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Have you ever driven someplace only to arrive and have no idea how you got there? Maybe you thought to yourself, I don’t even remember the drive here! It’s like your brain was on autopilot. You were operating solely on muscle memory. Sometimes, our spiritual habits can work similarly. We go through the motions without being fully present. We do things from muscle memory without our hearts engaged or involved. This is the kind of thing the prophet Isaiah was talking about in this passage.

The people of Israel were skilled at knowing all the right things to do—the motions to follow, the rituals to participate in, and the worship to be a part of. But ultimately, their hearts weren’t in it. Isaiah knew that because the real problems that needed to be addressed—the hungry, the hurting, the oppressed—were still being ignored. All of us are in danger of falling into spiritual ruts. We all run the risk of not having our hearts fully in it. Before too long, our faith can become more of a performance than an actual lived experience. To avoid getting stuck in performative and outward displays of faith, we need to keep our hearts focused on pursuing God. We need to take time to be quiet with God, asking God where our attention should be directed and then doing what needs to be done to partner with God.

Today, the challenge is to do just that! What would it look like to fix your heart on the pursuit of God and engage your whole self in your faith?