May 9, 2022

Passage Read: Isaiah 19-22
Meditation Verses: 22:11-14

Thought

The Lord brought trouble on Judah and Jerusalem, but they didn't look to Him to understand what was happening. They did all they could think of to hold off the attackers, then feasted, thinking their end was at hand. He called them to repentance, they did what they could to resist and endure without the Lord, yet still assumed there was no hope. They didn't even ask the Lord for help, they just expected to die. They didn't even consider what the Lord might be doing, that He might be calling them to examine themselves, see their wrong and change it. They weren't willing to consider that they might be wrong, or else they knew where they were wrong, but they refused to change.

Application

When trouble comes, I need to be willing to hear where I'm wrong and be willing to change myself. It may seem impossible, but I need to look first to myself to see if the Lord is telling me to repent. He is gracious and forgiving. He wants to cleanse away guilt and sin, but can only do so if I'm willing to admit my sin and repent of it. If I admit it, He can help; if I refuse to admit it, I will be stuck in it and have no hope of forgiveness. But yes, I must be willing to forsake it, otherwise there truly is no hope for me.