“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”
Isaiah 58:11 (NIV)
The first seven verses of Isaiah 58 call for repentance and proper fasts. Look what results from true repentance (vss. 8-14). Verse 11 summarizes the results: divine guidance, divine provision, divine strength, and the blessings of the perpetual divine presence.
Who among us does not need God’s guidance? Who among us would refuse God’s provisions for every aspect of our lives? Who could possibly reject God’s strength when trouble and sorrow comes? Who wouldn’t want to live in the continual presence of God and feast on his inheritance?
Of course, we know there are those who rebel against God’s guidance. Yes, we must sadly acknowledge that some people do not love God or recognize his blessings. Many people only go through the forms of seeking God then ask defiantly why he does not respond to their rituals (v.3). Yet, God is not about ritual and form (v.5). Rather, He is the God who breaks chains of injustice. He is the God who delivers from oppression. He is the God who breaks every addiction. He is the God who rejects ritual and form but requires repentance (vss. 6-7).
Our God is the God who always guides us in the paths of righteousness. Our God is the God who always satisfies our needs despite the economic conditions. Our God is the God who issues strength at the appropriate time in all circumstances. Our God is the God who gives us joy. Our God is the God who lives with us in continual fellowship, never forsaking us nor leaving us. All praise and glory to His name!
Dear Father, thank you for being our God. Empower us to yield to your deliverance power everyday. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today in God’s provisions,