Forgetting What Is Behind - PART 2

Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” - Isaiah 30:20-21 (NIV)

Adversity and affliction may not be on any of our daily to-do lists, but they are essential components in God’s methods of operation. They have a way of shaking up our lives, so we are forced to re-evaluate the choices we have made and the values we espouse. Adversity and affliction can be disorienting and overwhelming, but their probative value in clarifying God’s plans for us cannot be denied.

Even though we start our journeys with clear direction and good intentions, our lives quickly become complicated and rushed. School, work, meetings, appointments, errands, projects, events, deadlines, caring for family, helping others, vacations, sicknesses, and treatments crowd our schedules and overload our brains. In our desperation to keep our heads above water, the temptation to choose those roads with the least resistance becomes greater and greater. Before we know it, our lives drift from being about the will of God to simply avoiding whatever we think could be a problem. We act this way, not because we are lazy but because we are merely trying to survive the rush of life.

Then comes a problem too big to avoid, one that reverberates through our life like a shockwave. Our daily movements become tainted with our frustrations as we desperately try to find solutions. Unfortunately, a life built on the roads of least resistance is no match for the velocity of such problems. Soon, a sifting begins. We start moving away from the things we once appreciated for their convenience as we realize they are incapable of helping us. As we shed them and start pursuing the things that bring a deeper meaning to our lives in the struggle, the voice of God becomes more apparent and distinct. That is the power of adversity and affliction in God’s economy. This pattern was at work in Isaiah’s prophecy to Israel (See PART 1), and it is at work in our lives today.

As I reflected on the struggles I faced, I soon discovered this pattern in my life. Until recently, I, too, was choosing the roads of least resistance. My life felt so rushed, and I was taking so many detours to keep my head above the water, I no longer recognized who or where I was. In my efforts to survive, I drifted from my purpose and lost that connection with God necessary for Him to direct me. I soon found myself overwhelmed by several issues that no detour could help me escape, and I was forced to re-access the choices that led me to where I was.

END OF PART TWO.