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She’d been a child of God for many years though, in recent days, her choices did not reflect it. The consequences of those choices now felt overwhelming. In her exhaustion, she saw only one way out: It was time to live God’s way. She was ready to submit. She was ready to obey.
“She” could be any one of us. She could be you or me. Her struggle to submit to the will and ways of God is not new, but one that has plagued God’s children since the beginning.
For many years, the nation of Israel faced a brutal foe in the Assyrian army. Facing that threat again, God gave His children a battleplan:
“In repentance and rest is your deliverance, in quietness and trust is your strength.” Isaiah 30:15
What God said next indicates mankind’s rebellious tendency: “But you would have none of it.” In the midst of an attack, they chose to rely on their own wisdom and desires. As a result, they suffered great consequences. They suffered a great defeat.
Satan is our brutal foe. He prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. He is cunning, seeking to lead us away from being fully devoted to Christ (1 Peter 5:8, 2 Corinthians 11:3,14). Succumbing to Satan’s lures of temptation have brutal effects. Yet the same hope God offered the nation of Israel is ours to embrace as well:
“The LORD longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion…Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is My way, walk in it.’” Isaiah 30:18, 21
The grace of God is our way out of sin:
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you.” James 4:6-8
For every area of temptation, in each place of defeat, come near to God. Humble yourself before Him in repentance, choosing to live by His will and His ways. He will release, restore and rebuild your life from the ravages inflicted by sin.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6
