Though the Lord may give you
the bread of adversity and the water of affliction,
yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more,
but your eyes shall see your Teacher.
And when you turn to the right
or when you turn to the left,
your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
"This is the way; walk in it."
Isaiah 30:20-21
the bread of adversity and the water of affliction,
yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more,
but your eyes shall see your Teacher.
And when you turn to the right
or when you turn to the left,
your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
"This is the way; walk in it."
Isaiah 30:20-21
What do I believe about God?
Not just - what do I believe about God when I'm sitting in a worship service and feeling religious - but what do I believe about God when life isn't going so well and when I'm alone and when nobody's watching?
What do I believe about God then?
Not just - what do I believe about God when I'm sitting in a worship service and feeling religious - but what do I believe about God when life isn't going so well and when I'm alone and when nobody's watching?
What do I believe about God then?
Sometimes it's easy to focus more on the adversity and the affliction than on the Teacher. And, clearly, the prophet Isaiah knows how hard life can sometimes be. But Isaiah also knows how important it is to cling to the things that he knows to be true.
When my life is thrown into chaos, do I still believe that God is present? When the light fades, do I still choose to see God? When I don't know the way to go, do I still believe that he is guiding me, showing me the way? Am I really willing to believe those simple truths?
These are crucial questions - because our beliefs shape our behavior. If I honestly believe that God is present, then everything about my day will be shaped by that belief. If I honestly believe that he is at work, then I will strive to discern his hand. If I honestly believe that he is guiding me and giving me direction, then I will choose to pray and wait and watch and listen.
But those are sometimes hard things to do.
Those things are so hard, in fact, that I wonder if maybe the confusion in my life is because I don't quite believe all that I say I believe. Or to put it another way: if I truly believe all that I say I believe, then my life will likely be marked by different behaviors.
G.K. Chesterton once said that if he were a landlord, he would be most interested in knowing his tenants' beliefs! Not their income or their employment, but their beliefs! His point was that it would be their beliefs that would determine their honesty, their relationships, and their stewardship of property. An adequate income is no guarantee of honesty. A reputable job is no guarantee of integrity. But beliefs reveal what's deep inside - and beliefs are perfect predictors of behavior.
Our beliefs, in every case, shape our behavior.
So, once again, my question: what do I really believe about God?
If I really want to answer that question, all I need to do is to look at the way I live my life. What I believe about him will be obvious in the way that I live.
And the same thing will be true for you . . .
When my life is thrown into chaos, do I still believe that God is present? When the light fades, do I still choose to see God? When I don't know the way to go, do I still believe that he is guiding me, showing me the way? Am I really willing to believe those simple truths?
These are crucial questions - because our beliefs shape our behavior. If I honestly believe that God is present, then everything about my day will be shaped by that belief. If I honestly believe that he is at work, then I will strive to discern his hand. If I honestly believe that he is guiding me and giving me direction, then I will choose to pray and wait and watch and listen.
But those are sometimes hard things to do.
Those things are so hard, in fact, that I wonder if maybe the confusion in my life is because I don't quite believe all that I say I believe. Or to put it another way: if I truly believe all that I say I believe, then my life will likely be marked by different behaviors.
G.K. Chesterton once said that if he were a landlord, he would be most interested in knowing his tenants' beliefs! Not their income or their employment, but their beliefs! His point was that it would be their beliefs that would determine their honesty, their relationships, and their stewardship of property. An adequate income is no guarantee of honesty. A reputable job is no guarantee of integrity. But beliefs reveal what's deep inside - and beliefs are perfect predictors of behavior.
Our beliefs, in every case, shape our behavior.
So, once again, my question: what do I really believe about God?
If I really want to answer that question, all I need to do is to look at the way I live my life. What I believe about him will be obvious in the way that I live.
And the same thing will be true for you . . .