Turn Here

Isaiah 30:20-21 And though the Lord gives you The bread of adversity and the water of affliction, Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, But your eyes shall see your teachers. 21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.

Who wouldn’t want that; God standing behind you directing your life’s path? When we look at it in Isaiah’s proclamation though, God is judging sin and betrayal of his chosen people. They had focused on everything but God, not listened to the prophets from God, and God was judging them for their sin. Also look at the sovereignty of God woven into this passage. He “lets us” go down tough paths in life, the food and water we live upon as tough times. His innermost workings of the details of our lives boggles the mind. How can he give us a free-will, yet align our paths with his control? That is why he is our God! We cannot explain the complexity of control and freedom by the One who breaths stars into existence. We cannot imagine the limitless potential of an unlimited God who by creation put limitations on our minds. We cannot fathom the Creator even as we are the pinnacle of his creation. Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” How would we call him our God, if we could explain and understand him?

I am feeling from the bread of adversity and drinking from the waters of affliction right now. My world was crushed by someone I had put hopes and plans upon, and now I find the weight of the business world heavy upon me. I am worried about my health and well-being. My industry is suffering from lack of employees, much less ones who have integrity, and the desire to look beyond money and greed. I find myself again working 80hr weeks, and killing myself doing so. On a job-site late Saturday afternoon, I laughed with a customer telling them the only time I stopped working was to talk about dirt bikes or the Gospel, for I was passionate about both. The freedom to share my faith is what I truly love about my job. The encounters God designs, the opportunities that arise from obedience, are the only thing that keep me going, and the things that I hope to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant,” whenever Jesus calls me home.

Even if God has you in a tough place, even if in the midst of worldly blessings you are overwhelmed such as I, know it has all filtered through his hands. The strains of business rob us of many pleasures in life, many missed opportunities, but make the most of whatever opportunity He has given or blessed you with. Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Look deep at where God has you, in prayer and time in his Word. Don’t excuse life’s load for missed opportunities to encounter God at work. To see God at work, you must join him, not ask him to join you. He has and already is at work around you. He has lovingly guided you to be upon the path you are at now. Spend some time in prayer and his Word, and you just might hear his voice behind you, such as Isaiah wrote….”Turn here.”