Who will I marry? Where will we live? When will we have kids? Where will we send the kids to college? We must answer at least some of these questions at some point in our lives. When that time comes, we will probably seek counsel from someone who has already faced these challenging and important questions. This friend can probably give us some valuable advice.

However, have we consulted God's word about our decision? This may seem impractical. After all, the Bible doesn't have direct advice for my specific situation, does it? When we look for answers in the Bible, we are actually consulting God. He doesn't give us direct revelation outside of His Word, but the Bible is inspired by God and is profitable to help make us complete (2 Tim. 3:16,17). So if we do not consult God's Word, we are overlooking our biggest help in whatever difficult circumstances we might face. The Psalmist said, "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psa. 119:105).

When the Assyrians were threatening to invade Judah in the 8th century B.C., Judah sought help from Egypt rather than seeking God's help. Isaiah had already prophesied that Egypt would be destroyed (Isa. 19). In light of this, Judah still wanted to seek the help of the mighty Pharaoh (Isa. 30:2). Egypt was an appealing ally because of its strong horsemen and many chariots for battle (Isa. 31:1).

Judah ignored God's Word concerning the destruction of Egypt. The Psalmist writes, "Do not trust in princes, in mortal man there is no salvation" (Psa. 143:3). The Egyptians were mortal men and not the immortal God. "Now the Egyptians are men and not God and their horses are flesh and not spirit; so the Lord will stretch out His hand and he who helps will stumble and he who is helped will fall and all of them will come to an end together" (Isa. 31:3).

God's judgment upon those who do not listen to Him is severe. "Behold the name of the Lord comes from a remote place; burning is His anger and dense is His smoke; His lips are filled with indignation and His tongue like a consuming fire" (Isa. 30:27). However, God longed for their reliance upon Him rather than men. "Therefore, the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore, He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; how blessed are all those who long for Him" (Isa. 30:18).

Judah had become impatient with God and took matters into its own hands. Isaiah beautifully states, "Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weary" (Isa. 40:31). When we are faced with our own difficult decisions, we want immediate help so that we can make those immediate decisions. We must not be impatient but wait for God's answer. His answer will not come from direct, verbal revelation. It comes from reading and meditating upon His Word. His Word gives light and helps us to understand (Psa. 119:130).

The difficult questions that were mentioned earlier must be answered. The answers could change our lives significantly. There will also be more difficult decisions that we will have to make. More experienced friends may be able to help tremendously in these various decisions. However, if we do not consult God, we are overlooking the greatest help of all. "Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us" (Psa. 62:8).

By Will Dilbeck via News & Notes, May 28, 2006.

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