The Right Direction

It is equal parts misperception, stereotype and over-dramatization. So let me set the record straight as one who suffers because of this erroneous perception… Men are willing to ask for directions!  And we will seek out someone who can give us the right directions as soon as we are convinced we are hopelessly lost.  The problem with most of us men is that it takes a lot of convincing! (LOL, I think I heard some ladies saying “Amen!”).  In our scripture this week, God had provided Israel with proper direction through His commands, statutes and even His prophets, but they refused to listen and follow Him.  They paid lip service that He was their God, but their hearts were far away from Him.  Even in captivity, they bowed towards Jerusalem in prayer, but they practiced Babylonian ways.  So He pulled up His record to convince them that His word was true and He had caused it to come to pass and send them into captivity.  Now He would provide them with new revelation that they could not deny came from Him alone, and which they would do well to listen to and follow.  I pray this week that you will turn on your GPS (God Positioning System) and follow His direction for your life. 

Listen and worship with William McDowell and Darlene Zschech singing “Way Maker”

I foretold the former things long ago,

my mouth announced them and I made them known;

then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.

For I knew how stubborn you were;

your neck muscles were iron,

your forehead was bronze.

Therefore I told you these things long ago;

before they happened I announced them to you

so that you could not say,

‘My images brought them about;

my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’ (Isaiah 48:3-5).  God had foretold Israel what the consequences of disobedience and worship of other gods would be for them.  Yet they refused to listen, they were “hard headed”and “stiff necked” (forehead was bronze; neck muscles were iron) in their actions.  Even now, God had to remind them that it was He who had acted to cause their captivity in Babylon, just as He had foretold them He would.  He had done what He said He would do.  This was evidence that He alone is in control, not the man made images that they worshiped as gods.  I can trust God’s eternal word.  It is active and living and will accomplish everything He sends it to do. 

You have heard these things; look at them all.

Will you not admit them?

“From now on I will tell you of new things,

of hidden things unknown to you.

They are created now, and not long ago;

you have not heard of them before today.

So you cannot say,

‘Yes, I knew of them.’

You have neither heard nor understood;

from of old your ears have not been open. (Isaiah 48:6-8a). God asked the Jewish people, who were in captivity, to look at their situation in Babylon and acknowledge that it was consistent with what God had foretold as a consequence of their disobedience.  They had failed to listen to what God had told them through their ancestors, but now, He would give them fresh revelation (new things…hidden things unknown to you), that they would not be able to say came from anyone other than God.  They had an opportunity to hear God anew and to trust His word.  Are you ready to trust God’s word and direction for your life?

This is what the LORD says—

your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

“I am the LORD your God,

who teaches you what is best for you,

who directs you in the way you should go.  (Isaiah 48:17).  God reminds His people that He is their God.  He alone was the one who would teach them what was best for their lives and who would direct them in the right paths for a blessed and abundant life.  The Lord is still the way, the truth and the life!  Give me your direction Lord, so I may follow you and live in peace, joy and abundance. 

If I believe and trust God, and have faith that He knows all and only wants my good, why would I ever want to ignore or refuse His direction in my life?  Yet, that is exactly what Israel did.  And the Bible shows us example after example of the disastrous consequences they suffered because of ignoring and refusing to follow God’s direction.  Maybe you’re struggling with something and not sure what to do.  Seek God’s direction in the matter.  God will give you peace, clarity and revelation about whatever it is.  God’s word says, today I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  The choice is yours. Choose life.  We chose life when we chose salvation through faith in Jesus.  And we choose God’s blessings and grace in our lives when we choose to follow His direction.  Whenever we choose to follow God along our journey…we’re headed in the right direction! 

Blessings,

Rev. Glenn