Day 67 (Year 2)
Walking on God’s Path, You Will See Light
“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone.” (Isaiah 42:16 NASB)
I think of the blind being healed by Jesus in the four Gospels when I read the scripture above. They not only had good hearing but also demonstrated a positive and submissive attitude in response to Jesus’ words. Similarly, some believers experience faith not by having the eyes of their hearts opened first, but by first walking the unknown path led by God. Only then does the darkness before their eyes gradually or suddenly turn to light, accompanied by God’s care all the way. As we increasingly obey God’s commands, the darkness in us turns to light bit by bit.
Today’s scripture encourages believers not to be discouraged or feel inferior despite any physical or spiritual deficiencies. As long as we diligently seek God’s guidance, follow and submit to Him, the darkness before our eyes will eventually be lit. In other words, the condition of blindness will more or less be healed through God’s guidance and our submission. Similarly, through our repentance, the evil within us often is wiped away. Perhaps spiritual blindness is caused by being surrounded by immense darkness. This is not a fundamental problem of vision but simply that the surroundings are dark. In any case, as God directs us to walk His paths, we need great faith to overcome the anxiety of uncertainty. If the blind person has confidence in the guide, the unknown path ahead will not seem dangerous. Instead, we expect to encounter God’s grace. The blind or those in darkness need only sincerely ask the Lord Jesus for guidance, asking Him to strengthen our faith, and we can bravely walk His path.
The believers’ paths ahead become brighter as we walk with hope, and what is crooked becomes straight. The word “rugged” in the text can refer to crooked roads or crooked matters. Those who love crooked things naturally walk on crooked paths. But God’s luminous guidance, combined with the believers’ submission, can turn crooked paths into straight ones. When we submit to God’s light, the crookedness within ourselves will likewise be healed by Him and become straight. In my opinion, when inner problems are resolved, outer problems become easier to solve. God loves His people and will never abandon us. When we submit to Him, the path of life will certainly become straight.
Reflection questions:
1) When facing uncertain situations, do you habitually seek God’s guidance and find peace through Him? Why?
2) Have you ever become inwardly straight because of submitting to God’s luminous guidance? If you have any deficiency or problem, how will you rely on the Lord’s help to change?