Isaiah 37-39
Psalm 76
Isaiah 38:2 – “Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.”
My 21-month old nephew is already practicing his independence. Just the other day, my brother shared in our family chat a video of the little guy outside on their patio, in his diapers, figuring out how to make the sprayer on the lawn hose work. It was amazing to see him inspect the sprayer as he held it in his hands. He eventually discovered that if he applied enough pressure on the handle, water would come out. And then he went to town spraying everything on the patio, including the arcadia door where my brother was on the other side capturing the moment.
As amazing as it is to watch a child grow and develop, they are still very much dependent on the adults in their lives for providing for all of their basic needs. And if those needs are not met in a timely manner…cries and tears are bound to surface.
As an adult, I’d like to think that I’m more mature than a child, but in all reality, I’m not. I am independent to a fault until something doesn’t go my way or I need help. And even then, I’m reluctant to admit as much. Life is great…until I’m criticized…until my supervisor decides to take an alternative course of action after I have spent hours preparing for something different…until money that I’ve saved up for a vacation has to be spent on expensive AC repairs…until I cut my foot by dropping a plate on it and the ability to walk or drive inhibits my mobility. It’s only then do I pout and admit that I can’t do everything on my own; I need assistance, from my family, from friends, from my heavenly Father.
As I read through Isaiah chapters 37-38, I couldn’t help but notice that when King Hezekiah was in dire straits, he immediately turned to God and worshiped Him, and made his case for why God should show His mercy and grace. This is exactly what God desires from His children. He longs for us to depend on Him for all of our needs, from daily and minor inconveniences to the major and potentially life changing circumstances.
However in Isaiah chapter 39, King Hezekiah’s attitude is much different. Life is good; in fact he gets a bonus of 15 more years to live! He’s so confident in his situation that he becomes arrogant and shows off all of the kingdom’s wealth and prosperity to mere strangers. Where has his dependence on Almighty God gone? And for the king’s actions, the prophet Isaiah gives him a heads up that trouble will indeed come. But does Hezekiah care? Nope. He’ll be dead by then and it will be someone else’s problem. Whaaaat??? How is this even the same guy?
But before I become too critical, I have to remember that my human tendencies can easily do the same thing.
So how can we avoid the temptation to rely on our own wits and wisdom? Jesus gives us a clue in Luke 9. “Then he said to them all: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” (v. 23-24)
It’s this daily submission that keeps us humble and dependent upon our heavenly Father for all of our needs. So whether it is a dire diagnosis, threats from an enemy, or even on the best of days when everything is running smoothly, we would do well to remember that it is God who is to be remembered, praised and given all the glory.
Reflection Questions:
When faced with unexpected hardship or crisis, what is your first instinct – independence or dependence?
When life is going smoothly, what helps you stay grounded in humility and gratitude rather than slipping into self-reliance?
What does “taking up your cross daily” look like for you right now? What small act of surrender can you practice today that will remind you of your dependence on God?
-Bethany Ligon
Seek Grow Love 