When Self-Sufficiency Replaces Dependence

Good morning. Today we are in Isaiah 22.

Thank you for joining me on our little detour yesterday. I just needed to sit with God in a different view for a minute.

But we're back at it.

And the verses that jumped out at me were verses 8 through 11.

And the first sentence is:

"He removed the defense of Judah."

So that was God.

And then it switches to:

"On that day you…"

Isaiah, I believe here, is talking to the people of Jerusalem because this chapter is about the fall of Jerusalem, which had been protected for so very many years by God.

And the people have just so turned away from Him.

And now Jerusalem is going to fall at some point, and we know looking back that that indeed happened.

So then, I don't know, verse 8b:

"On that day you…"

About the people in Jerusalem:

"…depended on the weapons of the house of the forest, And you saw that the breaches In the wall of the city of David were many; You collected the waters of the lower pool.

Then you counted the houses of Jerusalem And tore down houses to fortify the wall.

And you made a reservoir between the two walls For the waters of the old pool."

And just all through that, that's all—it's all self-dependent.

Now, there's nothing wrong with planning.

There's nothing wrong with preparing.

But I think when we believe that we have prepared enough, and because of our own preparations that we have protected ourselves, that our protection comes from what we have done instead of realizing that our protection only ever comes from God.

And wow, yes, we're called to prepare.

We are not called to prepare in order to not depend on God.

And so what Jerusalem is showing here is self-sufficiency.

And that is not a good thing.

That is most assuredly something that God looks at and says, "No. Absolutely not."

You are to depend on Me and Me alone.

Not what your hands can gather.

Not the money in your bank.

Not the food that you have stored.

None of that is something you should put your dependency on because all of that can go bad.

Money can disappear.

Food can go bad unexpectedly.

The work of our hands can stop because we end up with an injury that causes us to not ever be able to work.

Instead, at the bottom of verse 11, we have:

"But you did not depend on Him who made it, Nor did you take into consideration Him who planned it long ago."

No, everything that we are going through—He's not surprised by it.

But when we walk into it and think, "Nope. I can do this on my own. I do not need anybody. I do not need God."

That is when we get in trouble.

I find it interesting that not only have we been being shown that dependence on others and not God is—and dependence on things is—an issue when our dependence is on that and not God, how God is calling them out for their self-sufficiency.

And man, there is one thing us Americans are known for, and that is our resilience, our self-dependency.

I know I work hard against this belief of, "Well, nobody else will do it the way I think it should be," or, "Nobody else is gonna step in and do it, so that means I have to do it."

And I've been learning over the last year that that's just not true.

I can step out of the way, and I can let God—

Because maybe I was getting in the way of the Holy Spirit, trying to do it all on my own, trying to make things easier for others, trying to control and handle and keep on top of all of these things.

Of opening my hands to control—

Of opening them, so I'm not in control, and letting God do what God needs to do.

And—and that was me being self-sufficient in a lot of ways.

Or not trusting that God, the Author and Creator of the universe, would know what the other person needs far better than I could ever know.

And yeah, in order to make my world feel safe, in order to make my body and system feel okay, I felt like I had to control it all.

And it's not what God ever wanted me to do.

He wanted me to surrender it to Him.

Surrender all of these circumstances and all of these issues.

And to get out of His way.

Let Him do what only He can do.

Tell you what, I have had a lot more peace this last year as I—I have stepped out of the way and let God do what God needs to do.

Yeah.

I was being self-sufficient for reasons that my triggered body would tell you were completely okay.

But it wasn't.

It was self-sufficiency.

I wasn't relying on God, just like the people of Jerusalem weren't relying on God either.

So there's a lot more verses in 22.

What stuck out to you?

What caught your attention?

Oh Lord, that we would not try to constantly be in control.

That we would not commit the sin of self-sufficiency instead of dependence upon God—on You alone.

Oh, You got me, Lord.

Reminded me that what I was doing was not honoring You.

And for that, I am sorry and I repent.

Thank You.

Thank You for revealing more of Yourself.

I did not have anything for this reflection today, and I had to depend on You.

You revealed something to me, and I thank You for that.

Oh Lord, thank You for today.

Thank You for the opportunity to go out and work our jobs, serve others, love on the people in front of us.

May we be a light for You in this world.

Oh precious Lord, it is in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Thank you for joining me today as we wander through God's Word with wonder.