Pig-Headedness

Today's Reading: Zephaniah 3 & John 9

Scripture:

"She heeded no voice, she accepted no instruction, she did not trust in the LORD, she did not draw near to her God." Zephaniah 3:2

Observation:

In this verse the prophet is speaking against the nation of Israel. In the verses following this one the prophet lists out the results of Israel's failing in these four areas. If I were to visit Israel at the time that this verse was penned, I am sure that the people would have been complaining about what God was not doing. I am sure that they would have been griping about the fact that their prayers were going unanswered. Their reality was that they were suffering not from a absent or uncaring God; they were suffering from their own pig-headed decisions.

Application:

There are only two sources for the pain in my life. The first is persecution from the world because of the work of God in my life. This is a holy form of pain and it should be seen as affirmation that my life is on the right track.

The second source of pain is my pig-headedness. I often like to pretend that this form of pain is the persecution I mentioned above, but a better word for it would be consequence. I act like a fool and God treats me like a fool. That is just the way it rolls.

Pig-headedness in my relationship with God is solved in four steps: 1) Heed His voice. 2.) Accept His instruction. 3.) Trust in Him as LORD. 4.) Draw near to Him as my God.

Prayer:

Father heeding Your voice makes the assumption that I hear Your voice. Frankly, that is tough at times. The noise in my life is deafening. I pray that I be attune to Your speaking to me and that I pay close attention to it. I pray that Your words truly become the bread for my life and that nothing would interfere with my passion for consuming them. I ask that they become an uncontrollable addiction in my life.

Accepting Your instruction is among the hardest things I face. You instruction is almost never my preference. Your plan almost never makes sense to me. Your will calls me away from everything that is comfortable and thrusts me deep into things that scare me to death. I confess to You that there is nothing in my natural nature that desires to be instructed by You. That is the battle inside of me that I face everyday. I pray that Your Spirit inside of me be released to carry me in obedience.

Trusting You as LORD assumes that I understand You as Yahweh. Understanding You as Yahweh means that I acknowledge You as the Almighty Source of everything I need in life. It requires that I lay my life before You and depend on You as the sole source of my life, joy, happiness, protection, provision, and strength.

Drawing near to You assumes that I am not playing victim. There are many times in life where I feel like You are the one withdrawn. My prayers feel empty so I blame You. Your Word does not speak to me so I blame You. I feel lonely or discontent so I blame You. I confess to You this morning my sin in this and proclaim that regardless of what my feelings are saying, I know You are there waiting on me. It falls on me to let go and step near.