Feet to the Fire*

Who out there fears God, actually listens to the voice of his servant? For anyone out there who doesn’t know where you’re going, anyone groping in the dark, Here’s what: Trust in God. Lean on your God!

But if all you’re after is making trouble, playing with fire,

Go ahead and see where it gets you.

Set your fires, stir people up, blow on the flames,
But don’t expect me to just stand there and watch.
I’ll hold your feet to those flames.

Isaiah 50:10-11 The Message

It snowed today where my sister lives, so she had a fire going in the fireplace this evening when we were chatting. She reminded me of how when we were little, she and my younger brother and I would sit on the floor by the fireplace and hold our feet to the firescreen to get our feet warm. Innocent memory, but definitely not what God meant here in our text for today.

Holding someone's feet to the fire is an idiomatic phrase that generally means you'll make them do what they promised or committed to do. 

The book of Isaiah always speaks to me. This particular chapter addresses the sin of self-sufficiency. Israel had promised to follow God, to trust Him in all things, but they chose to do things their own way.

When we place our confidence in what WE can do - when we believe our own ability to care for ourselves is quicker, better, more trustworthy, we're heading for certain trouble! We age, and as we do, our strength fades. Our minds are not as quick to remember all the details. But God, our God never fades. Hebrews 1:10-12 (in the Message Bible) tells us, You, Master, started it all, laid earth’s foundations, then crafted the stars in the sky. Earth and sky will wear out, but not you; they become threadbare like an old coat; You’ll fold them up like a worn-out cloak, and lay them away on the shelf. But you’ll stay the same, year after year; you’ll never fade, you’ll never wear out.

Who then will we choose to trust? Here’s what: Trust in God. Lean on your God! 

Prayer:

Father,

           You and You alone are trustworthy and we choose to trust You in all things. Forgive us for trying to do everything by ourselves. Break and remove the curse that comes from trusting in the arm of man, even when it's our own. Illuminate Your ways, O God. May the only fire we experience be like Jeremiah's - Your Word in our hearts, like fire shut up in our bones. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen