Don't manipulate -- rely on God

When life presents an obstacle, do we rely on our own cleverness by attempting to manipulate the situation to our advantage? Under threat of attack, this is exactly what the people of Jerusalem do in Isaiah 22. In the following words, God mocks the Israelites' attempts to devise their own protective plan (Isaiah 22:8-11, NLT),

You run to the armory for your weapons.

You inspect the breaks in the walls of Jerusalem.

You store up water in the lower pool.

You survey the houses and tear some down

for stone to strengthen the walls.

Between the city walls, you build a reservoir

for water from the old pool.

Those certainly sound like thorough plans. But what's the one thing the people don't do? God says (Isaiah 22:11, NLT),

But you never ask for help from the One who did all this. You never considered the One who planned this long ago.

The message is clear: Our own plotting cannot match the power of the Creator. So when life's obstacles inevitable arise, rather than plotting some scheme, and rather than attempting to manipulate the situation to our advantage, we instead should call upon God in prayer.

Searching for God

In Revelation 3:20 (KJV), God says,

I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

("Sup" means "dine" or "share a meal.") And in Isaiah 57:13 (KJV), God says,

He that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain.

These verses point to a theme that runs throughout the Bible: We must actively seek God, and such seeking should be a constant part of our prayers. God is there; he is present. But it's our responsibility to search for him. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:7 (KJV),

Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you

Enemies at night

What is it about the night that creates such fertile ground for sin? Drunkenness, debauchery, lust, anxiety, anger ... Whatever evil thoughts course through our heads seem to become amplified in the still quiet of the night.

David recognizes this, when he says in Psalm 59 (verses 14-15, NLT),

My enemies come out at night,

snarling like vicious dogs

as they prowl the streets.

They scavenge for food

but go to sleep unsatisfied.

David counters those enemies by praying (Psalm 59:1, NLT),

Rescue me from my enemies, O God.

Protect me from those who have come to destroy me.

And then, after successfully making it through the night, he gives this prayer of thanks (Psalm 59:16, NLT),

But as for me, I will sing about your power.

Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love.

For you have been my refuge,

a place of safety when I am in distress.

The main point is that we should pray for God's protection, especially during those times when we are most vulnerable to sin.

A short prayer can be powerful

In prayer, state of mind is more important than specific words. Furthermore, prayers need not be long to be effective.

So a useful method for prayer is to recite a short prayer that, for reasons known only unto you, helps focus your heart on God's power. For me, the KJV rendering of Psalm 18:28 is a prayer that resonates that way for me:

For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

Simple, brief, and to the point regarding God's love for us. Try this prayer today!

What God wants, and what we do instead

In Jeremiah 6, God issues a stern warning to rebellious Jerusalem, but that warning also applies to us today. In verse 16 (NLT) of that chapter, God states both what we wants, and what Jerusalem does instead,

Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, 'No, that's not the road we want!'

Simply put, every fork in the road that we face involves a decision. And when we arrive at those forks, God wants us to choose the path in accordance with his will, regardless of whether that path seems "old" or "uncool." If the godly path is not obvious, we should ask for his guidance.

Unfortunately, we so often choose the wrong path. We don't necessarily utter the words, 'No, that's not the road we want!', but those words certainly represent our wayward attitude.

Today, let us try to become more aware of those forks in the road, and let us strive to choose the godly path.

Finding power in the powerless

In chapter 40 of Job, God mocks Job by challenging him to perform several feats that no human can possibly accomplish. After several of those mocking challenges, God says that if Job could, in fact, accomplish those feats, (Job 40:14, NLT),

Then even I would praise you,

for your own strength would save you.

The point is this: Our own strength can't save us! Only faith in God can do that. In our prayers, we should humbly submit to God, and ask him to accomplish what we cannot.

To Job's credit, he responded with such humility.

Advice from Psalm 50

Psalm 50 contains beautiful advice for how to live a godly life. First, from verses 14-15 (NLT),

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,

and keep the vows you made to the Most High.

Then call on me when you are in trouble,

and I will rescue you,

and you will give me glory.

We need not provide physical sacrifices. Nor are we required to fast, despite possible benefits of fasting. Rather, our sacrifices should be thanks and praise to God. And, furthermore, these verses stress that we should trust in God (and only God). Verse 23 (NLT) then reiterates this theme,

Giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.

If you keep to my path,

I will reveal to you the salvation of God.

It's very simple advice, but it's advice we struggle to follow. Let these verses guide our prayers today.