Only He Should Be Held in Awe [Isaiah 7-8]
11For thus the LORD spoke to me with mighty power and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, 12"You are not to say, 'It is a conspiracy!' In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. 13"It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread. 14"Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, And a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15"Many will stumble over them, Then they will fall and be broken; They will even be snared and caught."
16Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
17And I will wait for the LORD who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him.
What are you waiting for today? Are you looking eagerly for the LORD? I am looking forward to an upcoming wedding. I am eager to see our family that is coming from out of town. I haven't seen three of my grandchildren since June and I am wondering how much they have grown, what new things the littlest is doing. I am eager to see my son, daughters, mom and my sister and her family. Do I feel the same about meeting with God each morning?
I also have a few things I am dreading and there are always things I fear. I woke up at 3 a.m. this morning thinking about some of those things. I tried in vain to quiet my mind. New thoughts popped up with new fears. Finally, I got up and read Isaiah and these verses washed over my mind and cleared away the fear. "You are to regard only the LORD of Hosts as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be held in awe." (Holman CSB). I was reminded that the definition for fear is "to hold in highest value." God sweetly reminded me again that He is the only one worthy of the time and praise I was giving to the other things I was anxious about. He is above all, through all and in all. He alone is holy. As I fell back to sleep, my mind was praising and thanking God, who is my sanctuary. "I will even look eagerly for Him."
You alone, O Lord, are worthy of praise, honor and glory. Cause me to continue today to look eagerly for how You are going to work in my life and the life of my family.
Verna McCrillis, 10/31/2009