We MUST be DIRECTED by GOD at EVERY STEP!
July 25 Bible Reading: Isaiah Chapters 28-30
We MUST be DIRECTED by GOD at EVERY STEP!
“And though the Lord gives you the bread of
adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into
a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a
word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to
the right hand or whenever you turn to the left." (Isaiah 30:20-21)
Though the
message in this chapter is one of judgment, Isaiah reminds the people that God
longs to be gracious to them. Those who wait on the Lord for help will
experience blessings, such as answered
prayer (30:18–19), guidance
(30:20–21), cleansing (30:22), fruitfulness (30:23–26), victory (30:27–33; 31:4–9), and a song (30:29).
If the
people of God would turn to Him in repentance, He would respond by sending
sound teachers to lead the people in His way of blessing (vv. 20–21) and to
send them rain, sunshine, and plentiful harvests (vv. 23–26). The people had
been living in such a way that they were oblivious to their spiritual teachers
(v. 20); now they would be taught by the Spirit of the living God (see
28:11–13; 29:11, 12). There shall be no
more false teachers, but instead clear guidance from God Himself!
As God’s children, we can have
confidence that we will hear God’s voice! The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:14, "For as many as are led by the Spirit
of God, these are sons of God." This scripture implies that if we are
God's children being born-again, we will be led by God’s Spirit. We have further
assurance of this promise in Psalm 37:23-24, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights
in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord
upholds him with His hand." God will order our steps, and even when we
slip up and fall, if we are truly trying to do His will, He will lift us up and
give us a second chance.
The most
difficult part of hearing God is the fact that it takes time to learn to
discern God's voice, and it takes a humble heart. Jeremiah 29:12-13 says, "Then you will call upon Me and go and
pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when
you search for Me with all your heart." God will reveal Himself to those who humbly seek Him!
The writer
of Proverbs describes the way that our thoughts and intentions line up with
God's will when we submit ourselves fully
to the Lord. "Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be
established." (Prov. 16:3) God will manifest Himself to us and through
us as we humbly seek Him. "Trust in
the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all
your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs
3:5-6).
We must be directed by God at every
step of our life journey! Let us be sensitive to the fact that the voice we hear is truly that of
God and not of our own fleshly desires or of Satan. As our Good Shepherd, Jesus
will lead us, and we need to follow Him closely as we hear and obey His instructions
every day!
