Just as cramming for an exam is ineffective so also is a life without a fear of God. How do we learn to fear God? We must know God by learning who He is. We must ”Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16  By looking back upon who God is and what He has done throughout the lives of those who have gone before us we learn to fear Him. This fear is birthed out of our reverent love for God. Listen to God and find hope in Him.

The people of Israel consistently wandered from their devotion to God. The things of life continually crowded into their lives and upon the slippery slope of apathy and lethargy idols took the throne of their lives. The wonderful truth that God was faithful regardless of the actions of the Israelites is our hope. God worked to redeem Israel and myself, even as we were in our sinful state. What do we do when we find ourselves wandering? What happens when our devotion seems to wain? We must first and foremost remember that God is the faithful constant. We are the ones who wander, waver, and wain. Remember that the path traveled is governed by God. He enables us to walk in Him. Rest knowing that your life is in His hands. Your present circumstances may not transform in an instant but your outlook will be at peace in Him.

We cannot choose to worship and follow God while clinging to detestable idols. There is only room in your heart for God or room for idols. It is impossible to live life as a pagan Christian. Once we are under the grace of God the idols have no hold, God takes preeminence over all parts of your life, and hope is secured even in your frailty. ”If you return, O Israel, declares the LORD, to me you should return. If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver, and if you swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.’” Jeremiah 4:1,2  Will you choose the life of devotion to God? Will you trust in the sufficiency of the cross of Jesus Christ? Will you return to wholeness in Jesus Christ? We were made to fellowship with God.

The life that we lead expresses the choice we’ve made. Will the wrath of God be satiated or will you be the  object of wrath, the only avenue of deliverance is found in Jesus Christ. Will you hope in Jesus? Will you hope? Will you live? ”A lion has gone up from his thicket, a destroyer of nations has set out; he has gone out from his place to make your land a waste; your cities will be ruins without inhabitant.” Jeremiah 4:7 As you look at the ways the people of Israel ebbed and flowed in devotion to God you will glimpse how your soul ever changes. It is the propitiation of Jesus Christ that brings rest to our souls. Stop striving and rest. Stop binding your soul to idols. Trust in Jesus.

The people of Israel needed to hear how far they had strayed from God. They declined from devotion to God into lustful idolatry seeking to fulfill their desires apart from God. The people abandoned God who intimately led them to the promised land as He daily proved that He was faithfulness and sufficiency. ”Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God; the fear of me is not in you, declares the Lord GOD of hosts. ”For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said, ‘I will not serve.’ Yes, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a whore. Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine?” Jeremiah 2:19-21 Why do we easily stray from God even after we have experienced His goodness? We have all we need in God but we believe the lies that we are not truly satisfied in Him.

Is the story of Jeremiah any different than that of Christians today? We are called to be a light in this dark world pointing towards hope. Jeremiah was set apart as a stronghold against the sin in the lives of the Israelites. The world is full of phallic alters that are continually bowed down before. As disciples of Jesus Christ we must navigate this world of idols and speak the truth that Jesus Christ is all that is needed. Strength is not required to go and tell. Eloquence is not a necessity to communicate. The truth that Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary for the sins of the world is eloquence and strength. Will you tell of the greatness of the perfection that will destroy the idolatry of the world?

The book of Isaiah is a story of God’s faithful love toward those He calls His own. Despite repeated rebellion, God was not thwarted. The continual thread of Isaiah is one of God bringing hope, healing, and wholeness to a hurting world. The promised hope is glimpsed throughout Isaiah. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’ The voice of your watchmen-they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion.” Isaiah 52:7,8 The truth found in Isaiah is that God restores. He restores the physically broken, the emotionally persecuted, and the hopelessly lost souls of the world.

The death of Jesus Christ is the hope that we live for today and what the people in Isaiah awaited for with a fervent expectancy. Today we are awaiting again in a fervent expectancy of the day when God will return again. Trust in the hope that is secured in the person of Jesus Christ. Rest in His all sufficient sacrifice as you await His return. Never forget that your hope is secured in Him.

“Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” Isaiah 66:1,2  What did you note from verses 1 and 2? There is a great truth that is destined to bring encouragement. Our identity is defined in these verses. ”For as new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain. From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the LORD.” Isaiah 66:22,23 The thought is repeated at the close of Isaiah 66. Can you see the hope given?

