All of us experience “crossroads” in life. We are confronted with choices, situations, and circumstances that will force us to make a choice. Often this choice will be whether or not we will trust God and his promises even when things seem beyond hope.

Ahaz, the king of Judah, had such a crossroad. Assyria was becoming the dominant power in the land, and all other nations were fearful of being conquered. It seems that Ahaz had established or was considering building a pact with Assyria to protect them. This possibility made the kings of Israel and Syria decide to attack Judah to force them to join them in fighting against Assyria.

As Ahaz heard of the approach of these armies, notice what it says in Isaiah 7:2,

“The heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.”

I can’t imagine the fear that he must have experienced and how tempted he must have been to approach Assyria for help. So what was his crossroad? His dilemma was, would he choose to trust in God for protection or Assyria when things looked about as bad as it could get?

God makes his expectations clear to Ahaz when the prophet Isaiah says,

“If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.” (Isaiah 7:9)

I can get discouraged in life as I am sure you can. I see here a timeless principle for the disciple of Jesus. I must stand firm in my faith in God and his promises regardless of what my circumstances might tell me.

Father, thank you for the lesson found in this story. I am sorry that I doubt you, your promises and your love for me at times. Help me to remember this timeless principle of my responsibility to stand firm in my faith. If I don’t choose to remain steadfast in my faith in you, I won’t make it.

Following Jesus with you,