Steps of Faith When We Aren’t In Control
The messy moments in life can pull us in like a riptide, pushing us in the direction of where our heart leads, which isn’t always the best. When life’s current threatens to rip us from the solid truth we know to be, where will be find ourselves – grounded in truth or drifting out into sea?
We were on the shores of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, when I attended church beach camp in the seventh grade. My group of friends decided one afternoon to spend free time braving the waves of the east coast, jumping into the ocean as each wave curled itself under and we jumped over.
It was not long before I realized the strength of the waves pulling me, which meant each wave that pulled me closer forced my body further out into sea. It was as if the waves were grabbing me and taking me out to sea with them, losing control and drifting further away from my safe place with no control.
Thankfully, a friend who was able to stand noticed my struggle and pulled me back, dragging me to a place where I could stay grounded. I quickly realized he saved my life as I became caught in the ocean’s riptide, otherwise known as a very strong current that releases a swimmer to be tossed by the sea, going whichever way the wind and the waves direct them.
Life, I have learned, can feel like a riptide. We choose what pulls and pushes us, battling emotions that either pull us closer to God or push us further away from Him. Sometimes I attempt to fight the cycles that pull me away from God, and other times, I haven’t even noticed I have drifted. How terrifying to realize I cannot find steady ground because I haven’t been grounded at all.
Isaiah was a prophet during the fall of Israel, meaning, when everyone walked in the way they wanted to go, Isaiah lived his mission to go against the current and speak truth to the people. More than this, Isaiah lived in such a way that he was standing ready to pull people out of their struggling riptides to point them to a solid standing with God.
Helping others in their struggle is not always easy especially when the people did not desire to be saved from the tide that destroyed them – many could not even see they were drowning. It was all too easy to be consumed with false truths they believed because they neglected to see The Truth Himself, God Almighty. Consumption with ourselves makes it difficult to see how far we have gotten from the One true God who created us.
Isaiah’s Focus
- Isaiah’s boldness to prophesy what others did not agree with was no easy feat. Because of this, we know that Isaiah’s ability to follow God was a result of his focus.
We long for perfection, so we find pockets of control. We grasp for it like frayed threads on a pair of worn-out jeans, letting go of this perfection that causes us to spin out of control without an idea of where we are headed. Because the thing that once gave us satisfaction now destroys us, but we are no longer held in bondage to the struggle but freed in the name of Jesus.
God must be our focus. If God is not our reason for living every day, we will die with the decreasing value of things in this world. What area of your life is holding you back from God? What will you give up today to be with Him for eternity?
Isaiah’s Submission
2. Isaiah’s voice to stand against a lost nation not only demonstrates his focus but his submission.
“’Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!’” Isaiah 6:3
Isaiah surrendered his control, his voice, and his purpose to God. He submitted all to be used by God so that God’s ways were his ways. When we praise God for His holiness, we reflect more on who he made us to be and what He has called us to do. Because Isaiah reflected on God’s holiness, he was ready to give a response of willingness and commitment to serve even when it was not easy: “’Here I am, send me.’” Isaiah 6:8
Would you choose to walk with God even if it meant no one listened? Let us always draw close to Him with our focus and our submission.
When my eyes are on circumstances, distractions and disappointments pull me into an abyss of worry and panic while I drown in decisions. Will I choose complacency that tosses me with the waves, or fight to swim back to the shore of my grounding of solid truth of the Gospel?
I want to stand on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ – no sinking sand, I choose to stand for the name of Jesus in a world that does not. Will you?
Challenge Questions:
- What areas have you gone away from what you to know to be true?
- Do you know what your faith is built on? If it is on sinking sand, how do you strengthen it? If it is on solid ground, how do you keep it there?
- In what ways can you seek God more this week to be grounded in His ways?
