It may seem so, but it's not what it seems.
Isaiah reminds Israel that God's plan is always for redemption. His heart is always to redeem, even when we choose a different path.
The Lord declares: ""...I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last. Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, They stand up together." Isaiah 48:12-13
The Lord reminds us who He is and who He has always been. He is the First and the Last. He is the Creator. He is sovereign over all things. Yet some still chose not to worship or obey Him.
Isaiah writes: "Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea. Your descendants also would have been like the sand, And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand; His name would not have been cut off Nor destroyed from before Me."" Isaiah 48:17-19
It may seem like those who choose their own way are the ones who are victorious and prosperous. It may seem like following the Lord costs us more than it gives us.
But it just isn't so.
The Lord says: ""There is no peace," says the Lord, "for the wicked."" Isaiah 48:22
The Lord is just. In the end, everything will be sorted out. The choice is ours.
Will you trust Him? Will you obey Him?
God's plans for us are far greater than any plans we could make without Him. It may seem like the opposite at times, but in the end, it just isn't so.
So let's turn to the Lord.
Let's worship.
Let's obey.
His plans are far greater!
-To Know Jesus. To Live on Mission.