In the previous verses of Isaiah 43, God was taking Isaiah – and us by extension – through all the amazingly powerful things He had done. Then He is recorded as saying,

But forget all that — it is
nothing compared to what
I am going to do.

God said He would make paths in the wilderness and rivers in dry wasteland. His reason? To take care of His people.

He wanted His people to have refreshing after their captivity. He had rescued them and knew they needed to be restored, their fears and anxieties relieved, the hurts of their captors washed away.

Aren’t we in that same need? God has said He will rescue us and for many of us, He has.

C’mon Faye, what has He rescued us from?

If you’re a believer, He has rescued you from hell and an eternity without Him. He has rescued you from a life without real meaning.

If you’re like me and have been held captive by the traumas of your past, He has rescued you from the vicious cycle of trying and failing because the lies of the past are like the heaviest chains that drag you back to that past over and over again.

If you’re addicted to something – drugs, alcohol, gambling, porn, perfectionism, etc. God rescued you from the captivity of that.

Then, when we’re up out of the pit of despair, He steadies us and helps us make our way. He provides pure water to splash on our tired and dirty faces and drink to our heart’s content. He makes a path for us to walk that is free of the entanglements of our mess and walks alongside us in it.

Oh, dear one! He has made a way for us! Not to merely be unfastened from our chains of captivity where we stand wobbly on feet unsure.

He made a way for us to be refreshed – inside and out – and to walk away from that which enslaved us.

All we have to do is reach up to Him.

Coffee, Bible, Journal.