Lord, Heal us from our obstinate ways and stubbornness!

 

THU MP Reflection 072320 (Ps 50; Josh 9:3-21)

There is a theme that keeps running in these verses, and I couldn’t pinpoint to it exactly, but it has something to do with us being obstinate. The dictionary gave me more words like stubborn or defiant. This word is used in the Bible a few times, one of them is in Isaiah 48:4 “For I know how stubborn and obstinate you are. Your necks are as unbending as iron. Your heads are as hard as bronze.” I know my chiropractor would smile at this: None would want an unbending neck! These words came because Israel had repeatedly failed to believe God’s past predictions and often acted on their own in defiance of God’s instructions.

I can see this happen in our own lives especially before someone tell us the famous phrase: “I told you so” It means we would have charted our own way and later on, found out that even against other people’s advice we were wrong to proceed in our route. Often enough we blissfully march on in our own direction, in our own wisdom. Our wisdom tells us that we have always done it this way, it has worked, what’s wrong with it? These scriptures come in with a gentle plea that says: “Well you want to do it that way? Go ahead, have your peace, go have a blast. But it would have been better to wait and put some more thinking and come into God’s presence to seek God’s face and God’s peace. Let God be the first you consult before you begin your project/ your journey.

I remember one conversation where we talked about how likely God would let us choose our own adventure: “You want to do that? Is that what you desire? Alright, go ahead, but know that it is not wise but the choice is in your hands. We forget that we really have no real power because God does, God gives us a choice and we think the world is ours God forgive us, especially when we charge ahead with our projects. We forget that God may not accompany us in our little escapade. God is willing to walk with us, but who is driving? Us or God? The GPS has our own voice and destination but we can let the GPS have God’s voice and destination.

To be honest, we should let God drive, sometimes we are under the influence of ungodly things so we shouldn’t drive. I discovered our obstinate ways in Ps 50: 20-21 NIV Transl.: “You sit around and slander your brother, your own mother’s son. While you did all this, I remained silent and you thought I didn’t care…” There are things we keep doing but which are totally wrong. Most of us are guilty of this. Unless you never say anything negative of another person.

The charge is in our court. We are obstinate in our ways but often God remains silent, but if you examine deeper: God’s language is sharp, it shows that God isn’t happy with it. He says, and you thought I am like you! Just because we are passionate, assertive and a visionary does not mean that God endorses our way. He may let us get away with it for a while, weeks, 200 years. In the end, we always find out. This brings me to the passage in Joshua. God’s people should have known to go to God for all the requests. Nope, they didn’t do that. They fell straight into their enemy’s trap! The enemy knew the strength of Israel, so they bowed down to them and made them believe that they were harmless, so Israelites promised them that they would never attack them. Israelites chose a route that seemed wise in their own eyes. V. 14 tells us that they examined, but they did not consult the Lord.

We are as guilty as the Israelites many times. We should consult God at all times. Seek good counsel. Pray and seek God’s will with other believers. God should be at the center of all our dealings. When we decide to proceed with our own ways; ways that indeed dishonor God, we should know that, if God is silent, it is not because He approves it, nor if it lasted hundreds of years, that it means that God approves.

Jesus, heal us from our obstinate ways, our stubbornness, give us a heart of flesh, an understanding heart and divine wisdom to discern your will.

Amen. Be blessed today!