Isaiah 31:1
Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help, and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!

Why is it that we can be so willing to turn to the world or other things for help instead of the Lord?  Could it be that we are walking by sight and not by faith?  Sometimes it seems so much easier to understand the physical world.  Even knowing God as we do, we can’t see Him.  The spiritual seems so much beyond our understanding, so we go back to what we can make sense of.  And maybe sometimes we doubt whether God will come through again like He has in the past.  Maybe we doubt if it will still be true this time.

For Israel, they were looking for that strong army to fight with them.  The Egyptian army seemed powerful. They were numerous, and it seemed like a good option to go against the Assyrians with the backing of this great army.  But God was the defender of Israel.  He was much stronger than those chariots.  He was available to help, but they didn’t consider God’s part in what was happening.

We’re not going to understand God like we can understand the things we see, but we can trust Him.  He’s given us His Word.  He’s told us what we need to know.  He’s demonstrated His faithfulness, His power, His wisdom, His grace.  We just have to believe it.  We just have to seek Him.  We just have to ask Him and trust Him and watch Him come through.

Let’s not turn again to Egypt, to the world, for our help.  They may appear on the surface to be capable and strong.  Their multitude may encourage us for a time.  But ultimately they are no match for what God is able to do.  And He has our best interests at heart.  Let’s not get too caught up in appearances, but trust the Lord no matter what.  We can turn to Him now even if we have previously relied on another.  May we ask the Lord to help us see what those chariots are in our lives that we may be looking to instead of Him.  And let’s remember that we can always seek God for our help, especially when we know He has already promised to be with us through the battle.