OUR WAY MAKER

“I will go before you and MAKE the CROOKED PLACES STRAIGHT; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron” – Isaiah 45:2

The LORD GOD is OUR WAY MAKER: “I will go before you and MAKE the CROOKED PLACES STRAIGHT; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron”  (Isa.45:2). No gates of bronze or bars of iron can stop our God. We meditated on His promises yesterday and the day before: “Thus says the Lord, who MAKES A WAY IN the SEA and a PATH THROUGH the MIGHTY WATERS… Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even MAKE A ROAD in the WILDERNESS and RIVERS in the DESERT” (Isa.43: 16-17, 19). Whatever the context may be – the Sea, mighty waters, wilderness, or desert – God makes Ways for His people as He pleases. He is unstoppable!

Today’s Bible passage reveals that King Cyrus’s many victories, and the power and wealth he gained through them, were all God-ordained. God prepared the way so that Cyrus could conquer Babylon and release the Jews, even when he did not know God and was unaware that God was using him to carry out His purposes for Israel (vv. 1-4). To Cyrus, his release of the captive Jews was a relatively minor event in his long and glorious career, but in the eyes of God it was the purpose for which he had risen to global influence. When people recognize this as God’s doing, they will praise Him as the only true God (vv. 5-7). Israel, meanwhile, would enter a new era of abundant divine blessings (v.8).

Some Israelites probably questioned God’s wisdom in using a heathen king to bring about their restoration. God replied that they have no right to query Him or question the way He deals with His children (vv.9-11). God is the Creator and Controller of the Universe. He had used Cyrus to give the Jews their freedom and the opportunity to rebuild Jerusalem without them struggling to do anything. For this they should be thankful to God: “I have raised him up in righteousness, and I WILL DIRECT ALL HIS WAYS; He shall build My city and let My exiles go free, not for price nor reward,” says the Lord of hosts” (v.13). If the Lord could call and direct all the ways of a heathen king for the sake of His people, what will He not do for us?

God always works to a plan, whether in creation or in human history. He never loses control of events. God will be true to His Word and do for His people what He has purposed for us, irrespective of the barriers or obstacles on the way. God is always working on our behalf, even behind the scenes where we can’t fully see. In that place where we see no way out, in that struggle where we see no solution, in that problem where we seem to have no answer, let’s lay all before Him –  every worry, every care, and every anxiety. Let’s be reminded that He is with us always. He knows the way, and has a plan.

A song-writer says: “Our God is a Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper and Light in the darkness – That’s Who You are”!

When we can’t see a way out, God has it all figured out. We sometimes face circumstances in life that appear impossible to resolve. But, regardless of how hopeless such might seem to be, God is able to make a way for us. We must believe that He is working behind the scenes even when we feel like giving up or like there is no point in holding on to hope: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Let’s trust God and keep the faith, fixing our eyes on Jesus, not on the circumstances, believing that God will do the impossible. He will make a way for us as we trust in His perfect timing (Ecc. 3:1).