Meet Blake Sawyer

I was the oldest of three kids growing up, so I never had a big brother to stand up for me. I did, however, have a dad whom I would often offer as a replacement for me in playground fights. It always seemed to work, for 10-year-old kids don't often want to take on an adult. I'm not sure what would have happened if they had been okay with fighting my dad, but I would bet that I would have gotten in trouble for fighting and that I might have lost fairly quickly. (It may not look like it, but that handsome beard covers a glass jaw, and with allergies to everything outdoors, I was always at a disadvantage).

Judah did the same thing. When Assyria threatened Judah, some sought to turn to Egypt and Cush for help. (Personally, I don't think a country named Cush would be a great defensive force anyhow.) But God told Isaiah to let His people know that trust in the power of man for protection in a fight will result in a fight they can't win. It would leave them without anything. No homes, no freedom, and no hope to get out of it on their own. They would be totally exposed, with nothing to cover them, and no friends to stick up for them. Except for God.

It reminds me of myself in a sense. Not in the walking-around-naked sense, but the insecurities and discomforts that I have. I often look to others for help. Other things, other people, and even things that are good for me like family and safety. The problem is, these things don't cover me fully, and they eventually let me down. I feel silly writing about finding security in God, when I sometimes struggle to do that very thing on a daily basis. How silly we are to look and say, "Why didn't they just trust God to keep them safe?," when we do the same thing? Sure, we aren't picking fights, but we aren't going to our Dad for help either.