Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Seeking God’s guidance strengthens you.”
I love the reassuring and encouraging picture Isaiah paints for us. First, he promises that the Lord will guide you always. Here the prophet is simply affirming what the Lord has promised in so many other passages as well. He will guide us through all of life.
He will satisfy your needs, especially in those sun-scorched times of life when things are hard and the future seems uncertain. Again, this is a reaffirmation of what is promised in so many other places in Scripture. God is aware of our needs and He is committed to watching over us, guiding us, and providing for us. (If this is an issue in your life right now you should spend some time with Matthew 6:25-34.)
He will strengthen your frame. Other translations say he will strengthen your bones. In other words, He will help you to buck-up, stand a little taller, and push through the hard times. When you’re facing challenges and hard times and you sincerely and diligently seek God’s guidance you might not get all the answers right away, but you will at least receive the resolve to trust Him and to keep walking it forward step-by-step.
You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. In my mind I link this verse to Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Those who take the time and make the effort to seek the Lord’s guidance end up spiritually nourished and flourishing like a well-watered tree or a healthy vine, with the fruit of the Spirit abundant in your life. Your circumstances may still be tough, but your spirit is strong, your attitude is good, and your resolve is firm.
I don’t want to be naïve here about the difficulty of tough times, and I don’t mean to oversell the results of seeking the Lord’s guidance – tough times are still tough, and difficulties are still difficult. Circumstances don’t necessarily magically get better just because we prayed this morning. But seeking the Lord’s guidance, and then following it, will always put you on the path that leads you to where the Lord wants you to be.
Oak Hill Baptist Church