LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Isaiah 64:4  Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

It’s still true today – since ancient times no one has heard about, heard from, nor have they seen any God besides YHWH – Jehovah – the One and Only God. He is good. He is compassionate. He is faithful. He always acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

Every humanly proposed option for God is the fabrication of man’s imagination and is designed to ultimately promote man as his own god.

Need proof? Isaiah 64:4 offers it. God acts! He acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. No imaginary god can. The fact is that those who have imaginary gods are the ones doing all the acting on behalf of themselves. Unfortunately, all such activity of man has no enduring benefit.

Our gods of resources, responsibilities, relationships, recreation, and religion produce only temporary satisfaction that never fulfills us. But we are such creatures of the immediate that we are content with those temporary feelings. We embrace the false belief that we are avoiding the pain and loss that are experienced by everyone else.

However, there is eternal fulfillment for every soul that surrenders to the One True God for salvation. Yet even those of us who have done that still struggle with the need for immediate gratification. We have acceptance issues. We have value doubts. We have personal ambitions that we believe will compliment what God has given and supplement what He hasn’t.

But God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. We are not good at waiting. We want what we want when we want it. Yet God says some things are worth waiting for. The apostle John, whom Jesus loved, was directed by the Holy Spirit to write these words:

It does not yet appear to us what we shall be, but we know this, that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

We work so hard at our appearance in this world. Physical appearance, reputation, and perceived value dominate our priorities.  Yet all such appearances are temporary. Our permanent appearance will be realized when Jesus returns and we become like Him.  That is the appearance we should desire right now. Becoming the reflection of Jesus Christ is our greatest fulfillment and our greatest joy.

We all have other gods we have chosen because we believe it will meet some need we have.  Yet those pursuits are all a product of our imagination based on what we believe is best for us. We are our own gods, and it will end badly. Today, get rid of the idols you have chosen to bring value to your life. Trust the One True God to totally satisfy and fulfill you. He is acting on your behalf if you choose to wait for the eternal good He has in store. Let the world see that your appearance is nothing but a reflection of Jesus.

Pastor John