Jul
18
Allies with your enemies?
Filed Under Christian Living, Prayer
Earlier this year I shared some thoughts from the e-journal of Buddy Wood, who lives in the Washington, DC area and is the brother-in-law of one of the members of FPC. Buddy has cancer for the second time, and this time it has manifested itself through multiple brain tumors. I get weekly updates from his CaringBridge site and find his reflections on God’s work of sanctification in his life to be so helpful and applicable to me and to others. Below is his latest “Glimpse into the Garrison,” which is printed here with Buddy’s kind permission:
“Whatever we trust in place of God will eventually turn on us and destroy us.” (John N. Oswalt, Commentary on Isaiah, p. 194)
GLIMPSE INTO THE GARRISON (#54): Life threatening disease is constantly putting the question “In whom do I trust?” on the table. For me this creates a “heart-check imperative” – a desire to make sure I understand what I am really trusting for deliverance and protection.
Webster defines trust as “assured reliance on the character or ability of someone or something”. What am I relying on for deliverance and protection? Why do I think I am going to be OK? Am I going to be OK because…
…the quality of the medical care in the DC area is top notch?
…my financial resources (insurance, savings, etc) are sufficient?
…I do very thorough research and stay on top of managing my own case?
…I analyze all the statistical data and come up with the best option”? (gulp!)
…God is my ultimate protector and deliverer?
It is probably no coincidence that in the midst of this “heart-check” I have been going through the book of Isaiah in the Daily Walk Bible reading. Isaiah is packed with lessons on trusting God for deliverance and protection. A little historical background will help in extracting these lessons…
Isaiah was God’s prophet to the Southern Kingdom of Judah from about 740BC – 701BC, but his prophetic horizon spanned centuries of expansionist tendencies of military powers like Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Egypt. These legendary powers constantly threatened Judah, and as God’s prophet to Judah, Isaiah spoke directly to Judah’s relationship to these powerful nations. The question for Judah was the same as the question for me:
“…On what are you basing this confidence of yours…On whom are you depending…” (Isaiah 36:4-5)
Isaiah’s answer to the question was clear and persistent: Judah should trust God as their ultimate deliverer and protector:
“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2)
Judah could not match the political, economic, or military power of these nations, but Judah found it too difficult to trust God as a tangible means of deliverance and protection. In whom did Judah trust instead? Judah sought alliances with the very nations that were threatening them. One Judean King, Ahaz, approached an attacking Assyrian enemy this way:
“Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save me…” (2 Kings 16:7)
Rather than trust her creator God, Judah found it easier (even logical!) to trust her own worst enemies – enemies that eventually attacked or destroyed her. Over the centuries this included Assyria (attacked Judah) and Babylon (carried Judah into exile). Judah even sought protection from Egypt, who had enslaved the Hebrews for 430 years prior to their miraculous exodus!
It is important to note that Isaiah was neither pro-alliance nor anti-alliance as a concept; his issue was allowing alliances to replace God as Judah’s source of deliverance! Therefore the focus of my heart-check imperative is on my ultimate source of assured reliance and not on seeking quality care or staying on top of medical or financial issues. In other words, the question is not “should I seek quality medical care?”; the question is “where is my ultimate trust?”.
Here are some “takeaways on trust” from this powerful historical example:
- The first order of business when I am threatened is to come to terms with trusting God.
- When I refuse to trust God, I can somehow convince myself that it makes sense to trust my own worst enemy. This leads to defeat and despair.
- Whatever I rely on rather than trusting in God will eventually be my undoing. This could include misplaced trust in God-given talents and resources, turning into idolatry.
- These lessons are about ultimate trust and not use of God-given talents and resources as intermediate means to address life’s challenges.
Comments
Leave a Reply