"Reaching upwards"
Scripture to follow:
Isaiah 38:1-6
Romans 8
Matthew 7:7-8
Matthew 6:33
In a world where practically everything is accessible to us, what do we reach for most? I would love to say that for myself, the answer is always God. But if I’m being honest, this isn’t always the case. For one reason or another, be it distractions, or the desire to seek my own path, I often find myself reaching for what is around or within me rather than for Who is above me. This can be true at any time during our lives. When things are going well, it's easy to lose fervency in our prayer life, Bible study, and time spent in church. When we find ourselves in a difficult season, sometimes it is the wake up call we need to rekindle that fire, but sometimes, even in these places, it takes a while to reach for the creator rather than a piece of creation. We can be quick to call a friend, dive headfirst into gathering more information, mindlessly scroll social media to numb our minds, head into nature to get away from everything, or even spiral into panic, searching inwardly for an answer we don’t have... all before we stop and reach up towards Heaven.
The drive to have our curiosity satiated, the need have our next step revealed, and our worry for the future soothed can open many doors we were never meant to approach the threshold of; especially when we are facing a situation outside of our control. In Isaiah 38: 1-6 we see a man named Hezekiah who found himself such a circumstance. For context, Hezekiah is a king in the lineage of David. To be exact, theologians believe him to be the 13th successor after King David and he ruled over Judah, or the southern kingdom of what we now know as Israel. It is also important to note that at the time of this passge, Judah was under a threat of war by the king of Assyria. Why is this important? Well, when we begin in verse one, we are presented with this news: “In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said: Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.”
To recap, we have a kingdom at war and a king who is sick to the point of death. Not only sick to the point of death, but his head prophet, was given orders directly from God to tell Hezekiah he needed to get his affairs in order because he was going to die and not live. That delivery seemed harsh to me when I read it the first time because God went as far as to double down on the fact Hezekiah was dying. “You shall die, AND not live.” Have you ever found yourself in a situation that felt hopeless, then life doubles down on you a little harder as if to say “In case you thought this situation would get better, don’t worry, it won’t.” Hezekiah's situation certainly looks hopeless. But we’re not here for verse one. We’re here for verse two. “Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed unto God.” This short sentence hit me like a ton of bricks. This man was a king. He had all the money, professionals, and power available to him. How easy it would have been to take things into his own hands and begin trying to find a solution against what God had spoken. But his immediate response is to turn towards a wall, blocking out everything around him and reach directly for God. We could argue, what was the point? God had already spoken the outcome. It was set in stone. Over. Decided. But Hezekiah knew, if his life was something God had the power to end, then it was only from God's hands his life could be saved.
How different would it look if God was the first thing we reached for in times of trouble? Even if prayer seems pointless because the outcome has already been spoken. What if we dared to look to God before all other sources and boldly and declare our need for Him in our circumstance. This is where walking with the Lord requires meat over milk, because that surrender might not guarantee the outcome we desire or the timing we desire it in, but this is kind of boldness we are called to have in our faith. It is with this boldness we are promised everything is being worked out for our good. (Romans 8:28)
I have found the enemy likes to spend time in the space between the disruption of our peace and our decision to turn boldly and face God. He loves to tempt us to look anywhere but directly towards the One with the power to turn it all around and he hates a declaration of need for the Father. The enemy would have us believe God doesn’t care or else He would change our circumstance. But scripture tells us to seek and we shall find. (Matthew 7:7-8) It also tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and all our needs will be provided. (Matthew 6:33) We are given not only direction to seek but we are told where to begin looking. So, it begs the question: Where do we go for help the most? We are quick to put ourselves on the pedestal of problem solving, as if the way forward and the ability to bear all things should come directly from us, or else, we aren’t really capable. We are quick to put knowledge and our loved ones on that same pedestal hoping to be rescued. But the only source of saving that will never waver is God. He is the only source we have worthy of being placed on a pedestal. He is able to heal all things, open any door, and, if the answer is still no or not right now, then He has the power to renew your perspective and give your heart comfort and hope until He is ready to give you His yes. So beloved, the next time you find yourself face to face with an impossible situation, position yourself to reach up.
How different would it look if God was the first thing we reached for in times of trouble? Even if prayer seems pointless because the outcome has already been spoken. What if we dared to look to God before all other sources and boldly and declare our need for Him in our circumstance. This is where walking with the Lord requires meat over milk, because that surrender might not guarantee the outcome we desire or the timing we desire it in, but this is kind of boldness we are called to have in our faith. It is with this boldness we are promised everything is being worked out for our good. (Romans 8:28)
I have found the enemy likes to spend time in the space between the disruption of our peace and our decision to turn boldly and face God. He loves to tempt us to look anywhere but directly towards the One with the power to turn it all around and he hates a declaration of need for the Father. The enemy would have us believe God doesn’t care or else He would change our circumstance. But scripture tells us to seek and we shall find. (Matthew 7:7-8) It also tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and all our needs will be provided. (Matthew 6:33) We are given not only direction to seek but we are told where to begin looking. So, it begs the question: Where do we go for help the most? We are quick to put ourselves on the pedestal of problem solving, as if the way forward and the ability to bear all things should come directly from us, or else, we aren’t really capable. We are quick to put knowledge and our loved ones on that same pedestal hoping to be rescued. But the only source of saving that will never waver is God. He is the only source we have worthy of being placed on a pedestal. He is able to heal all things, open any door, and, if the answer is still no or not right now, then He has the power to renew your perspective and give your heart comfort and hope until He is ready to give you His yes. So beloved, the next time you find yourself face to face with an impossible situation, position yourself to reach up.
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