playing catch up. Today he found his no and he tested it out thoroughly. Once he made up his mind to do something or not to do it, his protest was loud.
A strong will is part of our human nature. We learn early to communicate our wants and needs. An infant cries when hungry or sleepy. Although tempting at times, it would be entirely inappropriate for me to do the same. We learn to ask for what we need until eventually we are able provide for ourselves. Still there are things over which we have no control. What then?
God’s people, Israel, were chosen not for their influence or power but for God’s designs. Messiah would be born into the house and lineage of David in Bethlehem at precisely the right time and for that to happen, God wove an amazingly intricate storyline beginning long before Abraham.
“Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power.
He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars.
He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light.”
Daniel 2:20-22 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/dan.2.20-22.NLT
Israel split into two kingdoms after the time of David and his son, Solomon. The northern kingdom, Israel and her kings were rarely friendly with the southern kingdom of Judah and her kings. Even in the midst of their fierce rivalry, God was working out His perfect plan. In every generation, God seeks those whose hearts are His but He is not hindered by rejection or rebellion. Isaiah the prophet challenged King Ahaz of Judah to trust God with the future of the house of David, which God had established, reminding the king to stand firm in his faith in the God of his ancestors.
“The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’ ”
Isaiah 7:9 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/isa.7.9.NIV
“Israel is no stronger than its capital, Samaria, and Samaria is no stronger than its king, Pekah son of Remaliah.
Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.””
Isaiah 7:9 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.7.9.NLT
“Emunah,” the Hebrew word translated as faith here is so much richer than merely acknowledging God. As James put it, “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.” (James 2:19) By faith, Abraham left the land of his fathers to go to a place God would show him and his faith propelled him up a mountainside with Isaac, the child of his old age, child of God’s promise, with only wood and a knife, prophetically claiming, “God will provide a lamb.” Emunah is the force that moved all of the heroes of the faith remembered in Hebrews chapter eleven. Emunah is an active trust, faithfulness, and steadfastness, not because I am strong or faithful but because God is. God who identified Himself to Moses as “I AM” is with you and when He says I will never leave or forsake you, you can stand firmly rooted in His promise and you will not be moved.
Isaiah’s message for the king of Judah was basically, “I know you are afraid but I already see the end from the beginning. “I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 29:11) I need you to trust Me and be still.”
Fearing Israel’s alliance with Syria, King Ahaz of Judah turned to regional superpower, Assyria rather than relying on God for salvation and protection. Isaiah confronted the king with a message from the Lord, which God offered to confirm with a sign.
“Later, the Lord sent this message to King Ahaz:
“Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz.
Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”
But the king refused.
“No,” he said, “I will not test the Lord like that.”
Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David!
Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience?
Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well?”
Isaiah 7:10-13 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.7.10-13.NLT
Though Ahaz spoke righteous sounding words, though his answer appears pious, God sees his heart. Ahaz is insincere, acting for appearance sake. He had already determined to ally Judah with Assyria when God reminded him through the prophet Isaiah that God alone reigns supreme. God’s purposes cannot be thwarted, either by the enemy’s plans or by the people’s defiance or indifference. God gives the sign for which the king refuses to ask. We echo it every Christmas and it still stands for salvation.
“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign.
Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”
Isaiah 7:14 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.7.14.NLT
Ahaz should have remembered another timeless truth. “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.”
Proverbs 16:18 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/pro.16.18.NLT
Better yet, he should have replied like Jehoshaphat.
“Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance.
He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting.
So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help.
Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord.
He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven.
You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth.
You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!
“O our God, won’t you stop them?
We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us.
We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.””
2 Chronicles 20:3-6, 12 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/2ch.20.12.NLT
Emunah shares a root with our word Amen. It communicates coming into agreement with God. My favorite rendition is “let it be as You say, Lord.” This is what I intend when I voice my amen in prayer. Faith is not merely a frame of mind. It is action tied to a deep trust in God. It is fully relying on God to be God, to act according to His character as revealed in His Word, regardless of our circumstances. Faith that walks in the Spirit, not by sight, is faith that pleases God and honors Him.
“And it is impossible to please God without faith.
Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/heb.11.6.NLT
Faith grows by being stretched. Flexing our faith muscles, as I once taught my teens, takes practice. It means moving forward in faith even when you stumble. It means you “Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15 AMP
https://bible.com/bible/1588/2ti.2.15.AMP
“But don’t just listen to God’s word.
You must do what it says.
Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”
James 1:22 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jas.1.22.NLT
Obedience is where faith becomes sight. We learn to trust God by obeying and finding Him ever faithful. We must trust that as we often see both the benefits to be gained and dangers to be avoided that are invisible to the eyes of our own children, God sees and knows all things completely. We warn our children of danger or prompt them toward obedience and we want them to choose to listen simply because they know us, they know our love and care for them and their siblings, and they believe our highest aim is for their good. Yet invariably they dart away from our outstretched hand determined to run after whatever catches their eye. At the end of a trying day, ask yourself, “How is God so very patient?”
“There’s a deeper place to go where the road seems hard to hoe
He who has begun this work won’t let it go
There’s a higher place to go
Beyond belief, beyond belief
Where we reach the next plateau
Beyond belief, beyond belief
And from faith to faith we grow”
Beyond Belief ~Petra https://youtu.be/mJbomEknmbM?si=w1hxK_P60MXzSBwE
A Fitting Reply 