Throughout the centuries, God has assured us over and over again that He will be there for us and will not let us fall away. Ultimately, it is us who choose to hide from God or avoid Him, and it is us who choose to fall away. Today’s reading reminds us that God is there for us, just as He was there for the Israelites when they were besieged by Aram. In the reading, God tells Ahaz, king of Judah: “Pay attention, keep calm, have no fear, do not let your heart sink…”
However, God also reminds us as He reminded the Israelies: “But if you do not stand by me, you will not stand at all.” God is there for us if we choose to remain in His love and walk in His ways. It is when we refuse to listen to His voice, when we stubbornly want to do things our way, that we may end up “not standing at all” in God’s sight. Do we trust God enough to let Him handle the situation for us? Are we ending up trying to take matters in our own hands?