For the Lord GOD will help me;
therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint,
and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
Isaiah 50:7
Isaiah declares a powerful truth
that must be evident in the lives of God’s children… No matter what we face in
life or what circumstances come our way; we must remember that “the Lord will help me” and that we
should therefore be unmovable with our “face
like flint…” The storms of life may come against you in various mighty
forms; however, the storm is always moving and will never be stationary… The
message for all (especially fathers) on this Father’s Day is to stand strong…
Lead your household according to the will of God and do not give in to the
pressures of this world… Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man, that he
should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and
then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” The promises that God has made to
you, the vows and covenants that He has established will come to fruition…
Isaiah pens this verse at a time of peril and hardship; even in the midst of
adversity He proclaims that “God will help me…” We must know and
remember that God will help us and will be by our side at all times… The
question that plagues our walk as Christians when troubles arise is when God
will act; we want Him to show up and show out as soon as we feel the slightest
discomfort or face the smallest trial… At this time, we begin to look at the
glass as being have empty instead of being half full, but today we are reminded
to take pride in knowing that God will act… We should be thankful because the
question is not if or will God act, but when… He is going to show up, He is
going to deliver and He is going to keep His promise… It’s because of this that
Isaiah can say, “therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set
my face like a flint…” No matter what I face, no matter what storm comes my
way I stay the course and lean upon God’s might arms knowing that in due time I
will be victorious… When Jesus was training His disciples and preparing them
for His departure, He told them they would suffer persecution and to keep in
mind that they (the world) hated Him first… Jesus taught a couple of vital
lessons that a child of God must accept; one is that you will suffer
persecutions, second is that you will have people who will plot against you and
try to trip you up… The minute you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and
Savior is the same minute that you begin the transition of being in the world
and not of it… The point in time that you choose to be a better person is the
same time that people around you will have a “crab-like mentality” and
try to keep you down… This Christian journey is not easy, there will in fact be
days that are harder than others, there will be times of despair and grief and
as Jesus instructed His twelve disciples back then, there surely will be times
of persecution and displays of hatred… Knowing that Jesus told us that we will
deal with ups and downs, knowing that bible tells us that we all have trials to
face and knowing that a child of God will suffer at points in their lives can
be very disheartening…
However, after Jesus assured us of
persecutions and envious practices, He concludes His life on this earth by
telling His disciples to go throughout the land preaching and teaching and
tells them “I will be with you always, even unto the end of the world!” Jesus
informs His disciples the same truth that Isaiah reminds us today, which is
that the Lord is always by our side… Isaiah was given a task to convict the
children of Israel, He was given a (n) objective to go before a rebellious
people and proclaim the faults and the judgments that were to come… The
Israelites we on the verge of bondage under the hand of the Babylonians and Isaiah
was sent to prophesy unto them… One can only begin to image the hardships that
Isaiah had and would face… We are commanded today through the Great Commission
to go into the world (just as Isaiah) and let people know of the coming bondage
of eternity that awaits all those who don’t believe… Understanding that you are
going against the grain in your society, understanding that you are promoting
change within your community, you must understand that not everyone will adapt,
you must understand not everyone will accept, you must understand that some
will try to persecute you… The book of Proverbs tells us in the 18th
chapter 24th verse that even when the people closest to us have
turned away that, “…there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” These
are the same things that Isaiah and all the other prophets faced when speaking
the Good News and in this passage we are reminded that even when everyone turns
their back on you, even when everyone pushes you to the side, even when
everyone laughs at you, you have a friend that will always help you and be by
your side… Again, Isaiah says, “For the Lord God will help me…” God will
give you the words to speak, He will give you the energy to push on, and He
will give you the endurance to overcome… Isaiah goes on to say “I shall not
be confounded…” don’t be puzzled or allow yourself to be bewildered, God
will guide you out every situation you face, every trial you are prepared for,
and every form of tribulation will be a stepping-stone and not a stumbling
block… Isaiah says it is because of the Lord that I will not fear, he has made
my face like flint; flint is a hard rock that is very difficult to break, our
faith should not be easily broken, our desire to walk with God should not be
wavering nor should our posture on our religious beliefs be changed! God says
that He will be with you even unto the end of the world and we should be
encouraged by these words… He says that He will be with us because we are sure
to have dark days, we are sure to have sleepless nights, and we are sure to
have doubts and fears; it is at this time that Christ calls for us to remember
what Isaiah has told us, hold on to your faith, don’t give up nor give in… The
word of God is truth, it never comes back void and it will achieve that which
it has been set out to accomplish…
BE BLESSED!!!
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