Isaiah 7:4
These were the words spoken to Ahaz, king of Judah, as he faced the threat of being attacked by two kings from the north. He was instructed: “Be careful, be quiet, and do not fear” (Isaiah 7:4). The prophet’s words came at a critical time for the king and the nation. Let’s look at these three words in their context.

BE CAREFUL
Those who react emotionally to any situation will surely accelerate the problem. You never get a chance to step back from the event and take a broader look. An unemotional view gives you an opportunity to evaluate the situation with clarity.

Be careful to be intentional and not reactionary. Be careful to not react like everyone else. Take time to carefully consider your next steps.

BE QUIET
Words are powerful. Words that are driven by emotion can confuse the situation at hand. Words that come from fear can be destructive. Anger driven words can cause wounds that are difficult to heal. Words of faith can improve the temperament of any group of people.

Silence is often the best first response to any tragic or fearful event. You may have many words to speak, but silence needs to be your first choice of reaction.

Silence gives you a chance to let your feelings settle. It also allows you to “buffer” your thoughts and think first before you speak.

It also gives you an opportunity to listen to the Holy Spirit. What is God saying to you in this situation? How does God want you to react?

DO NOT FEAR
We are reminded in 2 Timothy 1:7 that “… God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Either you can be self-controlled or you’ll be controlled by fear. In any situation, the control of your tongue, emotions, and reactions are in your hand. Until you give control to someone else, it is yours to use.

But once you give in to fear, you lose control. You have made an exchange that is irrevocable. Now, fear is in control, not you. Once fear is in control, you have already lost the battle even before it begins. Stay in control of every situation.

To keep control of every situation, you’ve got to be careful, be quiet, and don’t fear.

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Isaiah 7:18

I’ve never thought of God in this way. It sounds too pedestrian, or common. But when this text says that God whistles and summons the flies in Egypt and Assyria, he is speaking of their armies. God is in control of every military force on the face of the earth. 

When God’s people were in fear, the prophet reminded them that it is a simple thing for God to summon neighboring armies (who were Israel’s enemies) to come and defeat their enemies. In other words, he’ll put their enemies at war with each other just to deliver his own people. 

Think for a moment of the things you fear. Who are your “enemies”? Is it sickness, debt, mental struggles, strife, bondages, or you just have fear for no reason. Now, think of your God as one who “whistles” to the situations in your life to come to order according to his plan. 

Of course, the problems and struggles in life will never end. As soon as one problem gets resolved, another one was brewing and getting ready for it’s attack on you.

But your can struggle without fear. You can go through difficulties with complete trust in God to bring you through.

 
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“If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all” (Isaiah 7:9b).

 

Perplexed and helpless, the king of Judah feared the worst. Several nations gathered their forces to defeat Judah, and the end seemed to be near. 

Fear and dread seemed to be the only option, but God sent the prophet Isaiah with a word of faith, warning, and rebuke. The words were clear: ‘’If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’’ 

God already had a plan for the nations gearing up to war against Judah. God will work out his plan in spite of what the king of Judah thought or feared. The only thing that God desired of him was to stay firm in faith. Because if you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all. 

The only thing worth holding on to is faith in God who is able to act. Even before we ask, He already has a plan to handle the difficulties before us. For Judah’s problem, God’s solution was sixty-five years later. But that was the best solution in God’s eyes. 

Our side of the deal is that we remain in faith, trusting God to act. He will. He has done it before. Don’t fret because ‘‘If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’’

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God has a way of bypassing those of affluence and power. He goes directly to the common people. He seems to prefer communicating with and doing his work through common people. These passages (Isaiah 6:1-8; 2 Chronicles 26:16-21; Luke 3:1-2) and many others attest to this. 

So if you’re a common person without much popularity, God certainly wants to use you for his work here on earth (of course he will use anyone, even the rich and famous). 

God uses those who are willing to take risks for his name sake. He uses those who are obedient to him. Those who remain humble will stay on course for their entire lives. Others fall by the wayside along the way. 

If you are used by God and become famous, guard your heart carefully. Your heart and emotions can play tricks with you, and Satan will use that to his advantage. He will trap you with fame and wealth. 

Avoid fame as much as possible. Jesus did. He avoided positions and prominence. Of course, the converse argument is that if you have popularity and fame, more people will hear the gospel. Maybe. But when you fall, more people will get notified of your fall and the name of the Lord will get discredited. I’m not assuming that all famous people will fail or fall into some serious sin. It just seems that Jesus avoided that at all costs. Maybe there was a reason for his refusal to accept the accolades of people. 

