1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Hello, thank you for listening to your Daily 2 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:17,279 Speaker 1: Bible Verse, the podcast that examines one verse each day 3 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:19,439 Speaker 1: to learn more about God and his will for us. 4 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:22,960 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Carol McCracken, and after a short word 5 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 1: from our sponsor, we'll dive into today's Bible verse Isaiah 6 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: thirty twenty one. Today's Bible verses Isaiah thirty twenty one. 7 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:44,520 Speaker 1: Whether you turn to the right to the left, your 8 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:47,440 Speaker 1: ears will hear a voice behind you saying this is 9 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 1: the way walking it if you don't wish God would 10 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: just say that clearly somehow when you're trying to make 11 00:00:54,840 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: a decision, because sometimes it's not a big spiritual decision life. 12 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: Where do I live? What can I afford? What do 13 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:08,479 Speaker 1: I do when nothing feels ideal? I've been walking through 14 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 1: that tension. My lease is up. Where I live now 15 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 1: is fine. It's budget friendly, but no frills. It was 16 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:18,680 Speaker 1: supposed to be temporary, but temporary has stretched longer than 17 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 1: I expected because of my husband's health. So I started 18 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: looking one place I really wanted it. Checked the boxes, 19 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 1: but it was out of reach financially, and honestly, they 20 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:33,279 Speaker 1: weren't exactly responsive. That matters more than we sometimes admit 21 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 1: another place. I didn't expect to like it at all, 22 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 1: busy traffic, near an entertainment menu, but I walked in 23 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:47,039 Speaker 1: and thought, oh, I actually like this. Only problem no availability. 24 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: And then there's my current place. The rent didn't go up, 25 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: and I told myself when it went up, that would 26 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 1: be my signal to move. And I have a three 27 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 1: bedroom for the price of a two bedroom because of 28 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: a little movement snapped thoo, they good on And I 29 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: found myself wondering, is that God guiding me? Or am 30 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 1: I just settling that question? Does God really guide decisions 31 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:14,079 Speaker 1: like this? Is exactly where Isaiah thirty meets us. Let's 32 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 1: step into that background. The prophet Isaiah's speaking to the 33 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 1: people of Judah during a time of anxiety, instability, and pressure. 34 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: The Assyrian empires threatening them, and they're trying to decide 35 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:29,640 Speaker 1: what to do next. Their instinct is to form an 36 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: alliance with Egypt to solve the problems in a way 37 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: that makes perfect sense on paper. But God calls that 38 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:40,720 Speaker 1: plan rebellion, not because planning is wrong, but because they 39 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: were moving without consulting him, trusting strategy more than relationship, 40 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:48,240 Speaker 1: and right in the middle of that tension. God gives 41 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 1: this promise, your ears will hear a voice behind you. 42 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: That's where this verse becomes incredibly personal. The Hebrew imagery 43 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:00,519 Speaker 1: here reflects the rule of a teacher or God walking 44 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: closely behind a student, not distant or even attached, close 45 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:07,919 Speaker 1: enough to speak in a normal voice and be heard. 46 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,799 Speaker 1: And the phrasing matters whether you turn to the right 47 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:16,079 Speaker 1: or to the left. This a place movement. They're already walking, 48 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: already deciding, already living. God isn't saying to stand still 49 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: until I give you the perfect answer. He's saying, as 50 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: you walk, I will guide. So let's go a little 51 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 1: deeper into the language. The phrase this is the way 52 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: uses the Hebrew word derek, which means a road, a path, 53 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: or a course in life. It's not just about a 54 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: single decision. It's about direction over time and walk in. 55 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:47,520 Speaker 1: It comes from the Hebrew verb hulluk, which means to go, 56 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: to live, to continually move forward. So this isn't a 57 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: one time instruction, It's an ongoing relationship. God isn't handing 58 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: him a map and stepping back. He's walking closely enough 59 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: to guide you in real time, and that reshapes how 60 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: we understand free will and God's will, because we often 61 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: think there must be one exact right choice, and if 62 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: I miss it, I've missed God at least I do. 63 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:20,159 Speaker 1: But this shows us something different. God allows movement and choice. 