My Deplorable Response

I’m slowly working through Isaiah, reflecting deeply as I go. Today, I wept as I was able to empathize with God’s feelings toward the Jews, His children.

Isaiah 48:12-13 suggests that God had a felt-need to reintroduce Himself to His chosen. They had been committing spiritual adultery with Him through idol worship, despite their professed worship of Him. That deplorable way of thinking had been perpetuated consistently for ages, some seasons worse than others. Thus, in this scenario, God allowed them to be taken to Babylon. He then told them he was going to use Cyrus to deliver them from Babylon. They were offended that God would use a heathen to deliver them, so they essentially ignored Him to the point He had to talk to them as He did here.

My mind and heart pondered this question. Is it possible that God has provided a blessing or protection for my family and/or me through an avenue I didn’t appreciate, so I unknowingly withdrew from Him? Is it possible that God permitted the death of my spouse, a financial setback, or a debilitating illness (like Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”) or even a physical ailment such as Jacob’s hip injury to bring good into my life? Is it possible He lets a couple encounter marital strife to jolt them awake or detach them from a life path that’s gone astray? Should I retract my love and devotion to Him because I was offended by the way He chose to affect a change in my life or in someone else?

It is unfortunate that we so often forget God is sovereign and can choose to do things we can’t imagine Him doing. The God we serve must not be constrained by the distorted ‘god’ we’ve sculpted in our image.

It was through the same prophet who recorded the said passage above, who also was inspired to write, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8–9 ESV.

When this reaction occurs, I don’t intentionally distance myself from Him, though I believe it happens subconsciously. How might our holy, sovereign God feel about my resentful reactions to His life decisions? Only God knows how this has happened in my life. But I can say that after my wife and I stopped wanting our own way and let Him work according to His wisdom and love for everyone’s good, I underwent a remarkable change. I’ve never known such profound inner peace and boundless joy as I do now. I’m completely certain this experience wasn’t created by anything I could do.

I am not so foolish as to think a person must endure the loss of something so precious as a spouse of nearly 57 years in order to receive God’s special grace. I am at ease in saying that when you permit God to be the supreme ruler in your life, He will delight in you with His love. I hope you won’t have to live 79 years to grasp that understanding of God. My suggestion is that you stand on my shoulders, surrender the box containing your limited god to His sovereign hands, and thereby enjoy a more intimate knowledge of God.

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