Isaiah 65:2 All day long I have held out My hands to an obstinate people, who walk in the wrong path, who follow their own imaginations….
As a parent and a teacher, it is incredibly frustrating to see a child headed down the wrong path. It is especially frustrating when you know those wrong choices can easily lead them to be hurt—physically or emotionally. To try to lead and guide them, to end up being rebuffed for my efforts, to have to help them deal with the fallout of their choices—these are very difficult things.
Jer 7:24 Yet they did not listen or pay attention, but they followed the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.
God is the Creator of the universe. He could have preprogrammed us to obedience, but He doesn’t want automatons. He wants people who willingly and intentionally choose Him, which means He allows us our stubborn disobedience, even if it hurts us, even if it hurts Him.
Deut 32:15 But Israel soon became fat and unruly; the people… abandoned the God who made them and they rejected the Rock their Savior.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for loving us enough to let us choose You, even if it takes a while. Thank You for Your goodness and mercy, for Your grace which surpasses all understanding, for Your fierce love. Help me to lay aside my stubbornness and choose You. Always. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 106:25 They grumbled in their tents and did not listen to the voice of the LORD.
Have a blessed day.
My faith, my life, my teaching–it's all a work in progress.