Like Flint

Wednesday, August 9

Like Flint
By: Shane Beauvais

“Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.”
Isaiah 50:7 NIV

There are moments when our reality doesn't seem to align with what we had initially envisioned. If we settle, losing sight of who we are and whom we belong to, moments of emptiness can potentially undercut our hope for a better tomorrow. Seasons such as this can be rough, especially when life’s ingredients resemble that of doing “all the right things,” yet the fruit of such is lacking.

So we settle. We sing songs, raising our banner, proclaiming that the Sovereign Lord will help. However, when the road gets rough, when our reality is nothing desired, when every step of the way has been a daily battle, the easy route is to toss up our hands and walk away. It is easy to say, “I quit!”
 
The Sovereign Lord will and does help. However, how we respond, the perseverance that is embraced, or the non-negotiable pursuit in committing to press on attitude must be our lens moving through. What the Lord has commanded us to do may still be tricky. That part will remain. What also will remain, if not careful, is our desire to shy away instead of setting our faces like flint and completing the sometimes challenging work of obedience.

This reality leaves us with a choice. We can take the convenient route and let life's stresses get the best of us. Or we can choose to be hard and walk through the fire, to stand up when everyone around us expects us to sit down, to trust and obey even when it hurts.
In Isaiah 50:7, the Servant of the Lord “set his face like flint." Setting your face like flint is anticipation, preparation, and expecting things to be problematic in tough times. Please do not hear me wrong. I am not saying to never see the good in circumstances or situations. However, it is good to allow Holy Spirit to prepare our minds for battle when there is a battlefield ahead. 
It would help if you resolved to be tough and determined rather than the weary surrender. After all, our focus should be on overcoming obstacles and getting to where God has called us to be.

In order to save us from our sins, Jesus set his face like flint. He rolled sleeves and walked with a hardness to accomplish what many would have thought was impossible—perfectly obeying our God along the entire way. Put that into perspective. Where would we be right now if Jesus took the “easy” way out? This thought rattled me.

What is it in your life? Where has God called you to hard obedience? Will you set your face like flint to do the hard work?

Lord of all Creation, Your plan is perfect even in tough seasons. Help us today to set our faces like flint to do the hard work in our lives. Help us remember the hard work You accepted to save us from our sins. Let us constantly be reminded of You when asked to do hard things in my life. Amen!