"Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right or to the left" Isaiah 30:20-21.
God's covenant people knew hardship and deprivation resulting from their disobedience. Generations of Jews spent years in captivity under extreme adverse conditions. The God who seemed so silent and absent during such times promised that it would not always be so. They would behold Him, and they would hear His voice as they turned right and left, directing them to the path they should walk.
The phrase, "This is the way, walk in it," has repetitively played in my mind in recent times. It is calmly reassuring to know that we who seek to walk in faithfulness will be shown when and where to walk. An easy path is not promised in that it may still be that of "meager bread and water during oppression." But, if it is His way it will be the right way, and the ultimate path of contentment and fruitfulness.
These words come to you on what has been designated as a special day of prayer and fasting. It is a day in which we are encouraged to be especially fervent in prayer, and attentive to the Spirit call and voice. The discipline of fasting involves deprivation of food so as to create a real hunger for our Father. This is not easy in that hunger pangs are difficult to ignore, and can draw our focus away from the real purpose of fasting. At such times, drink water and remind yourself that "man does not live by bread alone" (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4).
Proverbs 14:12 states, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." Our deceitful hearts can easily lead us down a dangerous and deadly path. For that reason, it is good today and every day to listen for the voice that says, "This is the way, walk in it." May we clearly hear and obey that voice today.
©Steve Taylor, 2022 --Used by permission
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