September 30, 2019
I WILL NOT FORSAKE THEM
Rev. Ed Hoke
Volunteer, Illinois
“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
You need to read the scripture before you read this meditation. I laughed to myself when I read this passage from Isaiah. What made me laugh was reading this passage in the context of our experience in Africa. Being led in “…ways they have not known,” I am lost half the time I’m there. If it weren’t for the Field Officers and Well Supervisors, they would still be looking for me from three years ago. “I will turn the darkness into light…” That would be real nice when you don’t get back before night fall. And then the topper, “…and make the rough places smooth.” Are you kidding me? There is not a smooth spot on any road off the tarmac.
But seriously, everyone who drives in Africa is led to places they have not known. Our Field Officers and Well Supervisors know where they are going and they’ve never gotten me lost, at least for long. Like them, God already knows where we are going. God knows where the wells of our lives are. God has already been there and prepared for our experience of what is in store in that place. And believe me, there you will find the fresh water that will make you never thirst.
As for making rough places smooth, all I can say is that as a veteran of this project, each year the roads get smoother. Really. My first two years, I got irritated by the roughness of the roads. And then during the third year I noticed that I didn’t mind so much. I knew what to expect and had learned to go with the flow. Again, the more we walk with Christ, the more experience we get and the more faith we have, what seemed rough at first only became the normal life of a Christian. I don’t find anywhere in the New Testament where Jesus promises smooth roads. It is just that with Christ in our lives, it doesn’t seem so rough.
Application Question: Where in your life have the rough places seemed smooth because God is present?
Prayer: Oh God, lead us in ways we have not known, make our darknesses light, and make the rough places in our lives seem smooth, simply because You are there, and we will learn to trust You more. Amen.
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