Trusting God to Guide Us through Painful Unknowns
By Jennifer Slattery
Bible Reading:
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake them (Isaiah 42:16, NIV)
About five years into our marriage, my husband and I almost got divorced. Although love, strong and pure, had drawn us together, our mutual dysfunction nearly tore us apart. We didn’t actually want to end things. But neither did we want our toxic patterns to continue. The problem was, we didn’t know how to repair the mess and heal the hurt we created.
One night, while my husband was at work and our daughter asleep upstairs, I sat in our dark, silent living room, feeling so alone. Knowing what Scripture said about divorce, I concluded that the Lord wanted me to remain miserable for the rest of my life. I simply couldn’t imagine my husband’s and my relationship getting better.
Frustrated, I told the Lord, “Fine. I’ll stay, but You’ve got to do this for me, because I’m done.”
Although the prayer was more flippant than genuine, the Lord heard the unspoken cries of my heart—the pain, ache for connection, and flickering hope I’d buried in anger and “offense.” He saw the longing in our souls, the untended wounds and deception fueling our fights, and our ignorance when it came to building a healthy marriage.
We were walking blind, stumbling along a foggy, uneven road marred with potholes, boulders and detours. We needed God’s supernatural vision, His hand to remove the obstacles too heavy for us to maneuver, and His guidance for our long, difficult and uncertain journey.
In short, we needed Him to fulfill His promise recorded in today’s verse. The Lord originally spoke these comforting words, through a prophet, to the ancient Israelites during a dark period in their history. The people had rejected God to turn to idols, chose violence and oppression over integrity and love, and were seeking aid from a pagan nation rather than their ever-faithful Creator. The Lord warned them, for generations, of the judgment to come. But He also promised them forgiveness, transformation, and restoration through His “Faithful Servant”, the Messiah, His Son.
In John 8:12, Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (NIV). He’s the One who illuminates every shadow lurking within our soul and who lovingly lights the path before us.
Intersecting Life & Faith:
The Lord knows we’re hopelessly blind. Spiritually ignorant. He also realizes we can’t correct our vision ourselves. And so, He met us in our self-destructing, deceived state to lead us to better. God Almighty remains intimately involved in the lives of His people. While He provided us with an extensive instruction manual through Scripture, He didn’t just drop a written guide on our doorsteps, dust off His hands, and say, “Job done. Now on to the next.” Instead, through Jesus, He moved toward us in the middle of our mess to show us the way out.
Yes, today’s verse refers to salvation and the New Covenant Jesus instituted—a righteousness through faith rather than rule following. That was certainly an unfamiliar path, and a route to God His people didn’t expect. But He doesn’t stop guiding His children once they receive His gift of grace. He continues to lead us through life’s uncertainties. He lights up the path before us, removes barriers that don’t aid our transformation, and fills in the potholes that otherwise might trip us up.
He gives us everything we need to live the thriving, God-honoring life to which He calls us, inviting us to focus not on the uncertainties ahead but rather, our very next, divinely orchestrated step, trusting Him to clear the way before us.
Twenty-five years after that really hard season in my marriage, I can assure you that our God is faithful, and His ways are best. Next month, my husband and I celebrate our thirtieth anniversary, and we’re in a much healthier and happier place, thanks to all Christ has done in us and our relationship. While I don’t know what uncertainties you’re facing, or will encounter tomorrow, I do know this—God will faithfully guide you as well.
And there’s such peace in that. We don’t need to know every detour or fork in the road when we have unhindered access to our Father’s perfect vision through the Holy Spirit within us.
Further Reading:
Psalm 32:8-11
Isaiah 30:21
Isaiah 58:11-12
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Severin Höin
Jennifer Slattery is a writer and speaker who co-hosts the Faith Over Fear podcast and, along with a team of 6, the Your Daily Bible Verse podcast. She’s addressed women’s groups, Bible studies, and taught at writers conferences across the nation. She’s the author of Building a Family and numerous other titles and maintains a devotional blog at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLou
She’s passionate about helping people experience Christ’s freedom in all areas of their lives. Visit her online to learn more about her speaking or to book her for your next women’s event, and sign up for her free quarterly newsletter HERE and make sure to connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and GodTube.
Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com!
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