July 17
Finding the Way Home
But Jehoshaphat … said … “First seek the counsel of the Lord.”
1 Kings 22:5 (NIV)
Many of us learn by trial and error and hopefully we learn by our mistakes, but the best way to learn is to trust God—to consult His Word, to pray and seek His counsel.
As I read this verse this morning, it reminded me of the time I ventured onto a woodlot with my father deep in the heart of Maine. It was an unplanned side trip at the end of a busy day. We had spent most of our time visiting property we were more familiar with, but this was supposed to be just a short excursion. So, we decided to stop and look. Since my dad had fifty-years of experience in the woods, I wasn’t worried about getting lost.
We arrived in a bit of a hurry and so didn’t take a compass … or a map. Big mistake! With little more than a walking stick, we left the car on the side of the dirt road and headed out. Well, as we went deeper onto the land we somehow got turned around. Now without a compass or map, we looked to the sky. Unfortunately, the heavy overcast blocked the sun from giving us any clue on our direction. Hmmm…. I checked the trees. It was a younger stand with no moss. The truth became a heavy weight: we were hopelessly lost!
With this new burden we trudged ahead as best we could, but found we were on wet ground, in a sea of trees. The sun was going down, and we had no provision for a cold night in the woods. What had started out as a potential twenty-minute stroll in the woods turned into nearly two hours of floundering—ankle-deep floundering at this point.
As the light began to fade, I did the only thing I could do. I prayed. While Dad stopped for a rest, I looked past the graying canopy to my Heavenly Father. And would you believe it … even before I finished, He answered. For just then, I heard it. It was the faint but beautiful sound of trucks on the highway—the bearing we needed to orient us. It was an answer to prayer … and our way home.
Lord, sometimes I forget to ask for directions, but You know the way, and You want to show me. Lead me, Lord … lead me all the way home! Amen.
Finding the Way Home
But Jehoshaphat … said … “First seek the counsel of the Lord.”
1 Kings 22:5 (NIV)
Many of us learn by trial and error and hopefully we learn by our mistakes, but the best way to learn is to trust God—to consult His Word, to pray and seek His counsel.
As I read this verse this morning, it reminded me of the time I ventured onto a woodlot with my father deep in the heart of Maine. It was an unplanned side trip at the end of a busy day. We had spent most of our time visiting property we were more familiar with, but this was supposed to be just a short excursion. So, we decided to stop and look. Since my dad had fifty-years of experience in the woods, I wasn’t worried about getting lost.
We arrived in a bit of a hurry and so didn’t take a compass … or a map. Big mistake! With little more than a walking stick, we left the car on the side of the dirt road and headed out. Well, as we went deeper onto the land we somehow got turned around. Now without a compass or map, we looked to the sky. Unfortunately, the heavy overcast blocked the sun from giving us any clue on our direction. Hmmm…. I checked the trees. It was a younger stand with no moss. The truth became a heavy weight: we were hopelessly lost!
With this new burden we trudged ahead as best we could, but found we were on wet ground, in a sea of trees. The sun was going down, and we had no provision for a cold night in the woods. What had started out as a potential twenty-minute stroll in the woods turned into nearly two hours of floundering—ankle-deep floundering at this point.
As the light began to fade, I did the only thing I could do. I prayed. While Dad stopped for a rest, I looked past the graying canopy to my Heavenly Father. And would you believe it … even before I finished, He answered. For just then, I heard it. It was the faint but beautiful sound of trucks on the highway—the bearing we needed to orient us. It was an answer to prayer … and our way home.
Lord, sometimes I forget to ask for directions, but You know the way, and You want to show me. Lead me, Lord … lead me all the way home! Amen.
posted by Craig Soderquist at 9:30 PM
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