By Andrew Stoddard
Do you remember taking your driver’s exam? Or maybe for some of you, more recent is the memory of helping one of your kids prepare for that pivotal day.
Either way, reach back in the vault with me and remember that day as it occurred for you. It’s a day categorized by a mixture of emotions: excitement and anxiety, longing and hesitation. The promise of freedom and the open road, but also the fear of failure.
I was lucky enough to have a kind, albeit a little gruff, instructor. As we got into the car, he half grumbled, “Remember, keep your eyes on the road, but don’t forget to check all the road signs.”
Simple enough, but good advice. On the road and in life, we can become so focused on where we’re going, or perhaps what’s happening around us, that we forget to pay attention to the signs. Those of you with a proclivity toward speed know what I mean. All of a sudden you’re going 70 in what you didn’t realize was a 55, and the blue lights in your rearview are a gut-checking reminder that you should’ve paid more careful attention to the signs.
Typically, road signs inform us of what is about to come or a change that is about to take place; God’s signs in our lives sometimes do that too. Other times though, like in Isaiah 18, they serve to remind us of what God has already done. Now, this certainly gives us a great deal of hope, but that hope is rooted in a robust memory of God’s redemption and care for His people.
When we see a banner on the mountain, when we hear a trumpet sound, oftentimes God is trying to get our attention and help us recollect the wondrous things He’s done. Certainly, Scripture is a great testament of the past signs and wonders of the Lord, but I might also recommend keeping a journal where you recount the personal blessings of God and answers to prayer in your own life. It’s all too easy to forget the magnificent things He’s done, the miraculous answers to prayer in your life.
One way to find hope in otherwise hopeless situations is to remember the mighty works of God in the past. Recall the signs and wonders He gave to His people in the wilderness, hold on to His faithfulness demonstrated in the Promised Land, and pour out your praises on account of the consistency of God in your own backstory.
Find moments to pause, to reflect. Moments like this are where you can celebrate God’s goodness in the past, raise new banners, and pay attention to the old signs. The world roars and shouts, but God is consistently here speaking into the fray, raising banners and sounding trumpets of joy and good news.
Look. Listen. Pay attention. Count the ways you see the Lord at work in life today!
Written by Andrew Stoddard
4 thoughts on "The Lord Will Make Himself Known"
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Ken Fuller says:
No Scripture this morning but I know it includes chapter 18. That’s what Devotional was about. Look for signs of God today.
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Sean Murphy says:
Even through praise and remembrance of God’s great glory, He will seek you to know Him more.
An example of this is in 1 Chronicles where it remembers David’s prayer of recognizing and remembering God’s glory without mention of trials or requests.
1 Chronicles 29:10-13 NIV
David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.”
1 Chronicles 29:10-13 NIV -
David Grueser says:
This takes me to a few weeks ago when I mentioned waking up and listing the things I am thankful for and the blessings God has put in my life. How often do we forget that these people who seem so lost and so backwards but God is yearning and working in their midst. My wife’s father (a preacher, not that gives him credibility or not) would always say, the earth is a cruel place, but it will never be as cruel as the day they crucified Jesus. And that’s such a neat reminder God has worked through that and all these trials with Egypt, Damascus, and Samaria. We need to take time to thank the Lord for his patients with us.
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Nathan says:
God will make himself known in many ways. When we feel lost or confused, we must listen and pray and see God in everything. God will not leave you he will always be with you in everything, because he is in everything and created everything and works everything to your good. Don’t ignore the signs God has posted around you but be observant and ask for a keen sense and discernment to know what is God and what isn’t God. Slow down and breathe. Be at peace. Look at all that’s around you. You’ll be okay.
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