Isaiah 46:9-10
“Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass.”
California’s “Stay At Home” order has brought me back to the most significant period of my life thus far.
I am sure many of us are greatly disappointed as high school graduations are being cancelled, 8th grade promotions are being scrapped, and birthday celebrations postponed. I sympathize with the sadness you feel.
After graduating high school, I watched my friends buy plane tickets across the country, move into their dorms, and go to sporting events and concerts on college campuses. I watched it all from Snapchat as I laid in a hospital bed for two weeks, deferred my first semester of college, and stayed in bed for five months.
Fortunately, this period of isolation was a major turning point in my life. I took the time to mope and pity myself, but I then picked myself up and used it as an opportunity to grow. I challenge you to do the same during this season of life and focus on the above passage.
God speaks to the prophet Isaiah, telling him to “Remember the things I have done in the past.” What has God done in the past for you? For me, the first thing that comes to mind is my illness. While it was both painful and traumatizing, God listened to my prayers and helped me out of bed. He proved to me that He will return my faithfulness toward Him. In what ways has God helped you get out of bed? How has this affected your heart and mind?
He then told Isaiah, “Everything I plan will come to pass.” My struggles have passed. The plagues of the Egyptians have passed. This pandemic will pass. We have no reason not to believe the Lord isn’t in control. Throughout history, He has proven over and over again that He is our Protector. He showed me He was in control of my sickness. I’m absolutely positive He has shown you, in some way, that He is in control. “He alone is God,” who is bigger than this virus. We only need to trust that He is our sovereign Protector.
Today, as you spend time with Jesus, write down one way in the past that you’ve seen God be completely in control. As you think back on a time, let your heart be filled with hope that he’s still that same God and has everything under control today as well.