It’s in the Bending

“This is what the Lord says—
    your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
    who teaches you what is best for you,
    who directs you in the way you should go.” Isaiah 48:17 NIV

I love this verse. It holds promise and hope.

I am in a season of seeking and not knowing and learning to trust. I really WANT God to teach me what is best for me and direct me in the way I should go. I really WANT writing to appear on the wall and clearly state what I should do. Maybe neon lights…

No more second guessing and hoping I’m making the right choices…

The last line in the ESV says, “…who leads you in the way you should go.”

Here’s the deal.

I KNOW that God knows what’s ahead. He knows what is best for me, and can see how everything will work together. So even though I don’t know what’s coming, I know the One who does know. Make sense?

The Hebrew words for “lead” and “way” are very similar. I love finding word-plays in the original language that we often miss. The Hebrew words are as follows:

דָּרַךְ (darak)
*lead, cause to go
*bend a bow

דֶּרֶךְ (derek)
*way, road, direction
*journey
*manner, habit
*course of life

The original words look almost identical and sound almost the same.

Darak derek.

So…

Looking at the definition for darak, at first I thought that the words “bend a bow” seemed really weird and didn’t really fit.

Until I pondered it a bit.

How is leading like bending a bow?
How is being led like being a bow that is being bent?

Sometimes being led can feel uncomfortable and can even be painful.
Without being bent, a bow is just a stick and is completely powerless.

It is in the bending that power is built up to be released.
It is in the bending that purpose and direction are given.
It is in the bending that the course can be charted.

Losing my job last month hurt. A lot.

But would I have changed direction on my own? Most likely not.
Would I have missed another purpose? Maybe. Probably.
Would I have learned to lean into the One leading me? Not nearly this much.

I don’t know the ending to this part of my journey,
but I trust the Bender.
He made me and knows me and loves me.
I don’t know how the job hunt will play out,
but I trust the Bender.

Because when His timing is right, and He releases me forward, His power will be sending me to just the right place and purpose and situation.

Maybe you’re in a weird spot right now. Maybe things are tough and you feel like you are being bent. Ask God to lead you. He teaches us what is best for us and leads us if we let Him.

May we always be willing to be bent (led) and keep our eyes on the One who Knows.