Title
"Trust and Obey"
Scripture
At that time the LORD spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot. Isaiah 20:2 (NIV)
Observation
God asked Isaiah to do something very strange! To walk around naked! My notes point out this was to graphically demonstrate Judah's ultimate fate if they chose to join the Ashdod revolt. They too would be stripped naked and taken away as slaves. In the ancient world, it was not unusual for criminals to be stripped and made to walk around naked as a sign of their loss of social status and shame. What amazes me is how willing the prophet was to obey God, even if it meant personal embarrassment.
Application
Isaiah's faith reminds me of a song we often sang growing up called "Trust and Obey." One verse went like this: "Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, But our toil He doth richly repay; Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,But is blessed if we trust and obey." Trust and obey! The Christian life is that simply and it's that hard! I hope God will never ask me to do something as humiliating as he did Isaiah, but I must never put my reputation or personal concerns above obeying Him. I may not understand everything, but I want to completely follow Him.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, please increase my faith! Help me trust you more in every situation. I want to be used by you. Please fill me, cleanse me, mold me, use me. I want to trust and obey you completely! AMEN
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