“Writhe and groan like a woman in labour, you people of Jerusalem, for now, you must leave this city to live in the open country. You will soon be sent in exile to distant Babylon. But the Lord will rescue you there; he will redeem you from the grip of your enemies.” Micah 4:10 (NLT).
While reading this passage from the prophet Micah, my mind had a picture of all the people living on earth and outside Heaven’s protection. I saw a parallel between our home in Heaven for us and the walls of Jerusalem for the people of Israel in Micah’s day. I also saw a parallel between our lives here on earth and Israel’s exile to Babylon. We belong in Heaven. Heaven is our home, just as Jerusalem was their home. Just as they had to live in exile in Babylon for a time, we must live in exile on earth for one lifetime. We must live out our lives in this open country, this world ruled by Satan. This world is filled with danger and deception, but our God says that He will rescue us here. He sent Jesus on this rescue mission. He sent Jesus to save us from this world, its evil ways, and its assault on us. This is precisely why we need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, not looking to the right or to the left, not behind, but steady on Jesus. This allows us to live in the world without being filled with worldliness.
No matter what our lives look like here on earth, we need to keep in the front of our minds that the ultimate goal is knowing God. God is our Creator and our Saviour; we must cling to Him and not lose sight of Him during this life journey. How can we know God? God has given us everything we need to get to know Him; His word (the Bible), His Son (Jesus), and His Holy Spirit (our guide). Staying in tune with our Creator is critical to keeping up our defenses and protection against the assaults of our spiritual enemy. Attaining things, accomplishing things, or self-improvement is a part of life in this open country, but we cannot allow them to take precedence over, or interfere with, our primary job; knowing, honoring, and drawing closer to God. Truly seeking, finding, trusting, and believing in Jesus is of utmost importance to experiencing a rewarding life here in the open country, not to mention the key to getting back home to Heaven. We have a Creator who loves us so much that He sent Jesus to join us in this hostile open country in order to teach us about Himself and save us from our spiritual enemy. As we make an effort to draw close to God, He promises that He will draw close to us.
“I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.” Psalms 40:1-3 (NLT).
Dear Heavenly Father, help us become stronger in our faith in You so we can stand up against the lies and deception of our enemy in this world. Help us to see you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly until we return home to Your embrace.
Start or join in the conversation on today’s blog, so feel free to leave your comments in the box below. Thank you!
Lisa Tripp
Wow, so timely. Someone told me this very a.m. one thing – “Draw close to God and He will draw close to you.”