Have you ever been in such distress that you felt like everything in your life was crumbling around you? Perhaps you’ve faced a difficult medical diagnosis, unexpectedly lost your job, or navigated an unwanted divorce. Circumstances like these can wobble our hearts and easily give way to overwhelming fear, leaving us grasping for safety and security.
When life presses in from all sides, where can safety and security actually be found?
Ahaz, the king of Judah, knew distress. He faced military pressure from several neighboring nations. Some had even banded together against the nation of Judah, multiplying their power and Judah’s fear. Ahaz’s reign and Judah’s fortunes hung in the balance. Isaiah 7:2 describes the king’s panic:
“When the house of David was told, ‘Syria is in league with Ephraim,’ the heart of Ahaz … shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.” (emphasis added)
When King Ahaz’s heart shook, his true loyalties were dislodged and rose to the surface of his life, leading him to make consequential decisions. Similarly, distress can do the same to us.
External pressure has a unique way of drawing what’s in our hearts to the surface, where we (and others) can see it, maybe even for the very first time. We may find what lies underneath is a peace that surpasses all understanding or an inexplicable joy because a deep trust in God has taken root in our hearts… or we may discover anxiety, despair, hopelessness, or doubt. In either case, distress will always press us to the point where what’s inside will eventually come out.
Once what’s hidden comes to the surface, distress offers us the opportunity to examine it with God’s help and then discover where we turn for safety and security. Do we run to control? Numb out? Give in to apathy? Or do we wait on God and trust in His ability to help?
Ahaz faced a similar choice. Through Isaiah the prophet, God promised Ahaz that if he would still his heart and wait, God’s plans would prevail (Isaiah 7:4). But Ahaz chose a different way:
“In the time of his distress he [Ahaz] became yet more faithless to the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 28:22)
Instead of trusting God and waiting on Him, Ahaz sought security in what he could see and control, creating alliances with pagan nations and bowing in supplication to pagan gods.
Unfortunately, when we choose faithlessness, we also make ourselves susceptible to compounded distress. Idols promise to give, but they only take from us. Ahaz brought about his own downfall by relying on false gods and an unholy alliance, and that unholy alliance eventually took the kingdom from him.
Idols promise security and hope they can’t actually give, a truth we must remember when distress invites a response. We don’t have to turn to help that will inevitably disappoint and break its promise. We can find a firm footing in the face of distress when we remember where true security is found.
True security is found when we take refuge in God. As King David writes in Psalm 56:13:
“When I am afraid, I will turn to you.”
What does it look like to turn to God? We must first repent of turning anywhere else—to others, ourselves, or manmade solutions—looking to be rescued. We then remember God—remembering that He is with us, that He is sovereign and omnipotent, and that He is attentive to the needs of His children. When we remember Him, we call on Him to act in accordance with His attributes. We tell Him about our fears, then ask Him for the specific help and provision we need.
And then, we wait.
This is perhaps the most pivotal point in the process because it’s in the waiting that our false saviors will coax us to turn away from the God we can’t see or control toward what we think we can see and control.
But trusting God means waiting on Him.
We’re not waiting for our circumstances to change, though they might. Rather, we’re waiting on God’s peace to settle our hearts. We’re waiting for God to do what only He can do. We’re nestling under the shadow of His wings, believing His good plans will ultimately prevail.
When Ahaz’s heart shook in fear, he chose poorly. But when we’re afraid, we can choose wisely because we have a God who is bigger than our distress.
We can turn to God.
Want to dive deeper? Check out our sermon series guide on Kings of Judah, or watch the most recent sermon from our Kings of Judah sermon series.
