Oh Lord, if your voice is so loud and mighty, why do we seem to have such difficulty hearing you? Is it because, sometimes, you also speak in a whisper? Help us to listen for you at all times and in all places.
Lord, I’ve got a problem; I need your direction. Help me find the words I need; show me what I should do. As I pray, however, I realize that you’ve already answered me. You gave me what I need to know today in the lessons you taught me in the dark moments of yesterday. You taught me well and those experiences will guide me through this problem. Thank you, Lord, for the troubling and challenging times of my life. They have prepared and strengthened me for the trials of today and the tougher challenges of tomorrow. Thank you, God, for giving me guidance; may I be wise enough to follow your advice!
A few seconds into my ascent of a steep Mayan pyramid, I realized I was going to be in trouble. Foolishly (and out of pride), I barged ahead. I knew the scramble up the steep rocks wouldn’t be the hard part for me; it would be the trip back down. I’m fearful of heights and the descent necessitated facing outward and seeing the steepness and height! I easily made it to the peak. The magnificent view took my breath away, not because of its beauty, but because of my fear of the return trip. As I neared the edge to make my descent, I felt the panic begin. I had gotten myself into this predicament but how was I ever going to get out of it? “One step at a time,” was His answer. God held my hand as I slowly sidestepped down the huge blocks of stone. Whenever I paused to look up to see how far I’d come or down to see how far I had to go, I would panic again. The pyramid seemed to get bigger and steeper with every step; I felt like I wasn’t getting any closer to the bottom. “Just keep going, you’ll get there eventually,” were the reassuring words I heard. So, I prayed, trusted God and took it one step at a time. I was okay, not happy, but okay. In fact, in spite of my fear, I found myself encouraging other hesitant climbers.
In our lives, we often charge ahead, knowing full well that we’re likely to end up in trouble. Over and over again, Lord, you have to bail us out of difficult situations. Thank you for being there; forgive us our foolishness when we should know better! Give us sense enough to recognize the difference between expanding our horizons and being fool-hardy or downright stupid! Thank you for holding our hands and guiding us back to safety, one step at a time. When we feel we’re not progressing, thank you, Lord, for making your presence known and urging us on. As you reassure us, thank you, Lord, for enabling us to encourage others we meet along the way.
Thank you for reminding us that we’re not the ones with the answers, Lord; it is you. Our very best plans are nothing when compared with yours. Let us not forget that no matter how hard we try to make our plans successful, unless they are also part of your design, our plans will fail. Truly, what you want for us is infinitely wiser and better than anything we could conceive of by ourselves. You’re the boss!
Thank you, Lord, for providing us with all we need to navigate the challenges of life. With the Bible as our guidebook and the Lord Jesus leading the way, we can stay on the right road.
Remember, if you’re headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns! [Allison Gappa Bottke]
The Christian is not one who has gone all the way with Christ. None of us has. The Christian is one who has found the right road. [Charles L. Allen]
When we’re at a banquet, do we simply look at the food or do we eat it? Do we nibble just a bit or do we really dig in, relishing all of the wonderful flavors and textures? We have a banquet of wisdom in the Bible and it’s waiting for us to feast on it. Let’s eat His words!
