Don't Whine, Shine

Scripture:
"Yet you have not called on Me, O Jacob, but you have become weary of Me, O Israel.
Isaiah 43:22

Observation:
God's call on my life is to be His witness. He desires to prove to the world that His way is best. The trouble becomes that I often war against the call. It is not always just open rebellion that pulls me away. Sometimes is it my desire for convenience that gets me. In the midst of the struggles of life I can become quite weary of God. He does not do things as I would have them done nor does He do them in my timing. So, I get angry. During these times in life when circumstances should propel me towards God; quite often the opposite happens.

Application:
As I study Isaiah 43, I see two main aspects of life that require me to hold on to God. The first is when trials come. In verse 2, God points out that there will be deep waters and hot fires for me to walk through. I find His use of words most appropriate. He says WHEN YOU PASS through the waters and WHEN YOU WALK through the fire. The problem I have is that I do not want to pass or walk through anything. I want Him to take me out. I want Him to walk through. I would much rather pray against the coming of the water and fire than to pray for God to strengthen me to go through. As I approach this week, I really need to prepare myself to face the adversity that will come my way and not allow it to make me weary. Regardless of what others teach about faith and deliverance, the counsel of the scripture is that God normally takes us through stuff, not around it.

The second aspect of life that I feel God is working with me on this morning is success and advancement. In verse 3 He says that He will tell the north to give us up and the south to not hold us back. I am a dreamer. I have goals, ambitions, and desires in almost every area of my life. As I work toward those things, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that God is the One who provides success. I read books, study tactics, and focus my efforts on accomplishing the things set before me and as I do this, I begin to depend on me. I carve God out. This verse serves as a great reminder that my preparations should only be a form of obedience to God's commands to work. My trust should be solely placed in Him for the results.

Prayer:
Your ways are not my ways. Your timing is not my timing. Your desires are not my desires. This causes me stress. It causes me to fall away. I get frustrated and tired. I become weary of You. As this happens the warm blanket of Your presence becomes unraveled and I shiver as I attempt to cover myself in the frayed pile of pulled string that is left behind. Out of desperation and pressure, I open myself to all sorts of evil and temptation as my search for relief lures me away from You. This is a crazy cycle of life and I am tired of it. As Your word says in Isaiah 43:18-19, I no longer want to remember the past. Whether those are good memories or bad, I want to constantly look towards the new work that you have planned. I no longer want to look for escape. Strengthen me today to walk through the waters and fires that come. Help me to be Your witness today. As I face adversity and work towards the mission You have called me to, I pray that I handle my struggles with a poise and calmness that reflects my absolute dependence and trust in You. Instead of whining about the way things are, I pray that You allow Your great hope to shine inside of me and serve as a beacon to a tired and weary world.