Bible Reading: Isaiah 17:1-end
“At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel” – Isaiah 17:7 (KJV)
A person will look to whom he believes in. Whatever you look up to and have awesome respect for, has great influence over your life and consequently become your idol. On earth many look to the cult they belong to, some look up to their fellow human being, while some look to the deities they worship in their family or in their village. Some look to the charms and amulets prepared for them for their protection. Others look to their riches and abundance of wealth. Whoever or whatever you look up to that attracts your awesome respect and confidence is your idol that has won your trust. Trusting and looking up to any of these things mentioned above is a satanic trapping that sets you against the Almighty God. In our today’s reading the prophet’s burden is about God destroying the fortresses that men put their trust on. God was determined to humiliate and bring down the exalted and arrogant cities that has made their glory their boast. They forsake the Almighty by forging their own god with their hands. When they have been so humiliated and brought down, they will look to their maker and have respect to the Holy One of Israel. Over the years it has been the circle that when men begin to exalt themselves that God allow hunger, war, famine, pestilence and other natural disasters to bring man to his senses. The Bible says, “Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness” – Psalms 57:2 (KJV). Putting trust in things that are perishable is complete vanity. “Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence” – Job 15:31 (KJV).
Putting our complete trust and looking up to God is the power of our sustenance. The Psalmist said in Psalm 121:1-2: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth”. Our trust and confidence must be in our God the creator of all things. Job’s tenacity in trusting God brought about his turnaround and restoration. See what he said in Job 13:15a (KJV): “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” True trust is tested in very difficult times, but they that put their trust in God will eventually emerge victorious. Trusting in God in very difficult times is predicated on the belief that God is the ultimate. Knowledge of God’s awesome power and infallible love strengthens our trust in him. The Psalmist further reiterated the fundamental reason for trusting the LORD in Psalm 18:30(KJV), “As for God his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him”.
The son of God came to pay the price of our sin to further strengthen our trust in God as a loving and caring father. He gave us His best in order to invoke absolute trust in Him and His love for us. He believed in us by going to the cross to pay for our sin. So it is expected that we should trust him absolutely. He is the one to trust and look unto as admonished in Hebrews 12:2a(KJV) “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;..”. By his love demonstrated at Calvary he has given us strong reason to trust and believe in him.
Prayer: Father, I put my total trust in you and your ever abiding presence.
Bro. Joel Ezeugo