Stand Firm in Your Faith

Isaiah 7:9

If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.

Isaiah was given these words to give to King Ahaz, the king of Judah.  Judah was under attack by Syria and King Ahaz had turned away from God and looked to the King of Assyria for help. He gave him gold in order to persuade him to attack the Syrians.  Isaiah told Ahaz not to fear but to stand firm with faith in God, and soon Syria would be shattered. God even offered to give Ahaz a sign of his own choosing to prove that he could trust God. But Ahaz refused and put his trust in man rather than God.  The Assyrians did come, but brought more trouble than good.  So God, the true King of kings, gave both Ahaz and the house of David a sign. God said a virgin would have a son, and he would be called Immanuel, which means “God with us.”

Two weeks from today will be Christmas. The celebration of the fulfillment of God’s promise through Isaiah.   Matthew uses Isaiah’s words in Matthew 1:23 to describe the birth of Christ as God’s miraculous fulfillment of the sign given to Ahaz. An affirmation to us that God will fulfill his promise and will be with us, always.  So stand firm in your faith.  Allowing our minds and hearts to waiver from God and into unbelief leads us to instability, uncertainty and dire circumstances, as it did King Ahaz.  God gives us trust and encouragement, He gives us the path to follow, yet we will not receive it unless we believe Him, and stand firm in our faith.    Listen to God, trust His words, His direction, His promise.  In this day and age when it seems to be so important to stand firm in our convictions, why not stand firm in the one who is eternally faithful and trustworthy, for if God is for us, who can stand against us. (Romans 8:31). 

Grace and Peace,

LeAnn Jones