On a Quest

Have you ever felt like you were on a journey to nowhere? Does life seem unfulfilling and taxed by unnecessary hardship? Do you find that what you thought would be meaningful is meaningless or empty?  Imagine how the Israelites felt as they were exiled from their land by the Assyrians and Babylonians.  Their lives revolved around loss, shame, and suffering. God told them, “You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence. But you are not willing” (Isaiah 30:14). Like most people, the Israelites believed that they could solve problems and live however they wanted. God restored them to a worthwhile life only when they came to the end of themselves and recognized and renounced the evil of their rebellion.

​Meditation
Isaiah 30:20-21--The Lord will give you meager bread and water during oppression, but your Teacher will not hide Himself any longer. Your eyes will see your Teacher, and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.”
 
Life meets disaster when we operate rebelliously outside of God’s will. It is like trying to put a puzzle together without knowing what the picture is. Or imagine trying to cross a desert of endless dunes without a GPS or compass and only one canteen of water.  Yet, when our genuine cries of despair arise from broken hearts, the Lord hears and responds. “Therefore the Lord is waiting to show you mercy, and is rising up to show you compassion, for the Lord is a just God.  All who wait patiently for Him are happy” (30:18). His mercy and compassion bring relief and joy.

Ignatius of Antioch realized that nothing pursued on earth could bring fulfillment except Jesus. He wrote, “I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire.”
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If you are on a quest to know and please God, be assured that He will show you the way to go. How fulfilling it is to walk knowing that we follow our Father’s will and are blessed because our journey aligns with His directions.  Max Lucado     observed, “God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.” Truly, it will be greater than worthwhile; it will be fabulous because pain, guilt, suffering, and anguish will be banished forever in the presence of the Quest Fulfiller. This sense of purpose and fulfillment should inspire and motivate us as we travel home.
 
Inspiration
“The only true and lasting inspiration for life is genuine love for God, and submitted gratitude that I get to be a part of the redemptive quest.”—John Ortberg
 
©2024 Daniel York  ARR.  Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  To receive these devotionals, go to www.firstcause.org and click the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed, subject to the inclusion of this copyright notice.     
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)