Previous Reflections
REFLECTIONS
July 24, 2011
Show me your ways, O Lord,
teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalms 25:4-5
Uncertainties
Many’s the time I have looked in the water and had no reflection to show. And many’s the time I have come to a crossroad not knowing which way to go. These words from a song made popular by the Oak Ridge Boys ring often in my mind. Although the Psalms assure us that the Lord is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, all too often we are uneasy when can’t see what lies ahead and uncertain when there is more than one path to choose. It seems God intends for our lives to be filled with uncertainties.
Joseph must have felt uncertain about his life’s purpose when he was thrown in prison for a crime he did not commit. Moses surely felt that doors of opportunity closed behind him when he fled to Midian after killing an Egyptian aggressor. David must have believed his destiny was the life of a shepherd before God summoned him to be a king.
And poor choices are nothing new either. The men Moses sent to explore Canaan convinced him that the land could not be conquered, so the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years. Jonah ran away from Nineveh because he didn’t want to go there; and Elijah forgot about God’s protection when he ran from Jezebel in fear for his life.
Even the disciples faced uncertainties as they watched their leader die an agonizing death on a cross. Their future was uncertain and their way unclear until their answer came. "Go and make disciples of all nations… And surely I will be with you always."
Every day is challenged by the mysteries that tomorrow might bring and questions of which paths to travel. But there are important lessons from our uncertainties. God uses them to cause us to look toward him. God moves our lives like chess pieces and He uses our uncertainties to keep us still while He moves other pieces into position. Only when all is right will He place the lamp at our feet and enlighten our path.
Meanwhile, in our uncertainties let us pray for God to show us his ways, teach us his paths, and guide us in his truth knowing that of two things we can be sure. We are right where God wants us to be.
And surely He will be with us always.
You are the light of the world,
RichardÌ
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