Stand Firm Or Not At All
Daily Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 7-8; 2 Amos 1-2
Daily Focus Passage: Isaiah 7
King Ahaz faced a challenging dynamic in Isaiah 7. King Ahaz and the people face the threat of the two allied kings coming against them. They recognized this alliance provided military power that far outweighed their ability. As King Ahaz faced this pressure, the Lord sent Isaiah to proclaim a message of hope amid the struggle. The prophet declared that the allied kings would not conquer them and that Ahaz must stand firm in the faith or choose not to stand. The same is true today; we must decide to stand firm in the faith or choose not to stand at all.
STAND FIRM IN THE FAITH
Isaiah's message from the Lord to King Ahaz included the call to stand firm in the Lord. If one attempts to stand on anything other than the Lord, they will not be able to stand. We must learn to stand on the certain foundation of the Lord and refuse to build our lives and hope in the world's things, people, and places. We must rest our lives on him alone when we follow the Lord. Any other foundation fails. Thus, like King Ahaz, we receive a call to stand firm on the Lord or face the reality of not standing.
LET YOUR FAITH GUIDE YOUR RESPONSE
We must learn to allow our faith to guide our responses in every situation. Isaiah called King Ahaz to calm down and be quiet. King Ahaz allowed the threat of the allied kings to cause an unsettledness in his life. He lived in a moment of hysteria because of fear. Yet, Isaiah declared that the king needed to settle down and silence himself. He needed to stop allowing the waves of the moments to unsettle his life and be quiet to hear the Lord's encouragement, truth, and promise. Likewise, we must learn to calm down, be quiet, and seek the Lord when life becomes turbulent.
Isaiah also commanded the king to take a different perspective on the oncoming threat. Isaiah challenged King Ahaz to view the coming threat through the eyes of the Lord and not through human eyes. The Lord's perspective differs from ours. His perspective does not see the challenges but the opportunity for glory. When we attempt to take the perspective of the Lord, we see the challenges as opportunities to glorify the Lord and to live out a life of faith.
LET YOUR FAITH DIRECT YOUR HOPE
When we live with faith guiding our response, we begin to find genuine hope in the Lord and not left to wishful thinking or wishful hoping. Isaiah told King Ahaz that the coming threat and the plans of the evildoers would not occur. Thus, he directed the king to allow his faith in the Lord to give him hope. This hope rests in the work of the Lord and finds certainty in the promises of the Lord. When faith becomes grounded in the Lord, our focus turns to the Lord alone and blocks out the concerns that would keep us from trusting him. Is your focus on the Lord or the worries of this world? Are you finding true hope in the Lord?
Isaiah proclaimed a message of deliverance, goodness, and hope. He called on King Ahaz to trust in the Lord with everything. As Ahaz faced the pressures of the allied kings, he had a decision: would he fall to the fear of earthly kings or obey in faith because of the fear of the Lord? When you consider your life, what provides the foundation for each component? Are you swayed easily by the ways of this world and thus not able to stand? Are you firmly planted in the Lord and remain steadfast through it all?
