TORMENT TO TRIUMPH
Look all you who kindle a fire, who encircle yourselves with sparks: walk in the light of your own fire and in the sparks you have kindled--"this you shall have from My hand: you shall lie down in torment. (Isaiah 50:11) Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. (Psalm 112:1)
Did you know you were in torment before you came to know the Lord? Do you recognize when you are in torment now? The truth is that without God we really do live in torment. Sometimes it is mild, other times it controls us. Once we come to know the Lord we begin to glimpse the triumph that He promises us.
As I read a daily devotional Bible these two verses painted such a clear picture of the contrast. In Isaiah chapter 50, God said that through our iniquities we have sold ourselves, but then goes on to say that His arm is still long enough redeem us and He has the power to deliver us. He tells us we need simply to rely on God. Then he gives the warning about what is in store if we keep trying to walk in our own light.
Without God, a person simply is never satisfied. There are times of temporary victory, but then something else is needed to satisfy. We deceive ourselves saying we don’t need anything, but we are actually the neediest of all. Truly, Godliness with contentment is great gain.
In contrast to the life of torment, we see in Psalm 112 that the man or woman who trusts the Lord is blessed. The one who delights greatly in God’s truth has a promise that his descendants will be mighty in the earth. There will be wealth and riches in their house. In times of darkness the light will rise. Yes there will still be dark times. But even then, He will overflow us with grace, compassion, and righteousness. To be righteous is simply to be right with God. When we are right with God triumph is as close as the mention of His name.
Now here is a question we must consider. Why is it that God grants all of this to those who rely on Him? Is it just so that we can have success in life? Of course not! He does this so that the grace and compassion He will fills us with will be poured out every where we go. It is through this that His greatness is revealed. Life becomes an opportunity to pour out the goodness of God.
Of course we know that we are blessed so we can be a blessing. When we lose sight of this, we often find ourselves right back in torment because we are simply trying to bask in our own light. Yes we can become just plain selfish when we forget to stand up straight on our feet and continue in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. The good news is that God is able to deliver us over and over. So don’t remain in torment. Rely on God He will lead you in triumph.