Many are burdened and unable to carry either the great image ‘success and happiness’, or the great sacrifice, ‘being busy’ that are demanded by our culture. It is amazing how hard people work to present this image of everything being OK while in the worst recession of living memory. This unsustainable idolatry is rampant in our Church as it is driven by the goals of ‘Church growth’ and ‘experiencing God’. It is both disturbing and a relief to find that this situation cannot persist. The outcome of any idolatry is either repentance or captivity.
Isaiah proclaimed the outcome for the idols of Babylon,
“Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; … the images that are carried about are burdensome … They … themselves go off into captivity.” (Isaiah 46:1-2)
The passage goes on to give the Lord’s alternative.
“Even to your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”
Instead of us carrying burdensome idols, the Lord desires to carry us! He cannot carry us if we insist on carrying Him.
The rest of this chapter outlines how people pour out wealth to build their idols, while the Lord is looking for those who will entrust themselves to Him.
The Lord challenges this persistent idolatry by bringing in a destroyer.
“From the east I summon a bird of pray; … a man to fulfil my purpose.”
Isaiah prophesied a pagan invasion, fulfilled through Cyrus king of Persia. Who or what will it be for our society?
adaringfaith 
What a statement…”He cannot carry us if we insist on carrying Him.” How easy it is to do…
Hi Eva, Yes indeed. So easy to be carried, if only I could always tell when I was supposed to be leaving it to Him, and when I was supposed to be diligently at work. It is a good thing He is so patient with us!
My mind was captured by the image of the Lord summoning a “bird of pray” rather than a “bird of prey”! A fortuitous mis-spelling?
Ah yes Ian, Amazing how those misreadings can be so apt. And Oh do we need some prayer right now!
This blessed me today. Thanks for reminder God will carry us all our days if we allow Him
Hi Glenda, good to hear from you. It is good to be carried by God, even if the launching off can seem a little scary 🙂
Many blessings on your journey, Derek