Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Micah chapter 7 is this confession from Micah the prophet on behalf of God's people who have just missed the mark. I mean, they were living in sin, breaking the heart of God. There was a lot of division, strife. There was no unity. In the midst of that, in fact, a couple of verses earlier, Micah is so frustrated he says, "Don't trust anyone. Not your best friend or even your wife." Verse 2 he says, "The godly people have all disappeared." He's frustrated because as he looks around, all he sees is pain and injustice, loss, sorrow, despair.
I've often asked myself the question, does our nation have hope? Because as I look around, sometimes it just seems like it's getting darker and darker. We see evil on display. In those seasons, in those moments, the questions I ask myself are, okay, Val, where are you going to look to for hope? Where's the first place you're going to run to?
Be Careful Where You Turn
My temptation is either to numb the pain, or I like to just stay busy and act like nothing's going on. We have so many different ways to numb the pain. People turn to food. Some people turn to pornography, gambling, shopping, whatever your issue is or whatever that struggle you have. Be careful where you turn to when you're hurting, because the first place that God wants us to go to when we're hurting and when we're looking for hope is Him.
As for Me, I Look to the Lord
Hear the words of Micah. He says, "As for me, I look to the LORD for help." Notice he says, I'm not looking around. He says, "As for me." He's making this decision on his own. He's like, I know I'm looking for hope around me, but there's no guarantee that my friends are doing well. My family's doing well. In fact, sometimes I must encourage myself and I literally tell myself, Val, you know too much to stay stuck. Now keep going. Keep your eyes on the Lord. Rehearse the promises of God to yourself now. I'm literally preaching this to myself. That's what Micah's doing. He's saying, "As for me, I look to the LORD for help."
Notice he looks to the Lord. Let's get to a place in life where the first place we ought to run to is God. I know sometimes we go to counselors, friends that we think have all the answers. We go to pastors. Those are all good people, right? I mean, I have those people in my life, but I want to get to the place where I go to God first.
Waiting Confidently
Then he says this: "I wait confidently for God to save me." He's not just passively waiting. He's waiting with confidence. Why can he say that? I think he can say that because he's witnessed the faithfulness of God in his life. I tell you, one of the best practices that I've developed is when God answers a prayer, I write it down, and I make a gratitude list of the things that God has done in my life. When I recall how faithful God has been, you know what that does to me? It stirs up my faith. I'm like, Lord, you did it back then. I know you can do it now. You're the same yesterday, today, and forever. Lord, I'm trusting in your character because you have a good track record. That's what Micah's saying. He says, "I'm not just waiting. I wait confidently for God to save me."
My God Will Certainly Hear Me
Then he says, "My God will certainly hear me." Hear the confidence in his voice. "My God will certainly hear me." Why can he say that? Because when we approach God, we have confidence that when we approach Him, God hears us. Yes, God might not answer the way we want Him to, but here's what we know: God is always working behind the scenes.
Our job is to take our eyes off of ourselves. Our job is to stop looking around because we won't always find encouragement by looking around. Our job is simple—it is to look up, because our help comes from the Lord.
