Gods story in your renewal

An important part of the process of renewal is the acknowledgement of our sins, which we have been reminded of through the first section of our study in Isaiah. In Isaiah 1-39, the focus was on Judah’s disobedience and the future consequences. Today, as we begin the second section of Isaiah, chapters 40-66, the focus shifts. These chapters center on comfort, encouragement, and renewal. Let me set the context.

As you leave the downtown square of my small hometown of Perry, Oklahoma, and head east on Cedar Street, you turn right onto the first street past Leo Park and meander up the winding road to reach Grace Hill Cemetery. When our kids were learning to drive, that’s where we practiced. Driving slowly along the narrow road around the gravesites, with our vanilla Dr. Pepper drinks from Sonic Drive-In and country music playing on the radio, I would see the headstones of so many who had impacted my life: coaches, teachers, individuals whose lawns I had mowed, people I had worked for, and friends’ family members. 

In May 1940, British and French soldiers found themselves in a desperate situation. Approximately 400,000 Allied troops were stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk, France with the sea at their backs and the well-armed German forces advancing toward them. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill cautioned the public to brace for some “hard and heavy” news. But then something unexpected happened. 

There are times when I do everything I know to do. I have a problem, and I try to fix it. I think through the pros and cons, sometimes listing them on paper. I anticipate the “what ifs.” If this happens, I’ll go Route A. If that happens, I’ll go Route B. There is nothing wrong with using the brain that God has given us…if we depend on the God who has given us our brain. But often, I neglect to include God. Does this ever happen to you? 

Isaiah 36-39 is an intriguing section in our study because Isaiah shifts from delivering prophecies, typically in poetic form, to providing historical context. Parallel passages can be found in 2 Kings 18-20 and 2 Chronicles 29-32. Let’s take a moment to familiarize ourselves with King Hezekiah, and then we’ll explore his dilemmas.

Today, we begin in a desert wasteland and end up on the King’s Highway. It’s like a movie where everything is crumbling and then, suddenly, the whole story flips. Our study serves as a great reminder. God is about to transform a blown-up road into a highway called “Way of Holiness.” That’s the highway we always want to be traveling on!

For many years, Lori and I took road trips from Pittsburgh, PA, to Oklahoma with our four kids twice a year to visit our extended families. The car rides were enjoyable but always long and exhausting—one thousand miles each way. However, being with family and sharing special moments made it worth our time and effort. The spiritual journey resembles these visits to Oklahoma. Christian author Max Lucado wrote, “God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.”

We love our children and desire a deep, meaningful relationship with them, right? Consider all the elements that contribute to a healthy relationship: love, care, protection, teaching, mentorship, friendship, laughter, respect, tears, pain, and discipline, to name a few. It’s the same with God. His mercies are new every morning, and each day offers renewal. All the wonderful aspects that build and maintain a great connection with our children are the same qualities needed in our relationship with our heavenly Father.

Remember playing hide and seek as a child… or with your children? When I was young, my favorite hiding spot was deep in the corner of my bedroom closet. Covered by hanging clothes and boxes, no one could find me. Now, looking back, I wonder if my siblings were really searching. Well, that’s a discussion for another time! Let’s apply the “hide and seek game” to a different setting: Do you ever try to hide from God? Do you go to your favorite hiding spot often, hoping he won’t search for you? We’ll see what God says to those who think they can conceal their actions from him.