Robin Hardy Online
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(or How Do I Get It?)
"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.'" (Isa. 30:20-21)
When the worst had happened, and the people of Judah were being marched into captivity in Babylon because of their relentless disobedience, the Lord still did not abandon them. This final correction—captivity—would prove to be the cure for their idolatry once for all.
In their suffering and confusion, they were given what they needed: instruction and hope. Who were the teachers God sent to them? Anyone or anything He chose to use! He placed constant reminders of His love for them right before their eyes. And whenever they were in danger of slipping off the right edge into despair or the left into rebelliousness, He sent a quiet word to keep them safely on the road to distant joy.
What does that have to do with us, facing situations that these ancient people never imagined? Everything. As modern captives of worries, bad habits, disagreeable people, and relentless obligations, we might as well be in chains. We don't know whether a new job will free us. We can't see how to resolve some continual conflict that has us bound.
The Lord knows this. He understands that we are barely surviving on bread and water; it is a temporary situation for our ultimate benefit. So, following are some specific points I've discovered about guidance in the Less Than Promised Land:
1. Do what you know you're supposed to do. There are certain matters we know we should be addressing—overeating, too much TV, too much mindless internet surfing. Honestly, how can we expect God to drop further directions into our laps when we haven't done what He's already told us to do? When it becomes important enough to us to move on to greater effectiveness, we'll find the will power to chuck the impediments that are holding us back. "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Heb. 12:1, NIV)
2. Seek His face. Yes, you have to pray and read your Bible regularly. It would be great if all we had to do was open the Bible and land on a verse that miraculously spoke to our situation, but that doesn't happen often. What we're after in regular Bible reading is getting acquainted the Mind behind it. When you get to know Someone well, you start forming a pretty good idea of what He expects of you—not of someone else, but of you.
3. When you've done all you know to do—WAIT. I've seen it happen time and again: when God has a really big answer to prayer coming down the pike, He takes His time setting the stage to perfection. Sometimes that means the poor recipients of this enormous blessing are left waiting in the dark, wondering what they did wrong, wondering if God is going to ignore them forever. When you pray and receive no obvious correction; when you end the day with nothing critical left undone, WAIT. "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength." (Isa. 30:15, NIV)
For real-life examples of all the above, see How They Did It.
Copyright 2004 Robin Hardy
