A Way is Being Made

In Isaiah 42 the Lord severely rebukes the Jews for being deaf and blind. He points out, through the words of the prophet, that they were being taken captive as a result of their own sin. But then God’s tone changes entirely. He switches from rebuke to loving assurance of His intention to rescue them no matter what it takes.

Isaiah 43:18-19 NLT

“But forget all that—
it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Do you see that tiny hint of light green emerging on the tips of the branches? I took this picture this morning from my window. Those branches were dormant just days ago. It seems like all of a sudden Spring is upon us. It’s not in full bloom, not yet anyway. It won’t be long though. By this time next week the bushes, which are now just brown sticks, will be full of beautiful blossoms. How do I know this? Because Spring is predictable. Once you see the first signs of it, you know that fullness is coming. To prove my faith in that Spring will be in full bloom I have already purchased a new nasal steamer and stocked up on antihistamine. It doesn’t take much, as any allergy sufferer can tell you. You don’t even need to see the buds. My nose knows it’s Spring long before the signs are visible. My eyes itch. I don’t have to see the blossoms. There is a sensation that I get when its in the air. That is kind of what the prophet is suggesting in this verse.

The NIV translates Isaiah 43:19a as: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” The prophet could see it, perceive it, know it before it was manifest in the natural. But do we always KNOW what is coming? Of course not.

Before the Jews where taken captive and brought to Babylon, God told them it was going to happen. But He also told them that no matter how long they were there, and how far they had been taken away, He would rescue them, and bring them back.

If no way existed for them to return He would make a way. He would cause refreshment to come to them even if He had to literally make rivers flow in the desert. In places where refreshment was not common He would bring it to them. Even if the way was blocked and no visible path existed, God would see it that they would find their way home again.

I have been perceiving something in the Spirit. The Lord is making a way for those who have found themselves far from home and gotten themselves in impossible circumstances. There are those who not only can’t see a way back to God, they can’t get there from where they are. They need God to make a way. They have gotten themselves stuck.

You may be one who feels like there is no hope, no way out of the situation you have created for yourself. God wants you to know that despite the fact that you have made some really bad choices in life and gotten yourself hung up in things you can’t get yourself out of, He has not abandoned you. In fact He has already begun making a way for you.

He is creating a path through the desolation. In the place where it doesn’t seem possible, He is making a way. Despite the shifting sands and hopeless landscape you might find yourself in right now, God is paving a road for you. Can you not see it? That’s okay, Even if you can’t, just know that help is on the way. Ask God to open your eyes and give you the ability to see what He is doing on your behalf, RIGHT NOW.

The LORD opens the eyes of those who are blind; The LORD raises up those who are bowed down;… Psalm 146:8

Though it may seem that the circumstances are against you. You may be up against a wall with no way out. God is creating a way forward. He is making a path. The Hebrew word used in this verse is derek. (see image on right) The idea behind the word derek is one of treading, setting one’s foot down on objects or territory, with the sense of trampling.

The symbolism of the letters, dalet, reish, kaf (R to L in the above image) reveals a path or way that provides the power of God to transfer us from one state of being to another. Through Holy Spirit, God is enabling the one whose life has been bent down as a result of their own doing, to rise up and stand upright. God is straightening what has been bent over.

This is a path not a magic door. Derek points to something which requires a walking out. It is a way, road, journey, or work which brings us full circle. A derek is a path created by repeated walking.

God is making this path. That means that where there was no way of walking out, now there will be. You may not have been able to get out of your situation or circumstance before now because there just wasn’t a way. NOW THERE WILL BE A WAY.

Once you step on the path God is currently creating for you, it will take you all the way. This is a secure path. It’s a path that will walk you right into full restoration.

As surely as those tiny green buds mean that full blown Spring will be upon us shortly, know that God is making a way for you right now. He is making sure the way is open for you. He is transforming and transitioning you from where you to the place where you will stand with Him fully restored. YEAH!

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

Revelation 21:5 NASB