I read this yesterday in Isaiah 7:9:

If you are not firm in faith
you will not be firm at all.

This is a message from God to Ahaz, the king of Judah, through the prophet. An offensive had been mounted by some of its opponents. Judah was gripped with fear and God’s message to them was, “do not fear”, because they will not stand. This little verse is the closing statement.

I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly he had in mind. Of course, there are the obvious contextual reasons. But I think it stands all on its own also.

In the case of Judah and her opponents, their choices were to place their faith in their military strength, their cunning or their ability to run faster than their opponents could chase. Or, to trust God who had made promises to them about this very situation.

People are constantly shifting and changing. One minute our mind may be made up, the next we might be conflicted. One minute we may be courageous, the next minute a coward. One minute our bodies may be strong and healthy, the next weak and ill. God, on the other hand, is none of these things. He is steady and unchanging. If we aren’t placing our trust in God, the only place we have to put it is in ourselves.

In all that God was saying to the king Ahaz, his message about faith is almost certainly for us also.

Unless our faith is in something stable, then we cannot be stable in anything.