64 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:24,479 Speaker 1: God allows us to engage our wisdom and our circumstances, 65 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: our desires, and our experience and metting. He guides within 66 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:32,160 Speaker 1: all that which brings me back to my own situation, 67 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 1: the place I want it. It didn't work out, the 68 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:40,600 Speaker 1: place I unexpectedly loved, unavailable, in the place I'm in 69 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: now still open, still affordable, still study, and I started 70 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:50,040 Speaker 1: to see something I haven't noticed before. God's guidence doesn't 71 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,719 Speaker 1: come as a dramatic yess. It came through quiet notes, 72 00:04:54,480 --> 00:05:00,880 Speaker 1: in steady provision, no neon signs, no audible voices, no direction. Nonetheless, 73 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 1: and here's where we need to calibrate our expectations. We 74 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: often expect God's will to feel obvious, exciting, or even ideal, 75 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: but in scripture, God's guidance often looks like a door 76 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:19,599 Speaker 1: that doesn't open, a path that remains steady, provision that continues, 77 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:25,120 Speaker 1: peace that isn't flashy, but it's consistent, that's not settling, 78 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 1: that's been guided so here's some application for today. If 79 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:33,120 Speaker 1: you're facing a decision, especially when it feels ordinary like 80 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:37,480 Speaker 1: my situation did or frustrating Isaiah thirty twenty one gives 81 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: you some framework. First, keep moving forward. Don't wait for 82 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:45,480 Speaker 1: perfect clarity before taking your next step. God often speaks 83 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: as you go, not before you begin. Second, stay relationally aware. 84 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:54,960 Speaker 1: God's guidance is tied to his presence. Talk to him, 85 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:59,040 Speaker 1: invite a pinion, watch just for answers, Look for alignment, 86 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:05,040 Speaker 1: pay attention to patterns. Closed doors, open doors, and sustained 87 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 1: provision are often part of how God leads. Four, Let's go. 88 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:14,679 Speaker 1: Let go rather of perfection pressure. You're not one decision 89 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:17,800 Speaker 1: away from ruining God's plan for your life. This is 90 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:20,560 Speaker 1: a way of thinking. I've had to work on and 91 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:25,480 Speaker 1: maybe most importantly, redefine what good looks like in this season. 92 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 1: Good may not mean ideal. Good may mean wise, sustainable, 93 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:34,320 Speaker 1: and study. Because here's the truth we need to hold 94 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:37,159 Speaker 1: on to. God isn't just concerned with getting you to 95 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:41,720 Speaker 1: the right place. He's committed to walking with you wherever 96 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 1: you are, and sometimes this is the way walk in 97 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:48,640 Speaker 1: it death lead to the place you would choose, but 98 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:51,360 Speaker 1: to the place how she learned to trust him most 99 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:56,200 Speaker 1: and that that's never settling. And that was my big 100 00:06:56,279 --> 00:07:00,599 Speaker 1: lesson this week, which reframed my whole decision making process. 101 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:04,839 Speaker 1: Will you pray with me, dear Lord and Heaven. Thank 102 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: you for getting my attention and slowing me down enough 103 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:11,200 Speaker 1: to observe what you were trying to tell me all along. 104 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: Thank you, Lord for letting me ask questions so that 105 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: I can share answers that I got. I know that 106 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 1: listeners feel the same way, sometimes perhaps in different situations. Lord, 107 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 1: You're always there. It's just cool to me thinking that 108 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:31,040 Speaker 1: you're walking behind, guiding. You're walking behind because you want 109 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 1: me to step forward, you want me to take a direction. 110 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 1: You don't want me just to sit there. But you're 111 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:38,080 Speaker 1: behind me, and if I go the wrong way, you're 112 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 1: going to straighten me out. And that is so comforting. 113 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 1: And I just hope that today somebody can take a 114 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 1: little lift or encouragement from that very thing, and your 115 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: precious name, We pray Amen. Looking for a peaceful way 116 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 1: to end your day, our new sister show. Your nightly 117 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:05,280 Speaker 1: scripture guides you each night through a passage of scripture 118 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 1: along with a calming devotional and evening prayer. It's the 119 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,880 Speaker 1: perfect way to end your day and help you sleep 120 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:16,360 Speaker 1: in peace. Your nightly Scripture is now available on Apple, Spotify, 121 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to podcasts.