Isaiah 51:2 “Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for when he was but one I called him, and I blessed him and made him many.” Today's episode talks about what to do when we can't see a way through our troubles. Are they too big for God? When we can't see a way we can look back to all God has done in the past and trust He will do it again. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
What If I Can’t See A Way?
Isaiah 51:2 “Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for when he was but one I called him, and I blessed him and made him many.”
I was very surprised when the Lord gave me this verse in adoration. I took an Unbound training on Monday and was sure the Lord wanted me to talk about forgiveness. However, when I was in adoration I asked the Lord to give me the verse that He wanted me to talk about and this is what I got. Then I was confused because I wasn’t sure where he wanted me to go with it. I mean I can see the value in looking back to see where you came from. Looking back to see those that came before you is a good idea. I understand that and yet I wasn’t sure exactly where He wanted me to take it.
So, I did what I always do in this circumstance, which is to type the words, “meaning of Isaiah 51:2” in the internet search bar. If you are new to listening to this podcast I want to assure you that I know I don’t know it all. I am definitely not a theologian and I am not an expert of scripture by any means. I did not start this podcast because I wanted to impart my wisdom to others, I started this podcast because I wanted to learn more about scripture and then share what I learned with others. I am learning just as all of you are and there is so much I don’t know. Luckily we live in an age where there is so much information at our fingertips. This can for sure be a blessing and a curse but in this instance it is a blessing. After reading two different articles on what this verse meant to them, I finally understood what God wanted me to talk about.
He actually revealed it to me when I was running this morning in part. I think, if I understood correctly, that God wants to reassure us that He will be with us in times of trouble. I know we all know this on a superficial level. I am sure we have all said it to plenty of other people and yet God wants us to know it on a deeper level, on an intimate level. How can we know that if we haven’t seen it before? How can we know that God will show up for us this time if we have never needed Him to show up for us before? How can we know He will show up for us in this circumstance when the last time it was a completely different circumstance? Maybe this is too big of a thing for God.
I just got a feeling in my stomach like that is the thing God wants to talk to today. Have some of you been thinking that your situation might just be too big for God? Have you been scared because although you have heard God is a way maker and He will find a way, you wonder if He will. You can’t see a way and so maybe there isn’t one. If this is you, it’s ok. God understands what you are going though and He gets it. Our brains our limited to earthly constraints. Even if we have seen miracles time and time again our human condition is to doubt miracles will happen and put God in a box that we can understand and we can wrap our heads around.
While I was on my run this morning I was worried because it was a winding road and there were no sidewalks. When I looked up the length of the street I could not see if any cars were coming. However, as I got closer to each turn I could see around the bend to see if there were any cars coming. I felt as if God said, it’s the same with life. If you look too far ahead, you can’t see the way. You can’t see if the dangers and you also can’t see the path. However, as you get closer your path becomes clear.
Have you ever heard the saying that the present is all we ever really have? The past has already happened and the future is yet to come and then when you get to the future it is actually the present. If we want to be less anxious we need to stay in the present moment. I think what God was trying to tell me on my run was not to worry if there were cars up ahead because I would see them when I needed to see them. Are you worrying about things that are yet to come? Are you trying to foresee problems before they even happen. Do you know why this is not a good idea? Eigthy-five percent of things we worry about don’t even end up happening. Think about how much time you have wasted worrying about stuff that never happened. I bet it is a lot. God is saying, if you need to worry, I will give you time to worry. Well, he is actually telling us all throughout the Bible not to worry. However, I think what he was saying was that we will see what we need to see when we need to see it.
This verse above addresses our worry and anxiety, which we all have so much of these days. “Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for when he was but one I called him, and I blessed him and made him many.” God is reminding us in this verse that He blessed Abraham and Sarah and told them they would have more descendants than the number of stars in the sky when they didn’t have any children. Think of how hard it must have been for them to believe that. Yet they did believe it and they went on believing it for 25 years before they had their son Issac. Did they wait perfectly? No, at one point Sarah tried to take it into her own hands and had her husband sleep with her handmaid to have a baby. They weren’t perfect, but they did believe and God did come through on His promise, just as He will for you too!
I feel as if God wants you to know He sees you in your situation. He knows how hard it is to wait. He sees you hurting and He wants you to keep believing that He is with you, even when you can’t see a way out, even when you can’t see how He can help you. He wants you to look back and see the miraculous things He has done in the past and believe that He will do the same for you. That is the hard part, isn’t it? It’s no that you don’t believe God can do it, it is that you struggle to believe you are worthy enough for Him to do it, or that He loves you enough to do it. Let me tell you right now, you are just as worthy as any of us. God loves you more than you could ever know. He would do anything to show His love for you, and He did. He gave it all just for you. Even if you were the only one on earth, God would have still sent His son. Isn’t that incredible?
I am so sorry life is so hard right now. I am sorry you have cancer. I am sorry your loved one is in the hospital, I am sorry you have chronic pain. I am sorry you are suffering. I truly believe that God wants me to tell you He is there with you. He is in the hospital bed with you. He is sitting by the hospital bed with you. He is with you every moment of every day. If you can’t see a way through this, if you can’t think of a possible solution, God wants you to look back to all the things He has done in the past. Not just Abraham, the parting of the red sea, the walls of Jericho, the manna on the dessert ground every morning, the healings, the signs and wonders. If you can’t see a way, join the club, you are not the only one. The apostles had no idea how to feed thousands of people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread, yet Jesus found a way. There is a way through whatever it is you are experiencing. God wants you to know it is ok if you can’t see it. He is asking you, “Can you look back at the past and believe I can do it, even if you can’t see how I can do it?” What do you think? Can you believe it before you see it? Abraham had to wait 25 years, Noah was building the arc, waiting for the flood he couldn’t see for 100 years. Can you wait without seeing for your miracle, your help, your way through, you answers?
Dear Heavenly Father I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, we want to believe you will rescue us. We believe, help our unbelief. Lord, we thank you for all the amazing things you have done in the past. We thank you for being here with us every step of the way even if we don’t see you. Holy Spirit help us to see where God is in this very moment. Help us look at all we are going through and see the places where God helped us. Open our eyes and give us spiritual insight into our situation. We love you Lord and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. My book is for sale on my website right now. If you buy from my website I will write a personal message and sign it before sending it to you. Click Here for the book and Click Here for my website in the show notes. I also want to remind you that I send out a weekly newsletter with one of my podcast episodes, the most popular ones, and also an update on what is going on in my life. When you sign up you also get an audio training on how to invite Jesus into your everyday life. Click Here to sign up for the Newsletter! Thank you for all your support, I really appreciate it! I look forward to meeting you hear again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed day!