“And it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, will never again depend on him who defeated them, but will depend on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.” (Isaiah 10:20, NKJV)

The LORD entered a marriage covenant with Israel on Mount Sinai. He would be their God, and they would be His people. He would protect them and provide for them forever. But soon they turned away. Though they agreed to have no other god before the LORD, they soon abandoned the LORD’s covenant and made images for themselves. Consequently, God allowed other nations to invade their land and subdue them. Rather than depending on the LORD to deliver them, they sought the help of these same nations! They leaned on the arm of flesh instead of leaning on God. But in the future the remnant of Israel will depend on the LORD alone in truth.

I find it fascinating that God simply wants His people to depend on Him. I can relate to this to a certain degree with our granddaughter who is 18 months old. She is staying with us while her parents are on vacation. She has a fairly independent personality, and when she is awake and active she doesn’t want me to hold her. But when she first wakes up, she wants to be comforted. Then she will relax in my lap. For those moments she depends completely on me, and it makes me happy.

Have we understood that this is what pleases God? Have we learned to relax in His arms and depend completely on Him?

“Heavenly Father, thank you for your willingness to accept us in your Son. Thank you for protecting us and providing for us always. Forgive us when we have depended on others or leaned on the arm of flesh. Help us to relax and depend on you completely in truth. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”