Isaiah 30:15-17 NLT “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.
16 ”You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’ But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!“
17 One of them will chase a thousand of you. Five of them will make all of you flee. You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.”
What is the main difference between depending on and trusting in God and going to Egypt (the world) depending on it for your help?
Time and patience are the things to look for in your own actions. Those trusting in God will know how to rest in Him by keeping His duties in love, whether God comes for them or not because they serve out of Love. We will not fall asleep, failing to keep our communion with Him through prayer, Word, worship, and fellowship. Then, HE is our breakthrough.
But for Egypt (the world), they provide what appears swift, strong, and quick. The world promises quick schemes and shortcuts in which all can be tempting. The world promises what is tangible, has recognition with people, and an option outside of faith.
Scripture says a blessed people are those who wait for Him rather than those who go ahead making their own plans through Egypt. We must all evaluate our thoughts and action to see if our flesh is arising or are we being prompted by faith.
Need I remind us all of my previous sermon, when my family and I were in Michigan, my wife did not go looking for a backup plan to save us financially or to improve her education but had entrenched herself in Word, prayer, and worship as she waited for God to rescue our family. There is a spiritual order to follow. What you see now is the outcome of that fruit which was planted almost 20 years ago in tears and pain.
What do I realize now? What we are personally allowed to do and possess is our own personal intimacy with the Lord, and such private intimacy is not for everyone to know, have, or judge. It is our own personal fruit and relationship to the King. There will be some things I am allowed to share and some things that are private and intimate and are not for everyone to know.
You all must go find your own intimacy with the Lord. You must all learn to keep your faith rather than breaking it and never getting to that intimacy as people who keep cheating on their time, commitment, and trust with Him. Otherwise, you will eventually pursue Egypt and miss the greatest opportunity in all of creation because of jealousy, greed, and impatience.
May you all learn to stand in quietness and know He is your Salvation!
Pastor Steve Kim