
Wait on God
God condemns His people for their lack of trust and faith in Him. The prophets were constant in their warnings of the consequences of not trusting God (Isaiah 30:1-4). The entire book of Hosea is directed toward this aspect of Israel’s behavior. The Northern Kingdom (often referred to as Ephraim), is constantly warned about trusting in horses (a source of strength), and going to Assyria and Egypt instead of looking to God.
We appear to be in a similar period of time. The elites who govern our physical lives are struggling to find something to hold onto as their systems teeter and crumble. This situation appears to have come upon us quite suddenly. Our universities are not what they used to be, as it is becoming more obvious that they have been decaying from the inside.
A headline which appeared this week underscores this:
“Our knowledge system has collapsed. Can we survive without it? Even as tech gets degraded, people will still need something solid and reliable that will contribute to human flourishing. In fact, they will need that more than ever.”
The current replacement appears to be artificial intelligence:
“The United Arab Emirates is set to become the first country in the world to provide free ChatGPT Plus access to all its citizens, a move that can fundamentally transform education.”
It should sadden us to see such shortsightedness. But conversely, we should be encouraged to grasp hold of what God has given us. We have been granted something “…solid and reliable that will contribute to human flourishing”. God’s way of life, as governed by His law, is solid and reliable.
Everything man devises to support his way of life apart from God will ultimately fail. As each new thing disappoints, man turns to something else that is offered as a “savior”. It too will fail.
“Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out His hand, both he who helps will fall, and he who is helped will fall down; they all will perish together” (Isaiah 31:3).
As we witness these things taking place, we should deeply value the insights we have given. We have eyes to see and ears to hear. We should not just be sitting back passing judgment on a world that does not know God. Rather we should use these days to evaluate the things freely given to us by God.
They are spirit and permanent. They are not of this world and have no part in man’s way at this time. Value God’s Spirit and the things the Spirit provides. God has called us to a great calling.
Do we value that calling and dedicate ourselves to it?
“So you, by the help of your God, return; observe mercy and justice, and wait on your God continually” (Hosea 12:6).
Brian Orchard