At one point, the people wanted to make Jesus their king, but Jesus refused. He ‘‘slipped’’ away from their grip. Often, he preferred solitary places where he could spend more time with his heavenly Father. 

There is a natural human need to be liked and accepted. We need to find our complete acceptance in Jesus. Just like him, we can fill that need by being with the the Father.

 
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On the contrary, I did everything I could to help my children as they were growing up. Although I never made a fuss about it, I took care of things and was happy to do so at any cost. 

But when they went far away for college, things began to change. When they faced challenges in life, I felt helpless. There’s only so much you can do through phone calls. 

These were times where I really felt helpless. Things were certainly beyond my control. It was frustrating and I felt like I was in a place where I had no control. At first, they were a train ride away, and I took the train to go help in whatever way I could. 

Then they went further away to other countries, and things were even more complex. It was no longer as simple as an overnight train ride. At that point, my helplessness went to another level. This led to various emotions like fear, anxiety, and even anger. 

But God was doing his work in me through my helplessness. He was teaching me to let go of my children and to give them to him. He could help them better than I ever could. This requires a higher level of trust than I’ve ever had. 

God’s work still continues in me as I’m learning to give other areas of my life completely to him. Of course, this came through other areas of my life where I became helpless. Thus I continue to hear his voice calling me to higher levels of trust. He says, ‘’Give it to me.’’ 

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Make a list of things in the past that continue to bother you. If the list gets too long, just limit it to one page. 

Then make another list. A list of things that you are grateful for. It could be things like family, church, business, your job, or anything that you appreciate in life. Maybe you don’t find any of those things to be of much value in your experience. Then you’ve got to select Jesus and his love and forgiveness. After all, he has loved you with an everlasting love that never ends. 

Let the love of Christ be your most precious possession and experience. It could be the most valuable thing you’ve ever had. And yes, it is the greatest. 

Maybe you get my point. Keep your eyes on those things you are grateful for rather than on things that bother you. Others may claim that you are avoiding reality or ignoring the facts. Refocusing your attention is not denial, rather it is something that will put your life in a different perspective. 

There are plenty of things in life that need refocusing. Learn to hold things loosely. Be quick to let things go. 

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 What do I leave for another generation? 

Especially after COVID, we’ve all seen people younger than us die for various reasons. I’m not getting old, but I am beginning to think of what I’ll leave for the next generation. 

There’s not much wealth to be transferred, so there has to be other things. Also, there’s not much status and pomp to leave behind for the next generation either, so they could look back at their posterior and say great things about their lineage. 

So, what’s there to pass on? Here are a few things that come to mind:

(1) A legacy of Faith

(2) A legacy of Giving

(3) a legacy  of Integrity

Faith becomes a legacy as we live with full trust in God above all else. This should be more than a statement. It needs to be lived out in our everyday life. Our children should be able to look back at our life and attest  to that. Otherwise, those are mere words. 

Giving begins with giving of ourselves. When we give of our time, efforts, and talents for God and to others, we make an impact that is long lasting. Part of this should be the practice of financial giving as well. Don’t wait till you are financially well off or wealthy – that would be impractical. 

Integrity can be a bit tricky. It shouldn’t be. But it is. The concept of right and wrong gets blurred in various contexts. I remember when a motorcycle ran into  the driver side door of the car my brother was driving. The pictures taken show clearly that the motorcycle came out of a side road and broadsided him. Later, I was signing some papers at the police station, and I was struggling to read since it was the Malayalam language. I realized that I was signing papers that were like a “bond” to get him out. When I protested and questioned them, they said, “Oh, they are a poor family and it is so they can get the insurance money.” But I said, this is not what happened, but they kept repeating their previous statement. 

Whatever the surrounding community may consider to be appropriate should always come under the scrutiny of the Word of God. Thus we are to keep our integrity regardless of the people around us. Sometimes, keeping your integrity will cause you to incur loss, be passed up for promotions, and you won’t always come out on the top. Yet that is a gift you can pass on to generations to come.

 
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The community where I live is not a place with lots of work opportunities. Thus most young people seem to look for work elsewhere and leave this town. Thus I’ve been on a quest to encourage young people to start businesses. Several have been successful, others are struggling to become profitable, and a few have failed. 

Here are some essentials that I’ve found that help people to be successful in their endeavors. 

KNOWLEDGE

Immerse yourself in the quest to gain knowledge for your business. Important things include knowing how to set goals, and the process of planning, organizing, directing, and controlling the activities of a business. Even after you’ve started the business, don’t stop learning. I’d recommend reading one book per month in line with your business. After the first year, read at least one book per year. Keep building on your knowledge.  

