forest

Show Me The Way

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. Psalm 25:405 NKJV

Often when David got in trouble, he went to the wilderness of Judea to hide. This Psalm is really his prayer and it had a lot of practical as well as spiritual meaning. In the desert finding the right way could mean the difference between life and death.  P1040698That reminds me of one day when I was twelve. My friend and I decided to spend that Saturday afternoon exploring the woods behind his house. We loved the mystery of discovering whatever lay just over the next hill and watching squirrels playing high above us in the sugar maples.

 

Eventually we came out to the shore of a lake where we lingered for a while skipping stones over the water.

P1040691 It was a great day until we tried finding our way home. Without fence lines, streams or other landmarks to follow we plodded aimlessly through dense underbrush without success. After an hour finally, we burst through some buses and found ourselves on the road about a mile from Steve’s house.

P1040702  When life feels like wandering through a forest God knows the way. When we ask; “Show me your ways.” He answers; “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father but by me!” John 14:6

 

Then God Answers

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And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”  Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour

Matthew 15:27-28

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When Jesus said, “Great is your faith!” it is interesting to see that she had two kinds of faith operating here at the same time. The first faith said, “Jesus can heal my daughter.” While the second, “He wants to heal my daughter.”.

Most of us when we are praying believe that God is able to grant our request. God’s ability is tied directly to His existence. If there is a God He is certainly able to do anything. But for us to have the great faith of this woman we must also pass in the dark testing so then we will know His true joy when the ray of hope breaks through

In spite of His silence she continued to believe that He was listening. In spite of the discouragement by His disciples she continued to ask. Finally in the face of seeming refusal she continued to believe that Jesus was truly willing to give her the help that she needed.

The source of our answer to our plea for grace is unfailing but it often lies at the bottom of the well of humility. Will you and me, like this woman accept grace on any terms. Will we be willing to take the lowest place possible? It is not that God is out to humiliate us but He is inviting us to a deeper fellowship with Him, who came as a servant of all!