Isaiah had looked ahead and spoken the truth: If our powerful God had not provided us a legacy of living children, we would have ended up like ghost towns, like Sodom and Gomorrah. (MSG)

One of the biggest and hardest things for us to wrap our head around is the reality that we aren’t that important. Maybe you read that and say, I don’t agree; I’m a selfless person. But our reflex is to protect ourselves; it’s called homeostasis. This is why, when you have an injury, your body will shut down blood flow to one part of the body to protect another. We are very good at protecting ourselves. So, when it comes to this relationship with our God, we say things like, God I surrender all…except this one thing…That, I have a plan for. We let Jesus take the wheel, but we’re still a back seat driver.

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I would argue this stems from self-preservation that has been tainted by a sinful nature.  We think, whether we acknowledge it or not, that we are the most important thing in the universe. As we read from Romans 9:20 on, we see Paul saying God is sovereign, so who are we to presume we know better? God is going to do what God is going to do, and what he does is holy.  

J.D. Greer says, “The ultimate end in all things, even our salvation, is His glory.” From birth, we are so conditioned to think we are the most important person in the universe, but we aren’t. God’s glory is at the center of everything in the universe, and thank God it is, because his glory actually sustains all things (Heb. 1:3).  

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Paul quotes Isaiah 1:9, talking about the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, where a city would not listen to the warnings God gave them. They knew better. They weren’t even back seat driving, they were straight-up kicking God out of the driver’s seat. But, even in that, God showed his mercy to a few who were faithful.  

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Take a moment today to think about where you would stand without God’s mercy. We constantly fall short, we stumble in our own sin, we are stubborn and think we know best. Yet, in spite of this – our stubbornness, our back-seat driving, our self-centered faith – by his mercy, God chooses to show his glory through our lives. Thank him for his mercy today!  

Father, you are glorious, you are merciful, worthy of praise. God, I pray we see your mercy, that we see nothing but your power and an overwhelming love for us. Thank you, that you don’t leave us where we are but provide a path forward for us. Amen.