“This Is The Way; Walk in It”

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be swift! A thousand will flee at the threat of one;
at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.”

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

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.”

Isaiah 30:15-21

How often do we veer away from the Lord? How often do we veer from walking obediently with the Lord, enchanted by the temptations to pursue what we want instead of seeking His ways?

Think of Isaiah’s words from God, for Israel: “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.” Earlier in the chapter, God had rebuked His people for their rebelliousness. But if they would trust His strength instead of their own ways, He promised to show His graciousness and compassion.

One expression of God’s graciousness is His promise to guide us by His Spirit. That happens as we talk to Him about our desires and ask in prayer what He has for us. Be thankful God patiently directs us, day by day, step by step, as we trust Him and listen for His voice.

God patiently directs us as we trust Him and listen for His voice.

Our Daily Bread – September 24, 2018