“Woe to the obstinate children,”
declares the Lord,
“to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit,
heaping sin upon sin;
2 who go down to Egypt
without consulting me;
who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection,
to Egypt’s shade for refuge.
3 But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame,
Egypt’s shade will bring you disgrace.
4 Though they have officials in Zoan
and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
5 everyone will be put to shame
because of a people useless to them,
who bring neither help nor advantage,
but only shame and disgrace.”
Aren’t we doing this most of the time? How can we be sure that the plans we are carrying out are Jesus’s plans? The Pharaohs of this world… what are they today? The Egypts of today, what might they be for us today? The powers and glories of this world that we are running to, relying on, and seeking protection by?
But the Lord has a way out for us... read how beautiful this passage is (emphasis mine):
19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you.20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them.21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” 22 Then you will desecrate your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, “Away with you!”
I love our Lord. Thank you God for these precious pearls of words, that
3“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. (Luke 21:33)
As the laws of physics will pass away, God’s word will not pass away. Hugh Ross claimed that the reliability of Scripture is 10^220 times more than the laws of physics that we rely on every single second of our lives (58:37 https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=90&v=d4EaWPIlNYY). We can trust in His words completely. We can know with a surpassing peace (Phil 4:7) that doing His will is higher than doing our own will.
Lord, guide us. Please speak to us and give us strength and wisdom to complete Your will. In Jesus name, Amen.
