First the prophet praises the Lord for the way He humbles the proud---and by this I believe he means those who eschew the Lord in favor of doing things on their own and who boast in themselves instead of in the Lord. "He humbles those who dwell on high, He lays the lofty city low; He levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust. Feet trample it down---the feet of the oppressed, the footsteps of the poor." (Isaiah 26:5-6)
The one who exalts himself will be brought low; the one who exalts the Lord will be lifted up. In the verses above we find the arrogant brought low and the humble lifted up. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5:5 that the meek would inherit the earth; we see the prophet Isaiah proclaiming the same message. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament we find the Lord stating that He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
I don't believe the words of caution against being prideful are words instructing us to have no self-esteem. Our identity is in the Lord and there is no greater sense of self worth than to know we are the child of the Most High King! There is also nothing sinful about feeling satisfied with a job well done as long as we acknowledge the Lord for giving us the strength and intelligence to perform that job. I believe the pride in view here is carnal pride, the type of pride where a person says, "I don't need anybody's help! Everything I have, I've done on my own. Why should I consult the Lord about my decisions or credit the Lord for what I've achieved?" A person who says this does not realize that they wouldn't even exist if the Lord had not created them. They are not taking into account the fact that they owe their health and their mental capacity and their talents to the Lord. Without Him, not a single one of us could draw the next breath, much less achieve anything of worthwhile value.
There is nothing more worthwhile we can do than live our lives according to the guidance of the Lord, which is why Isaiah says, "The path of the righteous is level; You, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth." (Isaiah 26:7) The prophet isn't promising that our walk through this world will be easy but that the Lord will make the path plain to us.
Like a loving and responsible parent, the Lord is always willing and ready to wisely direct our steps. He wants us to come to Him for all of our big decisions. Isaiah's life as a prophet certainly wasn't easy but because he allowed the Lord to direct his steps, his path was made plain to him. In addition to making the path plain to us, the Lord will remove any obstacles along the way and He will do it at the right time and in the right manner. He will do it in such a way as to bring Himself glory so He can strengthen our faith. Have there ever been obstacles moved out of your path that were not moved by human means? Did it appear that there was no way for them to move but suddenly they were taken away? I have experienced that a number of times in my fifty-four years on earth and those experiences strengthened my faith because I knew that nothing I did cleared the path for me. It was the work of the Lord.
Isaiah cautions us to wait for the instruction of the Lord and he encourages us to delight in the Lord and to praise Him for His works on our behalf. "Yes, Lord, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for You; Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for You in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for You." (Isaiah 26:7-9a)
Day and night, Isaiah was focused upon the Lord, waiting for His instructions, praising Him for His provision. When we live our lives like this, we live lives of satisfaction. We live lives of hope. We live lives where we stay on the path far more than we stumble off of it. If you have a big decision to make, there is no better way to make it than to pray earnestly to the Lord until He makes the choice clear to you. If you have been praying and you still don't see the way yet, wait until you do. I have gotten ahead of the Lord several times in my life and it was always a mistake. Even if the choice I made was the choice He would have told me to make, it needed to be made on His timing and not on mine. I've always regretted it every time I've gone ahead and made a choice without waiting for a clear answer from Him. He loves us and wants to make the path plain to us. He doesn't want us making wrong choices or making right choices at the wrong time. The Lord knows what is best for us and He knows when we are ready to handle a great blessing. Isaiah's words to us today clearly demonstrate the best way to go about making decisions---and the best way is always to consult the Lord and to wait for His answer.
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