40 Days of Believing God – Day 7

I sent a message to my “40 days of believing God” partner this morning.  Yes, I’m doing it, not just writing about it. I told him that I can tend to grab hold of an anxious thought and then run with it. I’ll play it in my mind. Over and over and over. The results are never good, because I always leave God out of the equation. It’s a total lack of belief.

In Isaiah 7, there are a couple enemy armies that are about to march against Jerusalem. When the people get word, it says they “were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.”

A few nights ago, a thunderstorm came through Fayetteville. Strong winds. Hail. It was awesome! (I love thunderstorms!) I snapped a picture looking out our front door.

Do you ever feel like that? “As trees of the forest are shaken by the wind?”

I do. It happens when I allow an anxious thought, generated by my circumstances, to run loose in my mind. It doesn’t take long for my thoughts and emotions to feel whipped around like those trees in the picture.

God sees what’s happening to the people in Jerusalem, so He tells Isaiah to go to, Ahaz, the king of Judah, and say:

“Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood…”

Don’t you love that? The two enemy kings are nothing more than smoldering stubs of firewood to God. And if that’s what they are to Him, then that’s what they are to Ahaz and the people of Jerusalem.

God goes on to acknowledge these two kings have in fact plotted to capture Jerusalem, but then says:

“It will not take place, it will not happen.”

What hard, difficult, painful or confusing circumstances are you facing today? Have you allowed them to shake you?

I’m not suggesting we won’t face truly hard times. A job loss. Serious medical issues. Divorce. Rebellious children. Alcoholic parents. But remember, God sees. He knows what you’re facing. And as hard as your circumstances may be, they don’t have to shake you.

To God, your circumstances are a couple of smoldering pieces of firewood. He’s not shaken by them.

Don’t allow your thoughts, which fuel your emotions, to run loose. Remember what God said to Ahaz:

“It will not take place, it will not happen.”

Nothing will take place or happen to you that God does not allow. So you don’t need to worry about your circumstances spiraling out of control and becoming something you can’t handle.

Make the choice to believe God…not your circumstances, not what you see, not what you feel.