I can say for certain that the message below is very true in my life. There are days when I have followed God's guidance by doing things that didn't seem like they were the most practical solutions to a problem but it wasn't from my own wisdom. Although, because I did follow God's guidance, the problem was resolved but often times it wasn't as I expected it… or it was even greater than I hoped.

Of course, there were those days when I made a decision based on what was most logical to me. Sometimes it turned out right. Sometimes it was in God's will because it was just the "right thing to do." Sometimes the humanly logical path still didn't produce a reasonable result.

If it wasn't a simple choice of good vs bad then the decision was much more difficult to make. Trying to see not only what is good but what is best, by God's standard, can be difficult for us. Human logic wants to follow what we want to see happen in life, most often, those things that don't cause us any discomfort or uneasiness. Making decisions in this way and without seeking God's path first, usually gets us into more trouble than we expect.

God is much more logical than we can ever imagine. As the message below will discuss, the difference is that God sees a much larger portion of the picture than we can know. That is where trust comes in. We must depend on Romans 8:28 to be true to it's word, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." With faith in Jesus and the commitment to trusting in His word, we can lean on knowing that even if God directs us to do something that the world sees as less than logical, He will make it alright. It may not be today's most convenient answer but it will be the best answer and yield the best results for us and those around us.

~~
twh

Today's reading from Connect the Testaments:

November 27: When Hezekiah Gave Away the Farm

2 Kings 18:13–19:37

After the announcement that Hezekiah “did right in the eyes of Yahweh,” the next description comes as a surprise: “At that time, Hezekiah cut off the doors of the temple of Yahweh and the doorposts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and he gave them to the king of Assyria” (2 Kgs 18:3, 16).

For a moment Hezekiah was a strong king over Israel—he abolished idolatry and refused to obey the king of Assyria (2 Kgs 18:4, 7). As 2 Kings 18:6 describes, “He held on to Yahweh; he did not depart from following him, and he kept his commands that Yahweh had commanded Moses.” But Hezekiah did not possess fortitude (see 2 Kgs 18:13–18). In an attempt to gain peace, he gave away not only treasures, but even pieces of Yahweh’s temple itself (2 Kgs 18:15–16).

We’ve all been in situations where it’s tempting to do anything for peace. Perhaps we’ve even compromised our ethics or values in these moments. But no matter the situation, giving away the farm like Hezekiah did is never the answer. Politicians often talk about “peace at all costs,” but our world is full of dilemmas that don’t allow for that option.

When desperate situations arise, we must have fortitude. We must seek solace in God and His will instead of giving in. If we make a decision based on the circumstances, it will be the wrong one. If we make our decisions based on prayer, we will make the correct moves.

Hezekiah could have relied on God when Sennacherib came knocking on his door and knocking down the cities of Judah, but he didn’t. He paid a high price for his decision; the cost was his relationship with Yahweh. Even death is preferable to that.

Sometimes our decisions are more important than we realize because they may involve our relationship with God. We must let that relationship drive our decision-making. Rather than being distracted by fear, anxiety, pressure, or even concern for anyone else, we must focus on God and His will; He alone will look out for us and others. We must give Him the opportunity to act. *

What decisions do you need God’s intercession for?

John D. Barry

(*) Barry, J. D., & Kruyswijk, R. (2012). Connect the Testaments: A Daily Devotional. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.