When there's a will, there's a way
Reading is more than a hobby to me. I like to sink into what I'm reading, to what I'm feeding my soul and mind. My eyes grow wider when I read the Bible and find truth in its words. I start my days with my devotional and this season I'm reading the book of Isaiah. This book is mostly about salvation and prophecies. It talks about Jesus and who He is and what will happen to Him. But the book of Isaiah proclaims who God is and reconfirms to the Israelites that God is the only God to worship and praise.
In Isaiah 43:13 God says: "Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?" God is talking about Himself here and explains how powerful He is. From this verse I understood that God's will and plans will always happen. What happens in life, in this world, is up to Him.
No one can reverse His work. Once He works, His work is done. He doesn't do incomplete work, He's not sloppy; everything He does and touches is perfect. He does miracles and has no problem showing off His power. He shows off everyday: with sunsets, flowers, and people.
We may doubt God's power or love sometimes when bad things happen, but He lets things happen for reasons. Yes, even tragedies--as terrible as they are, He is still in the midst. His power is still there, He's still available. He doesn't leave when things get hot. It's those things that His glory and power show the most.
My church is currently preaching on the book of Judges, when God sends inspired leaders to help the Israelites out of oppression from foreign rulers. In Judges, the people of Israel were serving idols and disobeying and disregarding God entirely. But God didn't leave them during that time. They would call out to Him to save them from oppression and war and He would save them. But they would still go back to their wicked ways and call out to God again, and each time God would wait longer to save them. Like a parent who puts their child on time out: it gives them time to think of what they've done and to come back to their parents to apologize.
Pastor Millie Mercado preached on Judges 3 and shared that God only requires obedience from us; to Him that's all that matters. And in chapter 3 we see that God brings oppression to the Israelites because of their disobedient. God turns the heat up a little bit when people don't learn, Pastor Millie said. "God's messages aren't always of love and hope, they may be of judgment and correction," she said.
And so God may act like that. We can't look at war or evil and say, where is God? Has he forgotten His people? No--His people have forgotten Him, have forgotten His power and love and grace. And sometimes we may never know or understand why things have to happen--it's for God to know, really. He doesn't need to tell us everything. He's God, not us. He knows everything, we don't.
There are also prophecies, predetermined activities, that have to happen. These prophecies show God's plans and keeps His will in check, to remind us that He does know everything, including the future.
This knowledge, of believing in a God who knows what the future holds is comforting. If we trust in God and know of His favor for His children we don't have to worry or fear for what our future holds. By being close to Him and trusting in Him, we may even hear from Him of what's in store for our future. It's not creepy or make believe, trust me it's real. It's not stupid or pointless to trust in a God. It brings freedom to know that you can trust in a God who holds your future.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
— 1 John 5:14
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will only speak what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
— John 16:13
In Isaiah 43:13 God says: "Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?" God is talking about Himself here and explains how powerful He is. From this verse I understood that God's will and plans will always happen. What happens in life, in this world, is up to Him.
No one can reverse His work. Once He works, His work is done. He doesn't do incomplete work, He's not sloppy; everything He does and touches is perfect. He does miracles and has no problem showing off His power. He shows off everyday: with sunsets, flowers, and people.
We may doubt God's power or love sometimes when bad things happen, but He lets things happen for reasons. Yes, even tragedies--as terrible as they are, He is still in the midst. His power is still there, He's still available. He doesn't leave when things get hot. It's those things that His glory and power show the most.
My church is currently preaching on the book of Judges, when God sends inspired leaders to help the Israelites out of oppression from foreign rulers. In Judges, the people of Israel were serving idols and disobeying and disregarding God entirely. But God didn't leave them during that time. They would call out to Him to save them from oppression and war and He would save them. But they would still go back to their wicked ways and call out to God again, and each time God would wait longer to save them. Like a parent who puts their child on time out: it gives them time to think of what they've done and to come back to their parents to apologize.
Pastor Millie Mercado preached on Judges 3 and shared that God only requires obedience from us; to Him that's all that matters. And in chapter 3 we see that God brings oppression to the Israelites because of their disobedient. God turns the heat up a little bit when people don't learn, Pastor Millie said. "God's messages aren't always of love and hope, they may be of judgment and correction," she said.
And so God may act like that. We can't look at war or evil and say, where is God? Has he forgotten His people? No--His people have forgotten Him, have forgotten His power and love and grace. And sometimes we may never know or understand why things have to happen--it's for God to know, really. He doesn't need to tell us everything. He's God, not us. He knows everything, we don't.
There are also prophecies, predetermined activities, that have to happen. These prophecies show God's plans and keeps His will in check, to remind us that He does know everything, including the future.
This knowledge, of believing in a God who knows what the future holds is comforting. If we trust in God and know of His favor for His children we don't have to worry or fear for what our future holds. By being close to Him and trusting in Him, we may even hear from Him of what's in store for our future. It's not creepy or make believe, trust me it's real. It's not stupid or pointless to trust in a God. It brings freedom to know that you can trust in a God who holds your future.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
— 1 John 5:14
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will only speak what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
— John 16:13
Edited April 2021
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