trust – Page 3 – Be Still…

Joshua 2:1-24 – What Do We Learn From Rahab?

Joshua secretly sent two spies to investigate Jericho. Didn’t he trust God’s provision? Of course, he did. Even when we know we are doing exactly what God wants for us, and we’re living in his will, it’s up to us to do our due diligence. God has his part, and we have ours. Joshua wanted to be even more prepared so there would be no surprises.

Of all the places those men could have stayed, they found the perfect location. Rahab, as a prostitute, would have provided an unassuming place for a couple of guys, newbies in town, to go. However, somehow word had gotten out that the Israelites were on a scouting mission ahead of their battle to conquer. That was some good intel to be sure.

Isaiah 48:1-22 – Freedom

Read Isaiah 48:1-22

What does freedom mean to you? There are many people around the world who have never experienced freedom. Unfortunately, we often take it for granted. And as we’re seeing in the world right now, people are so focused on how their freedoms or rights are being violated they are forgetting the importance of their own responsibility. They go hand in hand. We need to take responsibility for our actions and be grateful for the blessing of freedom.

In God’s rant here, he is calling out the people of Israel as being stubborn. They are taking God for granted, and that is not pleasing to God. He warned them ahead of time what was going to happen so they wouldn’t be shocked or taken by surprise. I’m sure many chose not to believe because it sounded absurd. God is trying to get their attention in both instances where he uses this phrase, “Listen to me, O family of Jacob.” If you’re a parent, you know how frustrating it is when your children don’t listen!

Isaiah 47:1-15 – Babylon Who?

Read Isaiah 47:1-15

Exactly! What happened to them? We know that Babylon doesn’t exist today. Its ruins lay in present day Iraq. But from our Biblical accounts, we understand that Babylon was once a bustling center of activity, had prominent status in the ancient world, and had taken the Israelites hostage for more than half a century. Babylon exists now as only a memory.

Today’s reading personifies Babylon into a beautiful woman. Imagine the Israelites hearing these prophetic words. What were they thinking? It’s like they were overhearing a conversation between God and Babylon. “Come down, virgin daughter of Babylon, and sit in the dust. For your days of sitting on a throne have ended. O daughter of Babylonia, never again will you be the lovely princess, tender and delicate.” For the oppression God’s people had endured, seeing Babylon described as tender and delicate seems odd, doesn’t it?

Isaiah 44:6-20 – It’s Just a Piece of Wood!

Read Isaiah 44:6-20

When I read passages like this, I just want to scratch my head! I wonder to myself, “what are people thinking?” Then I remember not everyone has the same level of trust in God that I do. Sad as it is, it’s the truth. People are always looking for “things” outside themselves to help them feel good, feel complete.

We hear God say here, “I am the First and the Last; there is no other God.” That seems straightforward to me. God was there at the beginning, and he will be there at the end. He is the only God to trust in during all the in between times. So why do we constantly look for help, comfort, instruction, safety, etc. in other places? God IS the real deal, and he’s all of those things!

Isaiah 40:12-31 – Wait on the Lord

Read Isaiah 40:12-31

I don’t know about you, but as I read through this passage, I couldn’t help but hear the tune to praise song, “Indescribable” by Chris Tomlin. There is a fancy word for what we see happening here. It’s a disputation. In other words, it’s a debate or argument, and in this case, an argument that demonstrates the greatness of God. You see, the people who were living in captivity, hearing these words of comfort, needed to be reassured and reacquainted with their LORD. Their trust had to be rebuilt.

Think of a time when you were going through a difficult time. If someone had told you not to worry, that it was all going to turn out all right, would you have believed them? It would depend on who it was and how much you trusted that individual. These verses are helping reestablish the trust and relationship that had probably been damaged or may not even exist in the first place.