MENTORS

Don’t do it alone. Find a good mentor who has business knowledge and experience. Such a guide will help you as you establish your business and coach you as you continue to build your business. Sometimes, you’ll need to pay mentors to do this (even if they don’t charge a fee, pay them – you’ll get more out of the process). 

NETWORKS

You need to develop at least two networks. The first network should be a network of prospective clients/customers. This has to be a never-ending quest as your business moves along. This network can be built online or in your local community. Some use both to develop a network of customers. 

The second network should be a group of like-minded people doing the same type of business. Develop such a network locally (if they don’t see you as a threat to their business). You can also find such people online and expand your horizons further. Don’t be a Lone Ranger as you do business. Develop a strong network that will act like a business support group. 

EXPERIENCE

It is best if you begin a business in an area of your expertise. Otherwise, get a job in such a business and work there for at least one year and gain experience and knowledge. During this year, you can work on developing some of the aspects mentioned above. This year is not a waste of time, rather it is an investment into the success of your future business. 

FUNDS

For many, this is the aspect they think of first, and this is the factor that keeps them from starting a business. Yes, having sufficient capital is essential, but make sure to develop the above essentials first. As you develop those, work on developing sufficient funds. 

If funds are limited, you can begin the business at a smaller size and scale up as you go along. See it as a parallel development of all the above factors as you grow your business. Don’t wait till you have the sufficient funds. Start small, and build as you go along. 

Avoid going into debt to start your business. But if you are well experienced and have started businesses successfully before, you can take loans. Then, you are taking the loan against your prior experience. 

I believe the above factors will be essential as you begin your business journey. Of course, there are many more essentials, and you can learn them as you go along. The most important thing is to begin (without ignoring some of the critical elements mentioned above). 
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Periodically we do a special program in our church called “60+” for those in that category. The discussions have been lively, and the interactions have been heart-touching. We’ve journeyed with some of these people for the last few decades and have seen the challenges they’ve faced, especially when they came up to this phase in their lives. 

The most common definition of the word retirement is ceasing from work. The basic idea is to live independently of income from work. 

Four critical factors must be kept in mind for those nearing retirement. Does this imply that I’m getting closer to such a time? Never mind. 

1. Finance

Many think about this too late in life, and some don’t think of it at all. Some have retirement pensions from work, and others may have some form of government assistance for the rest of their lives. 

Saving up enough money that you can withdraw from your savings will not be practical. For many, they won’t be able to save up enough. Once you retire and begin to withdraw from that account, then what if the money ends before your life ends? That gets complicated. 

Somehow, the money you save up must be able to earn you income without depleting the capital. There are several ways to do this, and a good financial planner can help with this process. 

2. Purpose

During their working years, many find their purpose in raising children, managing the home, or in their careers. But once they quit working, and the children are grown and gone, many find themselves without any purpose. 

If you could identify a purpose for your life much before retirement, that would be the best option. But unfortunately, many never took the time to think about this. Yet it’s never too late. Find something to give you meaning. Something to get up in the morning for. 

3. Community

Being part of a healthy close-knit community is one of the best things you could do for yourself. Attending church just on Sundays will not be sufficient unless you are involved in various activities of the church regularly. 

The giving of your time, effort, and energy can be of great value to you. Adding value to others is the best way you can add value to yourself. 

4. Exercise

If you’ve always had the habit of physical exercise during your younger years, you’ll be great with this. Otherwise, the best approach is to get connected with a group focused on workouts for retirees. Trying to establish an exercise routine for yourself can be quite difficult if you’ve not had that habit. So the best approach is to join a group. 

Would you like to add to this list?
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Have you ever longed for stability in your world?

In a time of turmoil and instability, Isaiah saw a vision of God on his throne along with the greatness of his glory and majesty (Isaiah 6). The text contrasts their current situation of instability (the unstable reign of King Uzziah) with God himself. This is a literary tool where the writer doesn’t give a complete explanation but leaves it to the reader to discover the meaning for themselves. Of course, the Israelites would have gotten the point as they heard this passage being read. As they knew the history of their kings. 

Human leaders are prone to pride and abuse of power. So don’t get upset or contorted in your emotions regarding how people react in the world. We have God as our stability. He never fails. He has sustained this earth from its creation. And he will sustain it till the time he has determined for it. 

It’s the same situation with your life. What are you facing? Turmoil? Terminal sickness? Financial distress? Whatever your situation, it’s clear that you must stick close to God for he is the only one powerful and reliable enough to sustain you. 

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