“If the enemy can distract you from your time alone with God, then he can isolate you from the help that comes from God alone.”
Unknown
Passage
6Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.
7Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
8“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
9“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:6–9 (NASB95)
"Technology Overload - People on their cell phones and not paying attention" by Homeandgardners is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Background
Quote-I could not locate an attribution to this week’s quote. If anyone has or knows who is repsonsible for this passage, please comment below and I will appropritely attribute it to the speaker.
Passage-The book of Isaiah is Narrative History, Prophetic Oracle, and even a Parable (chapter 5). The prophet Isaiah wrote it at approximately 700 B.C. (Chapters 40-66, written later in his life approx. 681 B.C.). Isaiah is the first book in the section called Major Prophets. They are called Major Prophets because of the large amount of material they wrote not because their message was more important than any other prophet’s was. Key personalities are Isaiah, his two sons, Shearjashub and Maher-shalal-jash-baz.
Isaiah contains some of the most incredible prophecies of any book. It contains foreknowledge, in incredible details about the Messiah, and the future reign of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the book of Isaiah was to call God’s nation, the nation of Judah, back to faithfulness and to declare the coming Messiah “Immanuel”. God calls and commissions His prophet to declare to Judah and Israel condemnation, conviction, and ultimately great hope.
Lesson Notes
Opening Statement
In the story of Peter with Jesus walking on the water, Peter begins sinking because of his unbelief. He takes his eyes off Jesus. Christ reaches out to him to save him but Peter is distracted by the storm. Are we also distracted?
Ask: What has to happen for us to get back in the boat with Jesus?
Point: We have to take His hand.
Ask: What do we have to do in order to take His hand?
Point: We have to reach out to Him.
Ask: Are there any clues in Today’s Passage on how we “reach out to Him?”
Point: Yes. Please read the following:
6Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.
7Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah 55:6–7 (NASB95)
Ask: Can we sum up three things into one word each that we should do to “reach out to Him” based on those two verses?
Point: Yes; seek, Call (pray), and Forsake (repent).
Ask: When swimming is it easier or harder to swim with something in your hands?
Point: Much harder, but it can be done.
Ask: Why bring up swimming and holding things in our hands for today’s lesson?
Point: When Peter begins to sink in the story about Jesus walking on the water, Christ reaches out to Peter and Peter reaches back. But that leads to another question.
Ask: What does Peter sinking and Jesus reaching for him have to do with having things in our hands and swimming?
Point: The things not of God that the World says are important are the things we stubornly cling to as the storm rages around us, dragging us down. Please read the following:
8“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
9“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8–9 (NASB95)
Ask: What does that even mean?
Point: It means God knows a lot more about how the world works, how things ought to be done, and why things should be done His way.
Ask: Do we need to know what God knows in order for things in our lives to turn out for the better?
Point: No. We just nee to trust and believe God knows. Please read the following:
11‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB95)
Ask: But how do we know God’s ways are good ways?
Point: Please read the following:
Closing Statement
16Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
18In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
19This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;
20for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
21Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
James 1:16–21 (NASB95)
Questions for the Week
Question 1 What things not of God “fill your hands” preventing you from reaching out to Jesus and taking His hand in all things?
Question 2 Make a list of those things that came to mind in Question 1.
Question 3 Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you evaluate those things on your list of distractions to see if they are weighing you down in your storm causing you to sink.
Question 4 For those items you feel convicted to list as causing you to sink, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in whatever actions God wants you to take next.
Definitions
distract
[ dih-strakt]
verb (used with object)
1. to draw away or divert, as the mind or attention: The music distracted him from his work.
2. to disturb or trouble greatly in mind; beset: Grief distracted him.
distracted
[ dih-strak-tid ]
adjective
1. inattentive; preoccupied.
2. having the attention diverted: She tossed several rocks to the far left and slipped past the distracted sentry.
3. rendered incapable of behaving, reacting, etc., in a normal manner, as by worry, remorse, or the like; irrational; disturbed.