In God We trust

Can we trust what we hear and see?

For the Lord spoke thus to me while his hand was strong upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what it fears, or be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. He will become a sanctuary, a stone one strikes against; for both houses of Israel he will become a rock one stumbles over a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken. Bind up the testimony, seal the teaching among my disciples. I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. See, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. Now if people say to you, ‘Consult the ghosts and the familiar spirits that chirp and mutter; should not a people consult their gods, the dead on behalf of the living, for teaching and for instruction?’ surely, those who speak like this will have no dawn! - Isaiah 8:11-20

The Lord tells Isaiah not to follow what the people say or do, but instead to follow God.

This was a time when people had far less access to communication than we do today.  We are exposed to so many more opinions, thoughts and theories than they were in their day.  

So, can we ignore all we see and hear and trust only in God?

I think it is hard to do that.  We all like to hear others agree with our perspective, to have confirmation that what we believe is true not just for us but for others as well.  So we add our own voices to the conversation, and our theories become gospel.

God warns Isaiah not to follow the whims of the people for their ideas could lead to stumbling and ruin.

When we think we know what God wants, we tend to believe that our views are His, rather than the other way around.  And that type of thinking can lead us astray.

So, how do we manage to get by in this world if we should not trust in the words of others?

Isaiah says, I will wait for the Lord.

Maybe that is what we should do.  Rather than rush to conclusions and theories, we should listen for God.  He may be trying to tell us something we need to hear.

More to come...