Isaiah Chapter 30: Verses 19-21 (NIV)
People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Ephesians Chapter 1: 4-6 (NLT)
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.
If ever I needed a reminder today of the kindness of God, and the fact that no matter how far we may have fallen short of where we should be, He will never, ever bear a grudge. Following on from the verses that caught my attention yesterday, we read these, and we see that no matter what the hardships are that we face, even if we have contributed to them, as soon as we call on God in sincere repentance, He will answer. And even if the circumstances are not of our own making, if we don’t know where to turn, we can ask Him, and He will never send us on a detour. He will speak to us directly, and tell us where to go and what to do.
It strikes me however that He won’t give us all of the instructions all at once. It’s a step at a time. When we have taken the first steps, then He will tell us where to go next. I think that’s because He wants to make sure we actively follow His instructions. I also note that He talks to us from behind. I think that’s because He wants to make sure we go forward, we move on. We’re not to go back into the difficult circumstances we’ve just come out of. He’s pushing us on, and wants us to keep going. How gracious is that! Paul told the Ephesians that God wanted us as His children even before the world began, and adopting us into that family brings Him great pleasure. So of course, loving us that much means that He never wants us to go off on a wrong road, and He will always seek to direct us on the right path. But sometimes we have to ask for the directions and we have to listen to what He says.
Dear Lord,
It’s true that we can join with Paul in giving You the praise and thanks for Your glorious grace to us. It really is unmerited favour. Thank you that no matter how many times we have set off under our own steam, You always set us on the right road when we call to You for help. Help me to keep moving forward in response to Your direction. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.