ODJ: Clear View

October 10, 2016 

READ: Isaiah 30:18-22 

This is the way you should go (v.21).

As I drove home, night had begun to settle with an added veil of heavy fog. When the fog suddenly lifted, I found myself off the road and headed toward a patch of trees. I quickly slammed on my brakes. The low-lying branches of a large pine tree scraped against the hood of my car like hands reaching out to warn me of the ominous trunks just beyond. The dense fog had changed my perception: I had mistaken someone’s back porchlight for the streetlight I knew to be near the curve of the road.

Thankfully, God’s promise to guide us through life’s hardto-see moments is true: “He will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left” (Isaiah 30:20-21). He doesn’t hesitate to give us specific direction. Why is it then that we sometimes find ourselves in the “trees”?

The problem isn’t with God’s directions. The breakdown occurs in the willingness of our hearts to attend to the wisdom He provides. Circumstances, selfish motives, and even pressure from others can easily settle on our lives—and our decisions—like a dense fog. Our ability to hear His voice is intrinsically tied to the position He has in our hearts (vv.21-22), and if our hearts become tainted, our spiritual eyesight also becomes hindered (Ezekiel 12:2; Matthew 13:15-16).

Proverbs 23:26 declares, “O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes take delight in following my ways.” God standsready to answer the call of His people . . . if we will butlove and seek Him as He leads us.

—Regina Franklin

365-day plan: Acts 3:12-4:4