Trusting my own ability leads inevitably to disappointment. Trusting Christ’s ability leads me unerringly to safety.
===========================
Scripture
Isaiah 50:10-11
“Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment.”
Observation
Human reasoning looks to self-reliant answers to the problems we face. Facing darkness? Light a fire!
Isaiah isn’t condemning the use of torches at night–rather, he’s pointing out the inevitable end of those who trust their own ability instead of trusting the God of light. Without His light, man’s best efforts end in pointless wandering and ultimately…hopeless torment.
Application
There’s nothing wrong with using resources available to us…but Isaiah is talking about a specific kind of darkness here. He’s talking about darkness of the spirit–the kind of darkness that leaves us wandering directionless, with no destination to head toward or path to get there. This kind of darkness cannot be solved by lighting a torch to see the path more clearly…because there is no path to see!
My natural thinking leads me to set my own direction, light my own torch, and begin cutting my own path through the darkness. This may feel logical, but it doesn’t lead me closer to God or closer to His best for me. The harsh reality is that I don’t have the ability to create a path closer to God. There are ultimately only two options: Trust my own trailblazing ability, or trust the path that Christ has already made for me.
Trusting my own ability leads inevitably to disappointment. Trusting Christ’s ability leads me unerringly to safety.
Prayer
God, thank you for this reminder of your grace and your ability to see me through! Thank you for shining your light in the darkness of my life, and for being the way, the truth, and the life! I choose to put my trust in you instead of in my own strength, and walk in your brilliant light of grace instead of the sputtering, feeble flicker of my own best efforts.
Interested in getting daily devotions delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe HERE!
You can also read past devotions on our website, by visiting https://www.newhopelegacy.com/soap/
