Isaiah 7:4 ...Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear; let not your courage fail you before the two stumps of smoldering brands...
Isaiah 7:9b Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm
King Ahaz was not a good king to start with. He worshipped other gods and even sacrificed his son to one. Now Ahaz’s enemies were coming to take over. God has sent Isaiah out to talk with Ahaz, telling Ahaz not to be afraid of the enemies, to put his trust in God instead of other nations. He wants Ahaz to listen to him (God) and basically quit whining about the trouble he (Ahaz) is in. Ahaz saw his enemies coming to attack, and God saw “smoldering brands,” meaning nothing more than the end of a fire. Nothing would happen if Ahaz trusted in God, the smoke would go away.
Just as Ahaz didn’t see the situation he came upon the way that God sees it, we too in life can’t see the bigger picture. We see obstacles in our path as big fires that prevent us from something. But to God, they are just mere piles of smoke, that if we endure and are firm in our faith, the smoke will billow out soon. We can never know how long is “soon,” and sometimes it does get tiresome waiting for the smoke to blow out, but if we are not firm in our faith, trusting that God is in control and let him take the lead, we will not be firm against whatever comes in our path.
Friends, there will be lots of fires in our life. Lots of obstacles to overcome, lots of sin to avoid. Surround yourself with people who are also God-centered, and you will have a prayer army to help you to remember to focus your heart on God.
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