Megan Evans, Women’s Ministry Director, LHBC
Deuteronomy 31:8 (ESV)
8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Have you ever gotten lost? If so, then you are familiar with the rush of adrenaline that swells as you gather your bearings. In that moment, it is hard not to panic, but it is often by staying calm that we are able to think clearly and get back onto our intended path. God’s path also can feel hard to navigate. What is my calling? Where and when shall I go next? What is God asking me to do in a particular situation?
If you wrestle with any of these questions like I do from time to time, join me in resting your heart and mind. God only asks us to be faithful. We are rarely shown the entire map of God’s will, but He will faithfully lead us in each step. Faithfulness. It doesn’t mean that we have mustered all the strength or understand the path. The beauty of this word means only that we are to be full of faith. Being full of faith means we are in position to follow. It is the Lord who goes before you.
What incredible comfort and assurance we are given as we follow the Lord. He stays with us, and He promises not to leave us nor forsake us. We don’t have to fear or panic. Instead, pray and seek direction in God’s Word. Ask God to guide you through His Holy Spirit. Full of faith in God’s promises to lead us, we can be free to take bold steps, try new things, and risk stepping out of our comfort—all while holding God’s hand! Will we surrender our will to His?
It can seem overwhelming or confusing sometimes to follow God’s will and serve Him. But again, we don’t have to be dismayed. The great theologian, Charles Spurgeon explained that sometimes we get caught up in thinking that we need to serve Christ by standing on the top rung of the ladder. Perhaps God is leading you to serve Him in some area or has impressed an idea upon your heart. We get stuck sometimes thinking, how do we get there? Spurgeon says, “A better way would be to serve Christ by following Him, by doing the next thing you can do, that simple little thing you are able to do that will bring you no special honor, but which, nevertheless, is what your Lord desires from you.”
What is that next little thing you can do today? Rather than let the magnitude of God’s will paralyze your feet, rest in His leadership. Stay in the following position and ask God, “what’s the next step?”
*Spurgeon, Charles. Following Christ: Losing Your Life For His Sake. Aneko Press, 2018.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father God, thank you for leading me and for never leaving my side. Show me how I can serve you and bring you glory in my life. Teach me how to walk in step with you, Jesus all the days of my life. Amen.
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
1 John 3:18
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.