I know I guilty of making rash decisions. There are times when I have deliberated all of a couple of minutes before making huge decisions. And they have not always turned out to be the best ones! Yet I have to admit, I'm not the only one. In fact we live in a society that pushes and depends on us making quick decisions. The "Limited Time Offer" sales, "Tax Time", Inventory reductions, Only a few days left, even the phone calls and emails that say you have to act right now or the opportunity will be gone.
Why is it that we are pushed to make such quick decisions? Because to think about them, to rationalize them, to look carefully at the benefit versus the cost most of the time we would pass. But it's not the fault of the advertisers. Instead they are just capitalizing on our human condition. They know our decision making process better than we do. They know that our "want" is stronger than our "need" most of the time. So, we make many decisions based upon what's best for me right now (in the confusion of wants/needs).
You are probably asking why I mention this today. IN Isaiah 36, Rabshekah, the General of Assyria's army is standing outside the wall of Jerusalem speaking to the leaders and to the people listening in. He makes an offer that sounds pretty good, a new life, if they will only join in a peace agreement with Assyria. Not a bad plan, until he continued, "Name one god that has ever saved its countries from me. So what makes you think that God could save Jerusalem from me?"
We are bombarded with options in this life, with immediate results and satisfaction. If the people of Judah in Jerusalem had taken this offer what would it mean? A peaceful end to a volatile situation? Probably, but to what end? We have leaders in our nation who want to end our engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan immediately and many people agree that this is the best option. It seems what's best for right now, but what about the future? I'm not saying I know the answer because I don't. I too want the conflict to end, but not to sacrifice the future.
Decision making is much more comlex. And as people of God we are better served to weigh our options: the ones that benefit us now against the ones that will benefit us far into the future. The people of Judah made the right decision (with King Hezekiah's wisdom and faith and Isaiah's counsel). I'll let you finish the story in today's reading, how King Hezekiah and Isaiah trusted in God and an amazing event took place. They saw that "what seemed best for them right now" was really a temptation to steer them away from what was best for them in the long run...
...to trust in God!
Let's not make the same mistakes anymore. Instead let's place our decision making in the hands of God who knows whats best for our future!
Peace ><>
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