Isaiah 7:9 “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”

Every once in a while I really like the turn of phrase chosen by the NIV translators, and this is one of those times. The Japanese gives this as a very pedestrian, “If you don’t believe, you won’t be able to stand for long,” but I don’t think that has the same punch. The thing is, faith is always a choice. It is a gift, as Paul said, (Ephesians 2:8-9) but we have to choose to receive that gift. Sometimes we don’t recognize gifts and so fail to accept them, and sometimes we decide the gift isn’t something we want, but faith in God is a desirable thing at any time, if we have the sense to recognize it. I have seen videos of street evangelists getting rejected by people who choose to believe the lies of the devil over what is being offered to them, and it is always sad. With this verse, King Ahaz was faced with a logically frightening situation, with reports of two enemies ganging up on his little kingdom. However, Judah had a long history of being protected by God. Isaiah had just confirmed the rumors Ahaz had heard, but he also said that those plans would come to nothing. By this time Isaiah had a track record as an accurate spokesman for God, so Ahaz had every reason to trust him, but he was a very weak man and couldn’t bring himself to be bold in faith. That’s sad every time it happens. To be fair, faith often flies in the face of what our senses and our logic tell us, but as John famously wrote, “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4) The world is a mess, any way we look at it. It is only by faith that God is still God and that His plans are good and certain that we can stay on an even keel and enjoy all the blessings God pours out on us even in the middle of the mess.

I get the impression that God has perhaps given me a bigger portion of faith than He has given most people. Some people have commented to that effect. However, I have learned the lesson of this verse the hard way, which has really firmed up my decision to believe. With all the political and social turmoil of the past several years, I have had occasion to say many times that if I didn’t have faith I would have given up a long time ago. Actually, the same thing may be said about my own weaknesses. That God hasn’t squashed me or abandoned me a long time ago is amazing to me, forcing me to believe that He really does love me, just as the Bible says. I’m not surprised when painful or unpleasant things come my way, I’m grateful when they don’t come my way! I kind of shake my head at the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” We live in a fallen world, filled with the consequences of sin, our own and others’. As Jesus said so plainly, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) I choose faith, because taking heart is much more pleasant than despair!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the privilege of being involved in other people choosing faith. I pray that this morning’s service, and indeed everything I do, would draw and encourage others to repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!