Isaiah 28:14-29 Cornerstone

For that foundation God was speaking about, there is a unique starting place. The Cornerstone. This One is PERFECT and will make anything built on it straight and true.

We can be SO blind to what is in front of us sometimes! Israel was BLIND to the fact that their alliance was really a death trap. All the ‘spit and polish’ and the ‘flowery words’ fooled them into thinking they were getting a good deal. But they were in league with their own destruction. They signed their own fate over to their oppressors.

Judah was afraid. They saw war coming and knew they couldn’t stand against their attackers on their own. They looked around instead of up for their salvation. SO MANY TIMES, God had proven He would protect His people when they trusted in Him. When their hearts were fixed on Him, He fixed their futures with good. Not always the way or the speed they wanted it. And that was where a lot of the problem lay.

There is a season for EVERY purpose under Heaven. God, through Isaiah, gives them an example they can relate to. Israel knows farming very well, so God speaks a language they can understand. Jesus used many similar metaphors in His ministry. One of the IMPORTANT parts of EACH of the processes is patience. Even the plowing required waiting until the ground wasn’t frozen or super muddy. And, as God said, there had to be an end to the plowing too in order to make room for the next step in the process.

God is ALWAYS working in our lives. He is working in this world too, even if they deny it. He waits until the right moment to begin His next step and ends it at the right moment too. When it comes to the lessons we need to learn, He will not start the lesson until HE knows we are in need of it or prepared for it. And He ends the lesson the instant He sees that it has done its work. With blessings and prayers, He works the same way. He KNOWS the instant that blessing or answered prayer will have the most impact in our lives. He is not slow or impatient. He is ALWAYS right on time.

I will be the first to admit that it is hard sometimes waiting for Him to answer. I have often said, “I know God is right on time, but I wish He would wind His watch.” And, more than once, I have taken matters into my own hands and come up with what I believed He wanted me to do. He has always been able to rescue me from my own ‘false starts’, but the consequences from them OFTEN hurt anyway.

Something else about the lessons and timing of God. Understanding them ONLY comes from having a relationship with Him. A relationship with His Son; our Cornerstone. When your life is built on a relationship with THIS foundation, understanding is a part of that relationship. NOT perfect understanding at ALL times, but a sincere faith that what He is building is GOOD. Only when you trust Him with ALL your heart, do you begin to see the lessons as blessings. I LOVE IT when He brings me the ‘ah ha’ moment and I finally understand what He has been trying to show me.

My favorite ‘ah ha’ moments are when I look back and see His fingerprints on my life. The places where He turned me just a little so I would choose the right path. The places where He put roadblocks that I couldn’t go around to keep me on His path. The places where He grabbed me by the waist to keep me from walking off a cliff. The places where He surprised me by answering my prayer before I even asked. And the places where He allowed me to be part of His lesson or blessing for someone else. I would not have known these, or valued them, without a relationship with Him.

Judah and Israel’s relationship with Him is broken. And it was going to take something BIG to get their attention back on that relationship. I know. This too was part of God’s plan. NOT that He set it up for them to fail, but that He KNEW they would before He even spoke the first words of creation. He KNEW the path they would take, including the fact that they still deny His Son’s work for them. But He loved them enough to walk through the process with them, KNOWING what the outcome will be.

There are STILL MANY lessons ahead for each of us. Only by trusting in Him and in His word will we be able to make sense of them. By looking through ‘His eyes’ will we see the danger we avoided. One of the BIGGEST lessons I have learned (am STILL learning) is to be patient. And this is NOT one I think I will be done with any time soon!

One quick story before I go. It is about how, even when I do rush ahead, God is able to redeem what I’ve fallen into. This blog is an example of His redemptive work. I’ve told this story before, but it really fits here. I’ll use the short version.

I was worried about money and I started looking for ways to support our household. I received a call talking about making money through a blog. “Sounds good! Sign me up. I know the kind of blog I want to create!” Big surprise, NO money rolled in. What DID roll in though was an answer to another desire I had for a LONG time. A desire to share what God speaks to me during my bible time. He took my failed attempt at making money and turned it into my hearts desire of sharing His word! He handled the money issue for me through a completely different direction. Now, years later, I am STILL thankful for my step into the unknown. It has cost me more than I ever imagined but has also gained me more than I could ever dream.

Father God, THANK YOU first for answering my desire. I still have a couple more that were spawned by this one. I’m interested to see how You will work with them.

“Patience My child. All in its proper time.”

Thank You Holy Spirit for opening my eyes to see the fingerprints of God. Thank You for working with me on my patience. I KNOW it hasn’t been easy, but You haven’t lost patience with me. Thank You for taking me to, through, and onto the other side if each lesson. I trust You to walk me through MANY more too. Please give me understanding in the midst of them and when looking back on them. I TRUST YOU to know when, what, where, and how much for each step along our path. And, forgive me in advance, for I’m pretty certain I will have patience issues in the days still to come on our journey.

Lord Jesus, THANK YOU for being the Cornerstone of my life. You are my FIRM foundation. I KNOW that whatever is built on YOU will stand. I’m sorry I almost went away without saying thank You to You for this. You ARE my foundation! Apart from You, I can do NOTHING!