"O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, how you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.' Then you will defile your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say no to them, 'Away with you!'" (Isaiah 30:19-22)

Sometimes the Lord gives us the bread of adversity and the water of affliction. Sometimes he withdraws truth from us and gives us a dearth of his word. Can we really say we deserve anything else? Look how we have treated his truth and maligned those who spoke it. Look at our idols. Look at our sins.

But how gracious is God towards his chosen people! How he forgives us our sins! How he is so quick to hear our prayers when our hearts are brought to repentance and we cry out to him. Adversity and affliction drive us to the cross and to our knees. He does not afflict his people from his heart (Lamentations 3:33), but always because they need it.

Then how we appreciate his word! How wonderful it is when the dry period of absence of sound teaching is graciously replaced by faithful teachers who will no longer be hidden, but visible to our eyes! Their voices echo in our hearts, as the great truths of God's grace speak to us in our daily walk, gently telling us, "this is the way; walk in it."

May we be ever grateful that God places evangelists, pastors, and teachers in our lives so that their faithful teaching becomes active and real in our minds, illumined there by the Holy Spirit. May it not take the dearth of the word, although frequently it does, to give profound thanks to God for that voice behind us showing us the way to walk. It is only when that voice is continually heard behind the saints of God that they will defile their idols and images and say, "Away with you!"