Monday, March 13, 2017

Devotion 3.14.17

God's Will - Psalm 119

The American male has developed quite the reputation, some of it earned probably.  In the past, I can remember vacations in my small family (dad, mom, and me), and I remember getting what we called "turned around."  That meant we were lost, but we didn't call it lost.  We called it "turned around."  "Don, why don't we stop?" I would hear my mother say.  Dad, though, had different ideas because we could just go back to that point where the turn in "turned around" occurred.

I've gotten turned around in adulthood, but I'm a true believer in "the map."  You've heard of them.  As a history person, geography was part of our study, and I love maps.  Maps to travel with, maps to fish with, maps that show demographics - concentrations of the population, historical maps, and battle maps (Civil War).  I use maps, and in the advent and evolution of cell technology, I plug in the city or coordinates and listen as the voice, usually a woman's, tells me how to get where we are going.  In the unexpected turn where we now get "turned around," I'm quick to stop and ask why, probably because I am loathe to waste time.

I note with interest how much we talk about God's will in our lives.  "What does God want me to learn from this?" or "What is God's will in this decision?" I read it on social media, hear it said as people confront decisions on a scale of easy to difficult, and listen to it as someone talks to me about issues they face.  We ask these when we face decisions with our children, with our families, about vocation, perhaps location of vocation (facing a move), and other life events. 

David, in his longest psalm (119), focuses on God's Word by breaking it down.  David, who talks to God and searches for his Word and its meaning in his life, gives us words to use as we do the same.  "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (119:105) 

In those moments when we ask, like the maps we have access to, we know where to turn when we confront issues.  Christ had just taught on the realities of eternal life and how to obtain "the bread of life," which turned many of his disciples away.  Christ looked at the twelve and asked if they wanted to leave as well to which Peter said, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life...." (John 6:66) In all likelihood, we know God's will in our lives, so when we face those decisions in our lives, rather than get "turned around," we pray and go to God's Word and ask for the Spirit to give us a measure of wisdom. 


Hope Men's Ministry

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