Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Psalms 25:4 NKJV
Some days I feel lost, and hemmed in like the children of Israel at the Red Sea. But when I don’t know which way to go in life, then with David I can cry, “Show me your ways O Lord. Teach me Your paths!” Psalm 25:4 NKJV And just as He promises, God listens and directs our path.
When things seem dark and confusing, John tells us that, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John 1:5 NLT And God lights up the dark places and comforts our souls, like a child who crawls into bed with mom and dad on a scary night.
And in those moments when we feel like failures and taking the next step seems impossible, Paul shares what Jesus told him, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV God doesn’t only use strong, smart and perfect people. He loves most to work with small, weak and broken people just like us so that He can show us His power, His love and His mercy. Then, He sends us to others to share that knowing and trusting in Him is the only real hope that anyone can have and that no matter what we face that He is enough!
God the Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer's; He makes me tread on my high places. Habakkuk 3:19 ESV
I haven’t been posting much because we have been traveling the country, visiting our family over the last two weeks. Seeing our sons, our grandchildren and in-laws has been a wonderful though exhausting experience. When I stopped into Walmart to get the oil changed yesterday, I learned that we had logged 4,300 miles, but it has been worth it to see our granddaughter at ballet practice, our grandson holding a baby goat and our boys who are now grown men! In spending a birthday with one of our older grandsons, he chose among the activities of his special day, to watch his cousin’s speech class presentation day. As the teacher opened the session, she began with a quote that really stuck with me. “Some people say that practice makes perfect. But practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes progress!”
How often in our Christian walk do we beat ourselves up, or stress out over mistakes and feel like quitting, because we have not attained that “Perfect” status that we hoped for? That was certainly the situation which the prophet Habakkuk faced in today’s verse. He had done his best praying, preaching and setting a good example for the people that God had called him to serve. Yet most folks ignored his advice and had fallen deeply into the sins of idol worship and sexual immorality. The armies of the Babylonian empire were now destroying his nation, burning the temple and putting an end to the kingdom that God had once given to King David. Things couldn’t have looked worse. Habakkuk saw that no matter how hard he tried or how persuasively he preached, that his version of success was not to be, and yet God gave him hope. In his darkest moments, Habakkuk discovered that God was still his strength and God was still in charge of the spiritual progress that he was going to make. No matter the cliffs of impossible situations, hopeless battles or dark days ahead, God would give him feet as sure footed as a wild deer. God showed him that even in those places he could walk and not fall. God is also our hope, our refuge and our strength in the bleak circumstances that sometimes surround us, our families and our nation. We can have hope because our God doesn’t demand our perfect response to terrible circumstances or perplexing people. Instead, He takes weaklings like you and me and gives us strength. He makes us as sure-footed and graceful as a deer so that we can make progress day by day as we walk with Him up onto the highest places of all!
As we will be traveling for three weeks, starting tomorrow, the posts will be few and far between. This devotional from several years ago encourages me as we head off towards our own distant horizons.
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalms 121:1-2 ESV
When life is all tea and roses, it seems obvious to us that tomorrow will be the same or better. But when the rose petals darken from early frost and our teacups fall and smash to pieces, our forecast changes. Weaknesses, hospital stays and doctor visits clamor to fill up our calendar. On those days where is our hope? The psalmist says he looks out as far as his eyes can see, and on his horizon lie distant hills. Beyond those hills is a new and uncharted territory. What things lie behind them? When we have passed our farthest horizon what then? Then God’s answer echoes back from the hills: – “My help comes from the Lord!” The God who created those hills will still walk with us beyond our farthest horizons to the very ends of the earth!
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