For the Master's Use in the Master Plan
Shall the axe vaunt itself over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? (Isa. 10:15)
Isaiah 10:12-15 and 40:15-17; Jer. 18:1-11; I Cor. 15:24
What Is God Saying?
According to Isaiah 10:5, Assyria became a tool in the hand of God: ‘Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger, the staff of my fury.’ Note, ‘I (God) send him (Assyria)’ and, ‘I command him’ (10:6). ‘By my command and as my agent, Assyria raids and destroys the idols of Jerusalem as he did the idols of Samaria ... and it needs to be done.’ ‘Still it is I who send him and command him.’ As it turned out, flushed with success, Assyria made arrogant boasts and strutted around with haughty pride (10: 12). He was unconscious that he was but a tool in the hand of God. He began to assume that the God of Israel was a helpless idol, like the others he had destroyed. It was then that God let it be known that, having used him, He could also set him aside. Having built him up, He could bring him down. ‘Shall the axe (Assyria) vaunt itself over him who hews with it or the saw magnify itself against him (the God of Israel) who wields it?’ God is the Lord of history. If Assyria had been God's axe and saw" he was not greater than the God of Israel (II Kings 19:35). God had the last word. The tools are in His hands.
How Does This Apply To Us?
God is still in control as when a builder hews with an axe or wields a saw. All of life is under God's control. Yes, the scene changes, the instruments for carrying out God's purpose are different, and the way God can use the energies and skills of our lives are far removed from a godless army bent on proud superiority, but God has absolute control. For us, Jesus is now the Lord. He uses us and controls us. We want Him to do so. He commands us and sends us on missions of love and mercy. We are tools in His hand. We are agents of His purpose. We are on the winning side (I Corinthians 15:24).
Pray With Me
Father, I am glad that my relationship with You is not just that of an axe or saw in the hand of a craftsman. You have created me in Your image. You have made me for fellowship with You. Yet, as You are the Lord of the universe, the Maker and Owner of everything, so it is Your right to command and to use me. Help me to see that I am Yours. Sin, like a cloud, may have obscured Your face. Still, I belong to You as much as the prodigal son belonged to the waiting father.
Help me to offer up every self-willed impulse. Help me to lay my whole self at the foot of the Cross, that being dead to sin, I may live to righteousness. Grant that I may surrender all claim to myself until I am as available to Your hand as the axe is to the laborer and as useful to Your plan as the saw is to the builder. You have given a great privilege to man. The privilege of choosing to give His life to You and of living his life for You. Your way is always right. Only the fool will refuse to be Your tool.
I would be as an axe and a saw in Your hand that by my life as well as by my prayers, ‘Your kingdom shall come and Your will be done.’ As the axe and the saw cannot vaunt themselves above the workman, as they never direct but are always directed, as they never use but are always used, as they do not understand the design but are always used to bring about the design, so am I in Your hands. By Your grace keep the cutting edge of my witness sharp and true. In the love and constant praise of Your Son, keep me near at hand, available for the Master's use in His master plan.
For the sake of His glory. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
A Christian knows how much he has been blessed. In prayer, we thank our loving Father, but we also take the next step. God has blessed us to make us a blessing. So let our prayer be not only thanks for great blessings but discovering how we may be a great blessing. The tool doesn't tell the builder what and how to do the job. The tool rests in His hand. In prayer our lives rest in God's hands, ready to do His will. Prayer is not a tool to get what we want. Prayer makes us a tool to do what God wants.
