Is Your Faith Firm?

Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.” [Isaiah 7.9b]

"Unless your faith is firm..." What does that mean?

For Israel and Judah, there remained a problem with idol worship (the sins of Jeroboam). It was worse at some times than others, but even with the "good kings" like Jotham, Ahaz's father, the people still trusted in idols and Jotham did not destroy those places of worship.

As I have concluded in recent times, faith and repentance go hand in hand. So, what if instead we read the passage above like this: "Unless you repent, I cannot make you stand firm."

Repentance is pure faith. Faith, void of repentance, really serves no purpose whatsoever. Likewise, repentance, void of faith, is pointless.

Firm faith is repentant. Firm faith gets rid of all the other things we are tempted to trust instead of God alone. Naturally, firm faith's motivation for ridding one of idol worship is a repentant heart.

Israel and Judah both struggled to trust God and God alone:

Jotham did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight. He did everything his father, Uzziah, had done. But he did not destroy the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there. He rebuilt the upper gate of the Temple of the LORD. [2 Kings 15.34-35]

Even though Jotham is chronicled as a "good king," the people - the nation of Judah in this case - still exercised their trust in idols. Their faith was not firm.

It seems that although Jotham was labeled "good," the responsibility was upon him for not destroying the pagan shrines. He had faith, but his faith was not firm - there was no repentance for the worship of pagan idols. 

Unless we repent for all the "other things" we trust in, our faith will never be firm. Yes, we might have "faith" but like Judah, we will still suffer curses for our disobedience in trusting other things.

Father, help us - help me - to trust in You alone. May my faith be found firm - and repentant for trusting in anything or anyone besides You alone.