I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. - Isaiah 42: 16 (NIV)
We fancy ourselves as self-reliant people. The world teaches and reinforces independence and never appearing to be weak or unsure. Our pride plays right into the world system and we are too quick to assume we simply know better in every situation, even when dealing with God. The reality that Scripture reveals however is quite the opposite. Before coming to the saving grace of Jesus Christ the Bible describes us as walking in darkness. We were blind beloved. That is our natural condition when separated from God. Praise be to God though that He is not content to merely leave us where He finds us. As our Great Shepherd, He will lead those of us who are willing to be led.
Light is a wonderful metaphor for God to use in this instance. Light penetrates darkness; it dispels it. The more light there is, the clearer things become. The more we can see. The easier it is to walk and navigate. The truth is that the closer we get to God the clearer things become. The more pronounced the light becomes in our lives the easier it is to walk through and navigate this life. The key verse discusses the promises God has made to us regarding the darkness of our lives and the power of His light. The first promise is that we have no reason to fear what we may not know. We are creatures of habit as humans. We get into routines and regimens that we feel provide some order in our lives. The truth behind the order however is that in general we fear change. We fear the unknown. Part of growing in Christ however is to realize that God works in different ways than we do and that we must strive to become more Christlike:
"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55: 8-9 (NLT)
Becoming more Christlike includes adopting how God thinks. Where the world may encourage independence, God requires dependence. Where the world demands a "me-first" mentality, God requires sacrificing self for others. These may be unfamiliar paths to us beloved. These may be ways we have not known, as the key verses speak to. God is less concerned about our comfort level than He is with our growth. When our lives revolve wholly around things we are comfortable with we stand little chance for growth. That is because growth comes from being stretch beyond our comfort. Growth comes from relying more and more on Christ. It comes from approaching the unfamiliar paths with confidence in who God is. We do not have to know the way - just the One who leads the way.
The second promise is that as long as we follow Him, the dark places will be made light before us. We need to recognize that the darkness does not cease to exist simply because we come to Christ. It still exists and is out there as a path we could venture down if we start to stray from Jesus. The pull of the world system on our natural propensity to sin remains strong. In the Book of Acts we come across a character named Simon the Sorcerer. A practicioner of sorcery, clearly Simon walked in the darkness. What is lost sometimes is that Simon became a believer:
Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed. - Acts 8: 13 (NLT)
Believed and baptized, the pull of darkness would still win out and Simon would offer Peter money in exchange for the ability to lay hands on people to impart the Holy Spirit. Like some believers today, he was more interested in the power of God than the person of God. He was more interested in how he could use God instead of how God could use him.
But the key verse makes it clear that as long as we are truly following Him - He will continue to make the things of darkness light for us to see. The more serious we are in our following of Christ, the clearer things will become before us. The more light we will have in our lives to expose the darkness of this world! The end result of this is that the rough places before us will become smooth. Have you ever tried to walk on unsteady paths in the dark? Not sure when it the road will rise up or buckle down? Not sure where the pitfalls are? This is how life is but the more we know God, the easier it is to see the terrain before us. The smoother things will become because we will see easier what is before us.
The key verse concludes with God reminding us of one of His greatest promises. He will never forsake us. When we cannot feel God we can trust God. When we do not understand His ways, we can have faith in His heart. When all we can see is the uncertainty that comes with this world we can always rest in the promises God has made us in the dark.
Rev. Anthony
