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This Week's Scripture & Reflection: Isaiah 30:1-2
As Christians, how often do we profess that we cannot live, move, and breathe without God but simultaneously carry out plans and make decisions without Him, more specifically without His guidance, instruction, or approval? Instead of consulting or seeking Him for wisdom first before we proceed in a certain direction, we do exactly what Solomon instructs us not to do in the book of Proverbs and we lean to our own understanding (cf. Proverbs 3:5-6). Leaning on our own understanding is foolish because our understanding is severely limited. In contrast, God possesses infinite knowledge and understanding. And yet we often demonstrate through our decision making that we believe that we know better than He does.
In today's passage, God laments over the nation of Judah, His chosen people, who have chosen to make three distinct decisions without involving Him in their decision making. In an effort to defend themselves against the powerful and dominant nation of Assyria, Judah align forces with Egypt, but this alignment was not according to God's Spirit. They execute a plan to carry out this war strategy, but this plan was not God's plan for them. They proceeded to Egypt to join forces with them, but they did so without consulting God first. Judah sought safety and shelter in Egypt instead of seeking refuge in the God who delivered their ancestors from Egypt and who had delivered them time and time again!
God's lament over Judah's independent and rebellious decision making shows us that He grieves just the same when we rebel against His leading and proceed without His consultation. He is a God who is intimately acquainted with all of our ways (cf. Psalm 139:3); He wants us to intentionally involve Him in all our life's affairs! When we proceed in any direction without Him, we set ourselves up for failure, and we continue to dig ourselves into a gaping hole that becomes more and more difficult to climb up out of the more we persist in rebellion. This week, renew your commitment to commit your ways to the Lord (cf. Psalm 37:5). Indeed He knows everything that you are currently facing, but He wants you to invite Him into that space!