Unfamiliar Paths

   “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth.  These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”  Isaiah 42:16 NIV

   When my sons were 9 and 12 years old many years ago, my husband, Joe, and I finally faced the fact that we could no longer afford to live in New Jersey.  As we began the painful process of moving far away from our friends and family, we started searching for our new home in Pennsylvania.  God moved mightily and enabled us to find a home, secure a mortgage, and close on our new house in only nine days.  As I drove to my children’s old school for the last time to pick them up, I was met in the hallway by the school principal.  She could see right away that I had been crying.  She looked me in the eye and said, “You are not leaving because you want to, but because you have to, am I right?”  As I nodded “yes” to her question, she put her arms around me, and I literally cried on her shoulder.

   Leaving behind familiar people and places was extremely difficult for my family and me.  But as I look back now, I can clearly see that God had orchestrated the entire thing.  It was here in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, where I surrendered my life to Christ, and began teaching my children the Word of God.  It was here where my son, Joseph, launched the first successful Bible Club in the history of his public high school – a club that touched and changed countless lives in our community and beyond.  When Joseph graduated, my son, John, took over the club, where he met a new member named Amy, who became his wife some years later.  Joseph attended a college in our community, and joined the campus Bible Club, where he met his future wife, Miriam.  And it was here in this home that John launched his Christian Music website and ministry, which would reach millions of people for Christ – and which God would use to launch my own ministry.

   If I had known what God had planned for my family here in Pennsylvania, I would never have felt so devastated when we had to move.  But I didn’t know.  And neither did my loved ones.  I am reminded of God’s precious promise in Isaiah 42:16 (NIV): “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth.  These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”  The Lord has me sharing all this with you today because of the “unfamiliar paths” that He has waiting for you up ahead.  I urge you today – Don’t be afraid!  Trust Him.  Cling to Him.  Believe His Word and His promises.  And know that the paths He leads you on will be brimming with His very best blessings!

   Lord, when it is in my best interests for You to lead me along unfamiliar paths, give me the wisdom, strength, and courage I need to follow You wholeheartedly.  Help me to lean heavily on You and Your Word, so that I can resist the fear and doubt that would prevent me from trusting in You.  Thank You that as I cling to You and Your promises, You will lead me along the paths of Your greatest blessings, breakthroughs, and opportunities! 

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