In the midst of the minutia a simple fact is given. God made all that was, is, and will be. Can you understand this marvelous fact? All that we see is ordered and created by God. This world is not a chaos driven roller coaster ride that we just have to endure. God is in control and His existence is our hope. There are a great many details that Christians will choose to debate but it is of greater importance to dwell and meditate on the truth that God was, is, and will be our everything. There is no need, desire, or longing that cannot be satisfied by knowing God. What needs do you have? Are there desires that overwhelm you? Has this broken world caused you to long for more? Turn to God and you will find satisfaction.

Do you wish for a time such as the ones of the Bible where God was evidently seen by a pillar of fire and His glorious presence could be experienced in a very tangible way? You are not alone; In the days of Isaiah the people of Israel were looking back upon their past desiring to know God in the ways that their forefathers did. ”Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence- as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil- to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.” Isaiah 64:1-4  Why do we desire the days of yesterday’s faith? As we look back on the faith of our predecessors it is easy to look at the highs of life and think that there were never any times despair or trouble. Could that truly be the case? Can any man or woman live a life of perfect devotion to God?

As we see in Isaiah 64 and 65 humanity is prone to evil and idolatry as our sinfulness strives against God. We are deluded and disillusioned into believing that we can never be complete in God. The twisted lies that the devil has devised against our souls are effective and alluring. We are easily led away from God and towards the life of despairing depression. We need to fix our eyes on God. We need to remember that Jesus Christ died for us, Jesus Christ rose from the grave for us, Jesus Christ live to intercede for us. We must remember as the remnant of Israel did in their exilic captivity that God is faithful and hope is constant within Him. No matter where in life you must trust God.

Does God restore lives? Does God heal? Does God bring wholeness? ”They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD, and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the LORD.” Isaiah 65:22-25  Will you trust God to make you whole and complete? God will where you cannot. Trust Him.

“Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and beautiful habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me.” Isaiah 63:15  Lord Remember your people. We live in a reality that we cannot fully know you or wholeheartedly follow you. We glimpse you but often find trinkets and trophies we’ve collected blocking our sight. Remove the idols in our way that we may see you. ”For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.” Isaiah 63:16  We are apart of a great story Lord. We can easily feel lost in the void of time that has elapsed since you openly showed your glory. Let us realize that we see your glory all surrounding and your power is evident in the complex simplicity of your creation. ”O LORD, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.” Isaiah 63:17  Lord we are so prone to wander from your goodness and truth. We need your help Lord. It is only in your provision and power that we can live, breathe, and move. Let us fear you and trust in your hope.

For anyone who has found themselves despairing over life; I implore you to look at a nation who experienced great highs and ultimate lows as they learned to follow a God who loved them. The people of Israel were consistent in their inconsistent devotion to God. When life became easy they would stay from God only to remember him in the midst of despair. God was compassionate to the cries of his beloved, “Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age. You shall suck the milk of nations; you shall nurse at the breast of kings; and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” Isaiah 60:15,16

Can you see the brilliance that is contained in the words of God? Hope is not dependent upon our ability or the luck we have. We cannot rely on anything but God for our hope. ”Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.” Isaiah 60:20  Hope built on anything other than God is truly not hope. We cannot presume to believe that we can attain hope apart from God. ”The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the LORD; in its time I will hasten it.” Isaiah 60:22  We are made whole and complete in God and there is no want or desire when we are in God because He is our everything.

“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.” Isaiah 61:10,11  Some two thousand years ago God Incarnate, Jesus Christ, Our Hope, came to earth to pay the complete penalty for our sin and restore our fellowship with God. God lavishly bestowed grace upon us so that we could live. We are a part of His great story and plan to restore creation. Will you join in this great adventure? Will you trust in the death of Jesus Christ? Will you depend on a dependable God?

If your faith has become a race in which you have lost sight of God what can you do. What hope is there for those who have become so entangled in their self-built religion? What if you feel that you have strayed from God? “Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” Isaiah 58:9-11 Will you cry out to God? Will you desire that your heart be burdened for Him? Will the hungry of the world burden you? Do the aching hearts of the people of the world cause your heart to ache? Ask God to burden your heart to reach out to a hurting world to be His light in the darkness.

Have you placed your hope in God? Is the dilemma that you face one of trust and dependence? “And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,’ declares the LORD. ‘And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD: ‘My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from this time forth and forevermore.’” Isaiah 59:20,21  A redeemer came through Israel to the world. Jesus Christ lives today so that you may live tomorrow. The first step toward being a light in the dark world is for you to see the light yourself. Will you trust that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty of sin for you?