There Is No One Like Our God!
OPENING PRAYER:
Lord God, I thank you for choosing me and for being the center of my life. May I always declare, “as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15, NIV)
“To whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared? Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it. They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Though one cries out to it, it does not answer; it cannot save him from his troubles. Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.” Isaiah 46:5-9, NIV
REFLECT:
When my daughters were about 11 and 8, we were traveling east and connected through the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport. The next flight would not be for a few hours, so I and the two of them walked around together to try and expel some young energy. You must understand their personalities a bit for this story – the oldest is more the “rule follower” and the youngest has the spirit of an “adventurer,” (which, by the way, has never really changed). During our stroll, we came upon the restrooms, and they needed to stop in, as did I. Before going into the men’s room and they to the ladies, I made them swear that they would wait right outside the restroom doors for me when they were done. Well, as you might be thinking, as I finished and walked out of the restroom, they were not to be found. The older daughter came and told me her sister had gone a short distance to explore and without realizing it, had gone past the security checkpoint. She was going to come right back, but then security informed her that a parent would have to come get her in order for her to go back through into the terminal area. Luckily, her older sister observed all this, came, and got me and then I went back through security to retrieve the youngest without incident.
In the verses in Isaiah today, the children of Israel had left the security of the Lord, became unfaithful and began to serve other Gods. Much like my younger daughter, who had not listened to me and had ventured out on her own, the Israelites stopped listening to and following the Lord. They no longer had his protection and covering. They discovered that the manmade idols or Gods they turned to could not save them. The only God who could save them was the Lord God of Israel – Yahweh. Isaiah reminds the children of Israel of the miracles God did in the past, to “remember the former things, those of long ago, (Isaiah 46:9, NIV). Our heavenly father wants us to turn to him for everything. “And my God will meet all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 4:19, NIV). Our reliance upon God for everything is where he wants us to be.
APPLY:
Are you facing an extreme challenge in your life today? Is there a major need you have but you just can’t figure out how you are going to make it? Have you turned this crisis over to God? Surrender to him and allow him to lead you in the way you should go. One of my favorite passages in the bible, Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV, says, “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” The next verse is even more powerful and less quoted – verse 7: “Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and shun evil.” Let’s seek the Lord today and follow him all the days of our lives.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Father, remind us of your plan of provision for us. “Honor the lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops. Then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine,” (Proverbs 3:9-10, NIV).
WORSHIP: