Will you really?

"Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.” - Isaiah 42:6

This is what the Israelites who had survived the invasion from Babylon told Jeremiah after they asked him to get direction from God on what they should do and where they should go after all the turmoil and destruction. Mind you, they had never listened to any of Jeremiah's warnings before.

When Jeremiah had received the word from God, he relayed it to the people. He had spent 10 days seeking this from the Lord, but when he spoke to the people, the news was not what they wanted to hear. They turned it around on him calling Jeremiah a liar, saying that what he spoke was not really the word from God. The Isrealites went back on their word and did what they wanted instead of listening to the wise words from God.

May this not be the same for us. Although it is easy to think "WHAT THE HECK ARE THOSE GUYS DOING, DON'T THEY EVER LEARN?!?", how often do I find myself doing the same thing. I humbly submit myself to God, and I do make the same vow that those Israelites did (except I know that every instruction from God for me is good, so I say I will obey whether I desire to do or not). I know I am deceived by my flesh at times (praise Him for his grace), but I pray by His spirit who lives in me that God will give me the wisdom and strength to follow the narrow path and obey my Father, being sensitive to the Spirit, and dead to my flesh. I feel like this is the only wise way to live life.