Reminder – other posts in this series are under the tag: Inviting God In
Today’s devotional (no.4 on page 23) begins with this Bible verse:
Your Teacher will not hide…but your eyes shall see your Teacher…your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:20-21
Everyone needs a little guidance in their life once in a while, whether it’s a work mentor, a fitness or nutritional expert, or even the IT guy who knows it’s not just a case of turning it off and on again. For Joyce Rapp, author of this Inviting God In book, God’s the Teacher who matters the most.
We need to trust that God will be with us in our searching and our decision-making. If we long ot follow God’s ways, Holy Wisdom will surely guide us and teach us what is best for us.
Well…
Let’s think about that a little.
First, is this a case of someone who feels God speaks to them and (amazingly!) tells them exactly what they want to hear in order to justify whatever it is they feel like doing?
Or, are we talking about a person who’s looking through the Bible and finding passages that they can self-interpret in order to justify whatever they feel like doing?
Is this a regular day-to-day Joe who hopes for some “sign” as to whether or not he should switch jobs, or is this a pastor who’s manipulating the Word of God in order to make himself wealthy at the expense of his flock? God says I need a jet because I’m closer to God if I’m high up and going fast…
Isaiah also implies that we need to listen. Rarely will we hear the words of God as clearly as those in Isaiah 30, but if we daily attune to God through prayer…we can trust that we can make good decisions.
I’ll just note here that Rupp’s verses are being pulled from a 1989 edition of the New Revised Standard Version and the New International Version runs it this way:
20 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. 21 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.”
That’s the “fun” thing about the Bible. The verses are going to change and be reinterpreted depending on which version you’re exposed to. In this one, t seems God’s throwing the crap at you and the implication with the word “teachers” seems to me to mean you may find help from anyone to help you with the Job job God’s gone and done to you.
And, I’d say that terms of good decisions, the best ones are the ones made with the most thought put into the them. That’s not always the case, I know, but I don’t tend to be an impulse thinker. I like to weigh my options and proceed with caution – at least in cases when the decision is a big one. I don’t really care about where we eat supper, but I will care about where we live or what car we buy or whether or not to get the basic or premium health plan. I’m sure I’m not alone in that.
Next time – remembering our gifted ancestors
One Minion's Opinion 