Endless Miles of Hope!
When you are committed to God and spend time with Him, darkness shrinks and endurance increases!
Up to this point in Isaiah, reading the judgments of God has been difficult. These chapters have felt like running a 57-mile race with 14,000 feet of elevation gain—I can picture it because I did it. During the grueling race, discomfort, pain, fatigue, and doubts crept in. But I had a choice. I could either focus on my suffering and let it consume me or endure it with faith, believing that if I could just make it to the next aid station, or sometimes just the next ten feet, I could finish the race.
Isaiah 25:1 reminded me of this kind of race. For 24 chapters, Isaiah has witnessed the magnitude and devastation of God’s judgment. And yet, he responds in this way: “O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.”
How in the world does someone respond this way after witnessing such travesty?
He understands the character of God. It is unchanging. He knows this because of his commitment to God and the time he has spent with Him. Remember when he said, "Here am I, send me" (Isaiah 6:8)? When you are committed to God and spend time with Him, darkness shrinks and endurance increases!
He remains faithful no matter the circumstance. Despite the devastation around him, Isaiah remains fixed on God.
Never Finished Challenge: Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus in Every Season
This ties directly into Hebrews 12:1, which challenges us: “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” When I had negative doubts or thoughts that created fear while racing, God helped me kick those out of my head and focus on the next few steps. He does that with sin, too, if you let Him!
So, I have some questions to reflect on:
Are you focusing on temporary discomfort or God’s eternal purpose? Ask Him to help you focus on His eternal purpose and when you feel an answer or direction, do it—that’s the Holy Spirit!
Are your eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), or are you distracted by the difficulties along the way? You have a choice to be a victim or victor every day. The victim enables the world to define your identity. The victor, however, lets the resurrection define your identity.
Can you praise God even when you don’t fully understand His ways, because you trust His character? If you don’t have the words plug in the worship music, listen to nature, get outside. Praise is a weapon of mass destruction for the enemy. He hates when you sing praises to God. I know you’ve heard, music is the doorway to the soul. It is true. Let good stuff in and declare good things out of your mouth and Satan will shutter and retreat.
These are hard questions for me to answer. I can say that in many seasons of my life, I have not responded well—still growing as well. However, as I have spent more time with God, He has given me the strength to spend less time dwelling on my difficult circumstances and more time on His promises. In other words, the ups and downs of this world have had less grip on my identity, allowing me to reflect and enjoy with steadfast purpose a loving, grace-filled, and merciful Father—who graciously, lovingly, and mercifully is never finished transforming me.
For your pocket: Life with Him gives you endless miles of hope.
What does today tell me about God?
His ways are higher than my ways. I would be paralyzed in my faith if I knew every answer to His ways. Instead, He lovingly draws me in to see and understand so that I can reflect Him in the world.
Furthermore, He is sovereign. No matter what happens on earth, I can trust that there is always an eternal plan at work. If you were God, would you delay coming back as He has, despite all the suffering and evil in the world? I am an optimist, and I see much good in the world as well! But God is delaying so that more people may come to know Him. That gives me great confidence. No matter the evil and chaos, there is an eternal plan that no one and nothing can interrupt—because He is sovereign!