Bible Verse of the Day Wednesday October 26th, 2022

 Isaiah 30:20-21 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 the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

This message through the Prophet Isaiah to God's people Israel is that even though they have had to go through a time of adversity and affliction, God will not hide his message from them any longer (Isaiah 26:9, 28:9-13, 29:11-12, 30:15).

God is reassuring His people that He will guide them in the paths they should walk. We can think of this today as the Good Shepard who leads His sheep to the way of salvation. Jesus said: "My sheep know my voice and follow me" (John 10:27-28). When the Children of Israel were flourishing, thriving, and comfortable, they turned their backs on God, but when God put them through a time of hardship and struggle, they could now hear God's message. It is always spiritually more valuable to go through some pain and tribulation and be in step with the direction of God's Holy Spirit than have a life of monetary success and be out of step with God. Not that one cannot follow the leading and guiding of God's Holy Spirit and have a life of ease and comfort. However, when we surrender our lives to Christ Jesus and His will for us, we will know peace and joy that the people of the world cannot even comprehend (John 15:9-11; Philippians 4:6-7; John 14:27; Isaiah 26:3).

As Christians, followers, and believers in Christ Jesus, we have the same legacy of the peace of Jesus. Trials and tribulation came into the life of Jesus here on this earth, and we will reap the benefit; moreover, since Jesus overcame the world, His followers and believers will do the same through the direction of God's Holy Spirit (John 16:33).

Being a disciple of Christ Jesus is not a shallow experience; we must take a true-to-life mindset when facing the problems and struggles we will go through. Having the peace of Christ Jesus is based on the appreciation and understanding that we are in Him and that His spirit guides our every step. As surrendered servants of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, we can know the victory over the world through our faith in Him (1 John 5:4).

The thesis behind this scripture verse (Isaiah 30:20-21) can refer back to the Garden of Eden when God confronted Adam and Eve after they committed the first sin. God expounded to them that since evil had come into the world and their life would be difficult; He laid out the consequences their sin would bring (Genesis 3:17-19). Sometimes the problems we must face in this life are from God to guide us into something that will help us grow spiritually and walk on a path closer to Him. Some might say that if God is the God of peace and love, why does He allow us to go through these storms of life? The truth is that the plans He has for us are more extensive than we can comprehend at any moment, and He is using the troubles we are going through to show us who He is.