Stand Firm: A Choice To Rest
“Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.”
Our mighty God is sovereign over everything and He knows the beginning from the end. When he declares what will take place before it happens, the hearer can know for certain that events will transpire exactly as He stated.
In Isaiah 7, the Lord states that a pending invasion would never take place, but to the king, He added, "Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.” This does not mean that the defeat of the invaders was dependent on the faith of the king for God had already declared what would happen and that the invading kingdoms would not succeed. This exhortation was for the king and the wellbeing of his mind – the choice to worry or to rest.
As citizens of heaven, we are often faced with anxiety, whether it is from an external assault or an internal attack. God’s plan and actions are not dependent on us or our faith, but usually, our trust and peace of mind are an act of faith. The king had the choice to continue to fret and agonize about the threats of the enemy, or he could choose to exercise faith in what God had said would happen and be established in his heart. The encouragement for us is to trust in the promises of God regardless of the surrounding circumstances we are in. God’s plan will come to pass, but unless our faith is firm, He cannot make us stand firm in peace and rest. Establish in your heart today to trust what the Lord has told you, and rest in Him.