scraps

monday morning in chapel was mind blowing. i asked for something specific, and has been the pattern, here it is:

isaiah 7 was my crumb. GOD’s children and their king ahaz are afraid. they are afraid because they have been told their enemy is coming to attack them. “and his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.” they are terrorized to the core. GOD tells them: “take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted...it shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.” so He gives them hope. when He’s finished, He reminds them: “if you will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.” or in another translation: “if you don’t take your stand in faith, you won’t have a leg to stand on!” ok, so faith is the most important thing again. but this is not where it ends. GOD then tells ahaz to “ask for a sign from your GOD. ask anything. be extravagant. ask for the moon!” so what does he do when given his chance? “i’d never do that, i’d never make demands like that on GOD!” sounds spiritual right? like a guy who is willing to “give in” to the LORD? but how does GOD respond? “it’s bad enough that you make people tired with your pious, timid hypocrisies, but now you’re making GOD tired!" GOD is *not* happy. He told ahaz to ask for anything, and ahaz flaked! he flaked by trying to be spiritual. what GOD really wanted from him was unashamed, unfettered, abandoned faith....so, i asked GOD for a sign. was this crazy, or the abandoned faith GOD desires for me? i don’t know, but i did it. and now i have to wait...