There is nothing in our lives that will ever catch God off guard! Regardless of what happens, God has made all who trust in Him an overcomer, and He has prepared the way for us to always win! Although Jesus commanded that we love one another, we still have a choice to be obedient to that command. Some people will choose to cause destruction and devastation for others instead of doing good and encouraging peace. Nevertheless, God has promised that He would “go before [us] and make the crooked places straight” (Isaiah 45:2, KJV) which He has done through His son, Jesus Christ. (Isaiah 53:5)
Regardless of what happens in our lives, God will guide us through every difficult situation, heal our distorted vision, and restore us from devastating experiences.
The dictionary defines “crooked” as bending, not straight, or winding. This can represent detours from our destiny by way of addictions, insecurity, or lack of faith caused by some experience. When we experience difficulties, sometimes we allow them to slow us down or cause us to discontinue pursuing the passion and vision God has placed in us. Although God can open up ways to clear our path as He did for the children of Israel at the Red Sea and the Jordan River, below are just three of the many ways I believe God goes before us to make “crooked places” straight in our lives.
He guides us through difficult situations: When my mother transitioned from earth to eternity in 2003, it was one of the most difficult situations I had ever experienced in my life. When you have a really good relationship with your mother, separation by death can make breathing very difficult. During the home-going celebration, after the singing, words of comfort, acknowledgements, and eulogy, hundreds of people shook our hands, hugged us, and gave us words of encouragement. However, I really don’t remember over half the people who looked into my eyes and shared their condolences. It was as if I was in a daze and my ability to comprehend the fullness of the moment had escaped me. At some point in that dazed experience, as the days, weeks, and months passed, God guided me to a place where I smiled more than I cried as I remembered her life in my life. The prayers of the people and God's love gave me peace and I was grateful. Nothing we experience is unknown to God and as Jehovah-Jireh, He has already gone before us and provided peace, joy, and comfort in places where we will experience pain, hardship, and disappointment.
He heals our distorted vision: In Mark 8:23-25, Jesus took a blind man out of the city, spit on his eyes, and laid His hands on the man’s eyes to heal him. When Jesus asked the man if he could see anything, the man said that he saw men as trees, walking. Sometimes in life, challenges and difficulties distort our vision of reality. If we were molested or told we would never amount to anything by someone we trusted and loved, or if we were rejected, or never held or loved, it could have had a profound effect on how we see ourselves and others. When we look in the mirror, we may see ourselves as unworthy of love and success--which is a distorted version of who we really are. When we look at others through our painful experiences we may see people as potential predators instead of loving individuals. We see everyone in a distorted version of reality. After hearing that the “semi-blind” man saw men as trees, Jesus didn’t leave him in that condition. He put his hands on his eyes again, made him look up, and the man was restored and saw men clearly. Jesus wants to do the same for us, but we must be willing to let him change the way we “see” ourselves and others so that we have a clear vision of God's reality.
He restores us from devastating experiences: Jehovah-Rapha means “God our Healer” or “The God who heals.” In chapter 8 of the Gospel of Luke, there was a woman who had been sick for so long that she spent all of her money on physicians and still was not well. Not only had she not gotten better, her condition had worsen. As Jesus was passing through her town, she decided that if she could just touch the hem of His clothes, she would experience complete healing and she did! When she touched Jesus with her faith, Jesus knew it immediately because “virtue” (the power to perform miracles) had gone from Him. When the woman confessed, Jesus did not reprimand her, but commended her and told her to go in peace because her faith had made her whole. God’s healing is not a patchwork. It is a full and complete restoration as if the devastation, disease, or disappointment had never happened. God has already gone before us with a power that we can tap into to be restored unto complete wholeness.
Challenge: In our prayer time, let us ask God to show us the crooked places in our lives that He has already gone before us and made straight. Then let us ask for the forgiveness, restoration, and courage to walk in the newness of the life and light He has already provided for us. Finally, let us praise him for it all!