Have It Your Way
Bible Verse for Today:
No one worships you
or even asks you to help us.
That is because you have turned away from us
and have let our sins destroy us. Isaiah 64:7 NCV
As we look at the world and prophetic events described in the Bible, are they a result of God’s judgment or a natural consequence of a godless world and sinful behavior? Perhaps the answer is, “Yes.” However, this verse caught my attention because it addresses this question at least in part.
We are living in a day when faith is more and more “out of style.” God is pushed to the periphery of life or viewed as nonessential or impractical to life by many. There are a host of reasons for this, but the consequence is the same, no recognition of God or worship of Him or seeking His help and favor.
You can count on it, a godless world is a world in trouble. That trouble comes from people who believe they have the power to address all the problems people have created through society and human activity.
I still recall years ago a youth camp speaker’s message, entitled, “When God Says Have It Your Way.” The bottom line is we don’t realize the grace of God that protects us from our sin and full brunt of the consequences of our actions, lifestyle and behavior.
The most telling verse from the story of Samson is when he was being probed by Deliliah about the source of his strength and kept toying with her until he told her the true source. He woke up and thought, “I’ll leave as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. (Judges 16:20 NCV)
I believe much of what we see in the book of Revelation is what happens when the Holy Spirit is withdrawn and allows the full consequence of rebellion and rejection of God take place in nature and in human conflict.
What is the application? What should be our response? We continue to worship the Lord and ask for His help, even in the midst of a world or personal and cultural chaos. When it doesn’t look like our prayers are being answered, we must still pray. When it seems like there is no hope, we must still have hope in the Lord. We need to be quick to turn from sin keep our hearts open to the Lord and seek to understand from scripture and our relationship with Him how we are to live and respond to what is taking place around.