SCRIPTURE: Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God. But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment. Isaiah 50:10-11 NIV
THOUGHT: What if God came to you in a dream and presented a path with two choices? Looking to the left as far as your eyes can see is deep darkness. To the right, however, a torch illuminates a pile of sticks, stones and kindling, and you begin to inventory resources like a prepper. Even though the night is dark and the path looks treacherous, your human reasoning says you might feel safer if you take to torch-making and begin the journey down the path with a little light. Simple deduction, right? What if God says you can take the path, but the light from your own ingenuity is the only light you’ll get. Well, you’re pretty smart, you reason, so things should go okay.
But what if God had already shown you that human reasoning is more flawed than you know, and often used as a way of avoiding the challenging path of trust? What if he presents the choice of a path with no light because he wants to hold your hand, steering you around obstacles, pitfalls, and dangers you never see with human eyes? What if it’s not cruel or belittling, but life-saving and loving, and leads to a destination so good you’ve never even imagined it? What if God has a vested interest in breaking through your pride in human achievement so you get an epiphany of God-achievement? What if you learn to lean in a way that you’ll never forget once you emerge from the dark path back into the light?
And what if there is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death (Proverbs 14:2 and 16:25 NIV)?
PRAYER: You are a God of mystery. We are humans, fully of dignity…and depravity. We want to follow you, but we want our own way and our own glory. Forgive our ambivalence, oh God, toward the dark night of the soul. When we’ve tasted enough torment from lighting our own fires and torches, we take your hand and let you lead us through the darkness, and are finally grateful.
Dear Reader,
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ABOUT ME:
Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
Check out Walking When You’d Rather Fly, and learn more about the book and Amy’s other ministries. You will also find her devotional work at Words of Hope.
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