Where do you want to go today?

"Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." - Psalm 86:11

For all his flaws, King David understood the heart of God. I think that if I had written this psalm, it would have read, "Tell me your plan, O Lord, and I will get there any way I can; give me the all the details so the future won’t be such a frightening prospect." But David knew that if he had the whole picture, he would likely miss the point.

And just what is the point? We follow God, not to get somewhere, but to be something. God, I think, is much more interested in journey than in the destination. God is more concerned with who we are, than with where we are. Often times we get caught up with what task or to which position God may be leading us — should we stay with this job, or move to another — when God is trying to lead us into a certain character quality or attitude, and he may be able to use either physical location to achieve his purposes.

Perhaps you feel like the Children of Israel when they wandered for 40 years in the desert. You've seen this scenery before! If you find yourself walking in circles, God may want you to learn how to respond to those circumstances righteously before he moves you to your promised land. Don't give up hope. God has not abandoned you. In fact, it is just the opposite! God may want to teach you humility or boldness, hospitality or mercy; whatever the lesson may be, God wants to make you into the image of Jesus Christ.

Homework this week: Pray the following prayer from Thomas Merton—Thoughts in Solitude.

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Popular posts from this blog

The Power of a Memory

“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, " This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. " In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, " This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me ." —1 Corinthians 11:23-25 Has it ever happened to you? You walk into a room and suddenly the sight, smell, or feel of that room transports you thousands of miles to your grandmother’s house? In an instant you are 10 again. It is so real that you could almost walk to the kitchen and grab a cookie. What you have just experienced is the power of a memory. Our brains catalog, not just the sequence of events, but the sounds, sights, smells, tastes and touches of those events and places as well. And every time we come into contact with those senses again, our brain, quick as lightni
Read more

Commission

"Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you." —1 Thessalonians 3:1 Each year, we at Faith participate in commissioning several mission teams. We declare that those who go out from us in mission are “Ambassadors” not only of God’s Kingdom, but also of the Faith family. When I tell friends and colleagues at other churches about our missions involvement, they are consistently astonished, both at the number of trips we take, and the number of participants on those trips. After participating in so many commissionings, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect this past Sunday as you commissioned the Guatemala trip. I have been looking forward to this trip for many months; but as you commissioned us, the trip became real. I felt a deep joy swell over me, both that I had the opportunity to go, and that the church, my church, was praying for me and sending me out. I don’t know that I will
Read more

Final Thoughts

For almost three years, you and I have lived the Faith life together. We have worshiped, served in mission, studied scripture, and lived life together. As Kristin and I prepare to embark on a new adventure (with a slightly larger family than when we came to you) we are thankful for the opportunities we have had at Faith. In my time at Faith I have written over 120 articles on various themes. Today I write my last article to you. Final thoughts are often the hardest to come by. There is an urge to cram every important thought into the single page, after all, I’ll never have another chance to speak to you in this way. I have wrestled in my own mind over what to say here. Ultimately, I chose what I believe is the most important. Worship is a matter of submission to God, of seeing His majesty, of recognizing our own frailty, and submitting to His will and way. Worship is not found in the emotion of a song, or the swing of a hammer, it is found in the heart that does those things out of
Read more