Find refreshment for your heart, home and life
Have you ever prayed about something, needing to know, “Lord, Should I do this or that?” Then you wondered how you could really know what God’s will was?
Since God doesn’t speak audibly to us, it can feel frustrating to know His answer…until we learn how He answers us.
I am frequently asked the question –
“How can I know God’s will?”
When decisions, small and great are before us, we want clear direction! Asking God’s will is a good question, but often the answer has been given, yet we are balking at it because it isn’t what we wanted or it isn’t how we expected God to answer!
Continue reading “Don’t Despise the Small Tasks”I did something today I’ve never done before. I filled out a bracket for the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Our family created a group where we each filled out brackets to see who will be the “winner.”
I enjoy basketball when “my team” is playing, but I’m not by any means an avid fan. When I was asked to join the family group I was told I needed to create a user name. I decided on, Lucky Guess. You can probably figure out why! I have no idea:
How well all the teams play.
Who the best players are.
Who is most likely to win!
I was even told that some girls pick winning teams simply by the color of the team they like best! That sounded good, so I did a little of that when making my choices. If the color didn’t influence me, I looked at home of the teams and picked the “place” I liked, or from which I had memories! Crazy, right?
I’ll never forget the memory of riding in the car with my sisters and parents when I was a child. My parents were in the front seat of the car on our way to or from errands, and my two sisters and myself were seated in the backseat. We took turns sitting on “the hump,” as we called it. It was the middle seat, the one not quite as comfortable as the other two, but a seat, nonetheless. As we traveled through town, one of us might speak up and ask where we were going, or perhaps request a stop at an ice cream place or White Castle Burgers. Then as my dad drove, we were watchful. We knew that if he turned his blinker on to go that direction, we were headed for a frozen treat. If he turned that way we were stopping for lunch at White Castle, and if he stayed this way we were headed home – perhaps to something even better! After we asked, we learned to watch our father’s movements – a turn on of the blinker or a change into a turning lane, to see the fulfillment of our request! How wonderful it was to anticipate what he was going to do, then many times see him fulfill our greatest desire. He was usually silent about the plan, but we knew He loved us and would make a right choice, based on that love.
When you and I go before the Lord, we need to do the very same thing. After we have prayed and placed our requests before the Lord, we must get up off our knees, and connect the things that happen next with what we have just prayed. We need to be on the lookout for God’s movements. Sometimes He makes a turn; connect it – He has a different plan. Sometimes He turns things in the direction we were praying; it’s a fulfilled plan. Then other times He is silent; and we must wait and trust.
All the while, we need to keep praying, and then connecting what happens next, if we truly want His will. It may take us a direction we hadn’t planned, but He is our Father, He loves us, and He will do what is right, based on that love.
As you have connected the next thing that happens after you pray, what have you seen the Lord do?
I’ll never forget the funny experience from a few years back. I was in Nova Scotia to speak at a Ladies’ Retreat – at a special place in my heart with dear ladies I’ve grown to love (Hello to my Canadian friends!). It was early spring, and when I left Tennessee it was nice enough to wear white jeans for the journey. I knew it would still be winter in Canada, so I packed appropriate clothing for my time there, however, my luggage didn’t arrive when I did!
The first difficulty I had to deal with was the “Muck” – the deep, wells of mud that needed to be traversed in order to go from my lodging to any other building on the campsite. Remember, I was wearing WHITE JEANS. One of the sweet ladies there loaned me a pair of red galoshes. So, I tucked my pants into a pair of high socks, slipped my feet into that way-too-big pair of galoshes and headed out the door of my cabin in order to make my way over to the main building where the retreat would take place. I’ve probably never taken such cautious steps as I did that day, attempting to keep my white pants white, and my feet under me, rather than over my head!
It was slippery.
It was wet.
It was hilarious!
But I carefully and slowly planted each step into the tracks made by others before me, and somehow I managed to make it to my destination unspotted from the brownish/blackish slime!
That picture of careful footing is truly the attitude and heart I need to have every day, and especially when making decisions. Ephesians 5:15 tells us to Walk circumspectly (wisely). Proverbs 4:26 reminds us to Ponder the path of our feet. If you’re at a crossroads and seeking God’s will for choices, here are seven questions that are certainly not exhaustive, but a place where you might start searching to walk wisely, giving careful attention to where you’re putting your foot.
We all want to make it to our destination unspotted from the muck of ungodly choices, and the best part is that the Lord has gone before us to guide our feet. Don’t stress over the difficulty of the journey; God is there and will keep your steps on the right path as you place one foot in front of the other in obedience to His revealed will. As a matter of fact, the best part is that this drawing close to God is truly part of the journey.
Are you carefully making wise, godly choices TODAY?
P.S. Don’t wear white jeans in Canada until June! Lesson learned! Ha!
Walk wisely,
RefreshHer 