Isaiah 43:16 And I will lead the blind
in a way that they do not know,
in paths that they have not known
I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I do,
and I do not forsake them.
One of the benefits of reading the entire Bible is that I discover verses I never knew existed. Here all this time I thought Isaiah was just book of boring and confusing prophecy. Imagine my surprise when I discover there’s poetry and wisdom…and encouragement! Take this verse for example. It just jumped off the page and right into my heart. I love God’s matter of fact tone: This is what I do for you, because I am God. Currently our church is engaged in a study of Exodus, and I’m struck by how beautifully this dovetails with that study…how Moses sought this exact reassurance from God before he acted.
But this verse speaks to me for another reason. This weekend, we had two significant instances of God’s leading and guidance, further proof that God’s word is truth.
- On Saturday, Matt attended the annual NARI Home and Garden Show at Market Hall. He intended to use this as both an educational experience – keeping up-to-date on the latest trends, needs, and materials for potential clients – as well as a marketing opportunity. I had told him I wanted to pray over him before he went, but in the midst of Saturday morning busy-ness, I forgot. While I was driving around, at about 11:15, God suddenly prompted me to pray, so I just started praying out loud in the car: for Matt to make the right contacts, for the vendors to be receptive to him, for God to bring clients out of this experience. All of a sudden, I just spontaneously started praying for God to ease Matt’s stress over his insurance situation. It’s a long and complicated situation, but the clock is ticking and our options are severely limited. When Matt arrived home that afternoon, he began telling me about his day: who he had talked to, how the conversations went, possible leads…and then he just said, “Oh, and here’s a random thing: I even talked to this one person who does insurance for small businesses, and I told them about my situation and they seem to think they’ll be able to help me!” I asked him if he remembered about what time he talked to that person, and he said, “Probably around 11:15 or so. Why?” That’s when I told him how God prompted me to pray. God “led the blind (me) in a way that they (I) did not know”, and could not possibly have anticipated: to pray for my husband and his insurance needs…at the exact moment he was speaking to someone at a home and garden show about small business insurance…because that is what God does!
- One of the songs that is particularly meaningful to Matt is Chris Tomlin’s “Our God.” He really relates to the line “Our God is healer, awesome in power” as well as the bridge: “And if our God is for us, then who can ever stop us, and if our God is with us, then what can stand against?” For his birthday celebration on Saturday evening, Crisana gave him that Chris Tomlin CD. I heard them listening to it and singing it together in his study afterward. Yesterday, we had our first sermon in the Exodus series at church, a dynamic and powerful message about who God is (YHWH, the I Am). The closing song was none other than “Our God.” I could tell God was really speaking to Matt all day yesterday. I could sense the energy and electricity in his spirit. The message hit him powerfully, and God had his full attention. After life group, I heard Matt up in the study listening to that song again on his computer. I didn’t think much of it, just that he was enjoying his birthday present. Suddenly, he comes down the stairs with a piece of paper in his hand. He had printed his business logo 4 times diagonally down it, and above each logo he had written:
“If God is for…”(HMS Architecture)
“then who can stop…”(HMS Architecture)
“And if our God is with…”(HMS Architecture)
“Then what could stand against…”(HMS Architecture)
He held it out to me and said, “This is HMS Architecture’s belief statement. What do you think?”
What did I think? AT that moment, what thoughts could I pull out of the swirling mix of emotion?
Wow.
Amazing.
Perfect.
True.
And finally, thank You. Thank you, God, for speaking so powerfully to my husband. Thank You for moving in his life and heart in such a dramatic and powerful way. Thank You for “turning his darkness into light and the rough places into level ground.” Thank You for being God – YHWH, the Almighty, the Everlasting, the I AM. Thank you for doing “the things (You) do.”
Thank you for “not forsaking them.” Or us.