Isaiah 46:1-13 Listen To Me
God is still working on His people. Convincing them that there IS ONLY ONE GOD. And He is it. “Listen to Me, you stubborn of heart” (verse 12a). Idols are NOTHING!
What does God have to do to make these stubborn people believe? We have already gone over His resume. We have compared His power to that of idols. We have heard Him explain the past and tell us of the future. We see Him in our everyday lives. What more does He need to do to convince you? Or convince Judah and the remnant of Israel?
This reminds me of the Janet Jackson song, What Have You Done for Me Lately. Not “Look what You have done for me over my life” or “Look how great God is by what I see in this world” but “What have You done for me lately.” God is NOT a puppet on a string that you pull out when you want to see Him dance. He is not a gene in a lamp that you rub when you want a wish granted.
If you stack God’s works up against ALL the idols of the world COMBINED, His measure will reach a thousand times higher! If you measure your gods by do they hear you, can they see you, will they speak to you, and can they protect you, ALL these measures come back as a big fat No. Ask any of these of God and you will find He checks ALL the boxes with Yes.
What will it take to break through the stubborn heart? I can feel God’s heart breaking. I know mine is for Him. They are NOT listening!
I was thinking again about the “what have You done for me lately” attitude and when Jesus walked the earth. The Pharisees didn’t even consider what Jesus was doing as proof of God or of His deity. They weren’t singing “What have You done for me lately” but “Why won’t You do it my way with the ‘proof’ I ‘need’ to make this decision of faith?” Jesus said Himself had this to say regarding this attitude.
“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds” (Matthew 11:16-19).
Those who don’t want to see will find every excuse not to. They will find excuses to doubt and discredit what we KNOW to be truth. Don’t let them tear your faith down! Hold fast to what we KNOW to be true. One day they WILL admit it too. Of that we can be sure, because God said so in our last reading. And we KNOW He doesn’t lie and His plans cannot be thwarted.
Father God, I KNOW You are the ONLY God. I’m a stubborn person and my stubbornness is on the right side of this. There is NO ONE who can make me doubt You. I may doubt that my prayers will be answered the way I want them to be. I may doubt that I’m walking on the right path or that I really heard what You said. But I will NEVER doubt that You hear me, that You answer me, that You speak to me, and that You have EVERYTHING in Your hands. I KNOW too that, one day, wanting to or not, my children and grandchildren WILL bow down before You. I PRAY with all my heart that it is THIS SIDE of judgment and Heaven. Once again, I leave them (or put them back) in Your hands.
For this upcoming event with my family Father, I’m going to be a little selfish. There are fires burning ALL OVER THIS WORLD and my area of this world isn’t exempt. I don’t have fires near me, but I have smoke from them. For this weekend, when I bring my family together as one, please have the skies and air clear here at my home. Bring a strong wind to blow it out, or rain to wash it away BEFORE our activity time.
I will accept whatever Your will is, but I’m asking as Your child for this gift. So I can give the gift of joy to my family for the day.
