“But you never ask for help from the One who did all this.
You never considered the One who planned this long ago.”
— Isaiah 22:11 NLT
It is possible to be surrounded by God’s provision and still forget God.
That is what happened to the people of Jerusalem. They were facing a crisis, so they did everything they could think of to protect themselves. They repaired the walls, gathered water, inspected the buildings and prepared their defenses.
There was nothing wrong with preparing.
The problem was that they never stopped to ask God for help.
They were looking at the problem but forgetting the One who was greater than the problem.
And if we’re honest, we can do exactly the same thing.
We Often Ask Everyone Except God
When a problem comes into our lives, our first response can be to figure it out ourselves.
We make a plan.
We search the internet.
We ask a friend.
We call an expert.
We try to fix it.
We worry about it.
And then, sometimes almost as an afterthought, we say, “I guess I should pray about this.”
But prayer was never meant to be our last resort.
Prayer is supposed to be our first response.
James reminds us:
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you.”
— James 1:5 NLT
God doesn’t resent our questions. He invites them.
Don’t Forget Who Planned It All
Isaiah’s words contain another important reminder:
“You never considered the One who planned this long ago.”
God wasn’t surprised by what was happening.
He wasn’t scrambling to figure out what to do next.
He was already there.
God sees what we cannot see. He knows what we do not know. He understands the beginning, the middle and the end.
That means we don’t have to approach Him as people who have everything figured out.
We can simply say:
“Lord, I don’t know what to do. But You do.”
What a powerful prayer.
Ask God Before You Act
There is a difference between acting in faith and acting without God.
God wants us to use wisdom. He wants us to make plans. He wants us to work hard and take responsibility.
But He doesn’t want us to leave Him out of the process.
Proverbs says:
“Commit your actions to the Lord,
and your plans will succeed.”
— Proverbs 16:3 NLT
Before making the decision, ask God.
Before sending the email, ask God.
Before having the difficult conversation, ask God.
Before making the financial decision, ask God.
Before accepting the opportunity, ask God.
Before beginning the new ministry, ask God.
Don’t just ask, “What should I do?” Ask, “God, what do You want me to do?”
God May Have Already Been Preparing the Way
One of the most encouraging truths in Isaiah 22:11 is that God had already been working long before the people recognized it.
That is often true in our lives.
We see today’s circumstances.
God sees the bigger picture.
We see the closed door.
God may see the door He is preparing to open.
We see the difficulty.
God sees what He can accomplish through it.
We see the unanswered question.
God already knows the answer.
That doesn’t mean everything will happen exactly as we want. But it does mean we can trust the One who sees the whole picture.
Don’t Forget To Ask
Perhaps there is something you’re facing today that you’ve been trying to solve on your own.
Maybe you’ve been worrying about it.
Maybe you’ve been talking about it.
Maybe you’ve been researching it.
Maybe you’ve been making plans.
But have you asked God?
Stop for a moment.
Tell Him exactly what is happening.
Ask Him for wisdom.
Ask Him for direction.
Ask Him for provision.
Ask Him for patience.
Ask Him to close the wrong doors and open the right ones.
And then listen.
Sometimes God’s answer will come through Scripture. Sometimes through wise counsel. Sometimes through circumstances. Sometimes through a quiet prompting of the Holy Spirit.
But whatever happens, don’t make the mistake of facing a God-sized problem with only human-sized resources.
The God who created you is the God who knows what you need.
The God who planned long ago is still at work today.
So before you try to figure everything out yourself, remember Isaiah’s warning:
Don’t forget to ask God.
A Prayer for Today
Lord, forgive me for the times I try to handle everything on my own. Help me remember that You are already at work and that You see what I cannot see. Give me the wisdom to know what to do, the courage to follow Your direction, and the faith to trust You with the results. Before I act, help me remember to ask You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
