This world can make you feel crazy. At least it makes me feel crazy at times!
I was doing my usual doom scrolling through Facebook this morning and I came across a reel that referenced Isaiah 8:12 and in it, it actually uses the word "conspiracy" - such a fitting word for the times we live in.
Who says scripture isn't relevant anymore?!
I mean, come on! We're talking about a book (the book of Isaiah) that was written primarily in 8th century BCE. To put it in layman terms, that's roughly 700 years before Jesus was even born....and you have God telling Isaiah not to believe the conspiracies of the world - the SAME world we're in! In other words, you're not to walk in the ways of the world but in the ways that the Lord has commanded.
I find it so comforting (and somewhat mind boggling) to read verses that clearly were meaningful 700 years ago and yet could easily have been written on Isaiah's Instagram account yesterday...
The comforting part is that God knows we are going to fumble. He knows that while ultimately we know in our hearts that the right way is God's way; that we have this innate desire to try to figure things out. Humans have always tried to over explain difficult situations in overly simple terms! When we do that, it's usually because we've taken our eyes of God and started listening to other voices.
It's been happening since the beginning of time. Anyone remember a lady named Eve? She believed the oldest conspiracy in the book! Literally! The one where we start to think that maybe our ways are better than God's ways.
This creature (Satan) approaches Eve with the single purpose of convincing her to disobey God by eating the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Bible says the Satan has dominion over this earth. It's so easy to fall into the trap of believing that things down here make more sense but that is a lie. Satan exerts his authority by deceiving people, influencing world events, and promoting a system that is contrary to God's will.
We MUST remember though that Satan's authority is limited and is permitted by God for a specific purpose before it will ultimately end.
We are reminded in Isaiah 8:12, we must not live in fear. While it's normal to be scared at times (because let's face it, this world can be scary!) it's important to remember that we serve a BIG God and He is in control.
Isaiah 8:13 continues with,
"Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble."
Isaiah is to revere God, not worry about the fears of this world like the rest of Judah. In time, God will bring His judgment on Judah. He is the One they should focus their fear on because He is ultimately the One in control!. And He is the One they should return to in repentance, obedience, and genuine worship.
So when things get scary or you start to feel a little crazy from living in this world, my prayer for you is that you'll remember that God's plan for this earth has already been set in stone. Every single step you take has been accounted for. The LORD still has complete and absolute authority over everything. The end has already been written.