In these words of Isaiah the Lord contrasts two kinds of people. The description of the first person seems quite strange to me. This is a person who appears to be a serious believer. He fears the Lord, obeys his word, trusts in the name of the Lord, and depends on God. And yet, very strangely, he is described as walking in darkness and having no light.
Can this truly be a description of a sincere believer? Is it right to speak of believers walking in the dark?
I certainly can identify with this person. How often I feel that it is hard to see the way forward. I want to follow the Lord, to be a faithful servant, obedient to his word, but it is sometimes hard to know really what he wants of me, where he expects me to go, or what he wants me to do. Surely, I tell myself, this cannot be right. There must be something wrong with me. Perhaps I can figure things out on my own.
But this kind of thinking brings me too close to the description of the second person. This second person seems to have a lot of light. He has a fire he has built himself and even a few torches he has lit from his fire. With these he feels confident he can find his way forward. He does not need to depend on the vagueness of God's guidance. He will make his own light.
God's judgment of this self-sufficient kind of lack of faith is quite harsh. The end of this person will only be torment.
It is the nature of our walk with God that sometimes things are not so clear. Some have suggested that God purposely lets it be that way so that we will continue to "walk by faith and not by sight." If we had everything laid out clearly before us, we would have little need for God, for those essential qualities that include the fear of the Lord, obedience, trust, and reliance on him alone. God wants us to be completely dependent him, never trusting our own strength or ability to see what lies ahead.
- 11 DECEMBER -