Where am I going?

You often find yourself asking this. So, where are you going?

Here’s the thing, you’ll never truly know. The lie of the world is that you possess the ability to have life figured out. The truth of God is simple: He will lead.

Isaiah 42:16 states:

I will bring the blind by a way they did not know;

I will lead them in paths they have not known.

I will make darkness light before them,

And crooked places straight.

These things I will do for them,

And not forsake them.

You read that right. You are blind. In addition, you are deaf. Isaiah chapter 42 tells you this. This forces distance between the sinful you and the faultless God. All too often, you are convinced your plan is greater. You become caught up in your struggles and forget that you are not the only one in this predicament. And even when you do realize your selfishness, you become ashamed and filled with guilt.

Another hard truth: you have not and will not escape being tainted by idolatry. The ineluctable inheritance of sin from your first parents is the source. Isaiah 44:9-20 is a narrative displaying this certainly with no sugar coating. Recognition of temptation, conviction, the true God, and the ways He will provide can all be found in these eleven verses. The first two items on that list may sound like more imprisoning and condemning words—you are right. Yet without them, you will never find a way to the last two items of hope.

Who formed me? Whom do I completely trust in? Whom do I look to for truth? Whom do I look to for secured happiness each day? Whom do I depend on to lead my future? If your initial answer to any of these was anything but God, you have made a false idol. Here, conviction is needed to grasp the living God who cherishes you and who longs for you to do the same. The King James version goes as far to say “their delectable things shall not profit” (v. 9). Using such a word as “delectable” discloses the complete desire and ultimate joy found in personal profit. After the Fall, the things that should be despicable now become desirable, yet the profit blind humanity hopes to gain is irretrievable.

Although it does not seem like much optimism can be discovered in conviction, there is perpetual sanguinity with our one-of-a-kind Ruler. Continue to Isaiah chapter 43. The King of Kings has personally claimed you. Yes, you who are deaf and blind. He has chosen to lead you. The First and the Last far surpasses the leading of the world, yet you often abandon this blessing because you are a child of Adam. Despite this, He never turns from you as you do Him (Isaiah 45:4). Grapple with this truth laid out particularly in Isaiah 48:17-19.

God is not blind to your deficiencies. This is why He says, “I will make darkness light before them” (Isaiah 44:16). Darkness can be regarded as the world and its inadequacies; light can be regarded as the faultlessness of heaven. Notice the extensive contrast. Although you reside in the darkness, the light now defeats it. He will have His way on earth as it is in Heaven without the prerequisite of perfected humanity. Undeterred by the darkness, God leads, holding your hand every step through the boundless valleys and the arduous hills.

Reading through Isaiah chapters 42-48, there is clear emphasis on the following: humanity as God’s servants and chosen ones, the straightness of His path even when His children do not recognize it, God boldly claiming His children, and the removing of all transgressions. This constant repetition should pound the truth into your head. You are not of the world, but instead, of a God who treasures you.

He does not stop there. You have “an everlasting salvation: you shall not be ashamed or disgraced forever and ever” (Isaiah 45:17). When you become caught up in the worldly ways, remember the sacrifice of your Savior. Do not let this selfless action go to waste. Jesus had your name in mind while the weight of His body caused the wounds in His hands to lengthen and deepen. His sacrifice covers your ways of idolatry, arrogance, and all other sin. As Matthew 4:17 says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The past tense used in Isaiah 46 and the present tense used in this verse in the book of Matthew is mighty. Yours sins are dead.

So, you blind one, I ask, who will you let lead? A broken self and fallen humanity, or a God who formed you in the womb and will not forsake you?

I ask, you deaf one, where are you going?

Instead of stumbling around to discover the adequate answer that will please the world, bow your head praying to the ultimate Leader. Be still and hear Him. You have nothing more to discover this very moment besides the courage to trust in the path of the Lord and unceasingly proclaim Jesus as your Savior. You are secure in Him.

A prayer: