TRUST IN THE LORD FOREVER!"

Isaiah 26:2-4                                               (ESV)
"2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
3 YOU keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on YOU, because he trusts in YOU.
4 "TRUST IN THE LORD FOREVER", for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock."



A few years ago I may have thought I was a rather intelligent person, but in my maturing years I realize that sometimes I am not that bright!  As evidence of this, I recently was on a social media site and within 5 minutes observed no fewer than four memes that had some translation of Isaiah 26:4!  On the fourth one I FINALLY decided I needed to visit that scripture in my Bible to see what GOD was saying to me.

Immediately upon reading the first six verses my mind was caused to remember Exodus 14:4 which says "And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD." AND THEY DID SO."  Now Pharaoh and all of the Egyptians probably didn't require a tremendous amount of effort to "harden" their hearts, just like some modern day people, but when GOD declares your heart to be hardened, you could be in a very dangerous situation!

But how do we answer those who say that GOD would never allow something so terrible to happen to anyone as in Exodus 14, that HE is too good to cause so much grief.  What about the Israelites who were in captivity to the Egyptians for the previous 430 years?  Did GOD just conveniently forget about that?  Could it be that GOD would not share HIS Glory with another, such as Pharaoh (Isaiah 42:8)???

But why do we CHOOSE to serve such a cold-hearted GOD?  John 15:16 states rather plainly "YOU DID NOT CHOOSE ME, BUT I CHOSE YOU AND APPOINTED YOU that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the FATHER in MY NAME, HE may give it to you."   We have the privilege, and the calling, to SERVE HIM and HIS mission for our lives.  Sure, others may be more successful in "this world", but the next world will be here far too soon and their wealth won't spend in eternity.

Since I have been CHOSEN and APPOINTED to SERVE HIM instead of having my heart hardened, I will continually "TRUST IN THE LORD FOREVER"!  Walking by FAITH (2 Corinthians 5:7) is not for the weak in SPIRIT, but if we "TRUST IN THE LORD FOREVER" HE will come through for us like HE has in the past!!!