I will lead blind Israel down a new path,
    guiding them along an unfamiliar way.
I will brighten the darkness before them
    and smooth out the road ahead of them.
Yes, I will indeed do these things;
    I will not forsake them.
  Isaiah 42:16 NLT

Frank Sinatra famously sang the song “My Way.”  The lyrics repeat a triumphant, “I did it my way.” Like Sinatra, many of us are convinced we have to find our own path, based on our own expectations and desires, and do it our own way.  Taking our own path usually causes us to “get lost in the woods.”  We may suddenly realize we don’t know which of many roads to take now, or even what destination to aim for. Or maybe our path has come to a dead end, with no way out.

It is then, that we cry out to God. We may ask for help to survive there, on a street with no name and in a house with no number.  The enemy jumps in with his accusations and condemnation, “You are just a failure.” “See, God doesn’t love you. He’s abandoned you.” “Don’t listen to God. Just give up.”

We can never find the destiny we were created for on a road we were never created to take. It may not occur to us that we took this side road, not because it was best, but because it seemed easier, or was the world’s choice, not God’s. 

We all feel blind sometimes, not seeing what lies ahead.  But the Lord knows the future, and, as we trust him, he will guide us safely along his designated path.  God has given us, his adopted daughters, wonderful promises of an abundant, full and fruitful life.  We were created wonderfully for specific purposes only we can accomplish.  God promises that we will not be alone on his road. He surrounds us with his presence and actively defends and protects us there. 

So maybe, instead of losing hope when we feel trapped or lost in the life we have chosen, we should ask God to take us back to the place where we got off of his path, the one especially created for us. The Lord has lovingly gone before us and lit and made it smooth for us.  We will recognize it as the Holy Spirit leads us there.  Jesus will be waiting to heal our wounds and restore our peace and joy.

Dear friends, be blessed as you ask God for assurance that you are on the path he called you to take.  Look around and see the evidence of his loving care and provision there.  It may not be perfect, but may trusting God chose it for you, please him and fill you with contentment and the strength to carry on. Amen.

Mary Sumner ~ October 17, 2023

The eternal God is your refuge,
    and his everlasting arms are under you.
He drives out the enemy before you;
    he cries out, ‘Destroy them!’
Deuteronomy 33:27 NLT

In our life’s journey with the Lord we may feel our life coming to a sudden halt.  We have done our best to listen and discern the next step, but it feels as though the path ends and the Spirit has led us to a high ledge and we cannot see the bottom of the chasm in front of us. But we sense he is asking us to take a risk and step off.  “Just trust me,” he seems to whisper.

Our brain is telling us it would be crazy to step off.  Our heart ponds. What do we do? You might ask, “Is it an invitation or a command?”  We decide it is both.  We remember who our God is, as Moses did in this blessing in Deuteronomy 33.  He is faithful through the ages, has saved and delivered us from our enemies many times and given us wonderful promises.  He has proved his love for us by giving his beautiful Son to die and pay our debt of sin so we may live eternally in his awesome presence.  He has given us his Spirit to strengthen and guide us.  He has never failed us yet. Though we didn’t always understand what or why he did what he did, we knew he was with us. 

So, we remind ourselves, he is with us today, in whatever situation we find ourselves in.  We may face real danger, or our children are making bad decisions, or, perhaps, our spiritual lives have gone dry and feel barren.  We may feel defeated or feel things have been going relatively well, so why take a risk now?  We all have come to a moment of decision. Do we trust God and surrender to him the area he has led us to?  What is he asking you to surrender to him?

When we step out in faith alone, secure in our obedience, what will be below waiting for us as we fall?  God’s Word promises that it will be better than when a little child jumps in the swimming pool into the arms of her loving father. Our glorious, all-powerful, compassionate God will catch us. If our spiritual eyes are open, we will discover more of his infinite, deep peace and love as he wraps his arms around us. Our enemy will be defeated in that moment.  We are reminded that we are safe. He is always with us. Our faith will explode.  We find that God’s love and peace are powerful weapons against the devil who was feeding our fear and doubt. We ask, “Why did I wait?!”

Dear friends, be blessed and filled with joy as you discover that our magnificent, worthy God is always present to catch us when, in faith, we fall into his arms.  Rejoice today in your new testimony to his glory.

Mary Sumner ~September 5, 2023

For he raised us from the dead along with Christ
 and seated us with him in the heavenly realms
because we are united with Christ Jesus.
~ Ephesians 2:6 NLT

Are you in that place where you feel stuck? We’ve all been there. Sometimes we know the reason. Maybe we feel distant from God, or have been so busy lately that we have ignored God, not made time for him, so suddenly we realize we have lost our sense of his presence.  Maybe we are overwhelmed with a problem that seems immovable. Whatever it may be, something seems to be pulling us down, holding us back.

Let’s examine the truth.  God has promised to never leave us nor abandon us. So, he hasn’t moved.  He is still with us, even if we can’t sense or feel him. Then we may remember that we are in a battle in and for our minds. (2 Cor.10:3-5)

We have an enemy who wants to distract, disrupt, and destroy our faith, our peace, our lives. The devil has assigned a fallen angel, a demon, to whisper lies, accusations and harassing thoughts into our mind. If we are not wearing our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:10-18), the helmet of the truth of our salvation, we may allow those nasty thoughts to invade our subconscious and percolate there.

We get too tired to remember we are in a battle sometimes. God knows that. He doesn’t get mad at us, but waits for us to start worshiping, praying and being in his Word daily again, so we can rest in his presence as God grows our faith and strength to move on.

We can feel stuck when we forget to remind ourselves that we are new creations, free from condemnation. We are no longer slaves to fear. We are hidden with Christ in the Father. (Col.3:3)

When we concentrate on our problems, we forget our new position in Christ that gives us spiritual authority over our lives and against the devil. We are no longer bound solely to earth, the physical realm, but the Holy Spirit grabbed hold of us at the moment of our salvation and transferred us into the heavenly realms where we are now seated with Jesus Christ at the right hand of our heavenly Father. (Colossians 3:1)

In prayer, let’s start our day there, in Heaven with Jesus. Let’s listen to him. From there we realize we are not stuck. We get the heavenly perspective of our problems and the concerns of our day. That way, we can do what Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:18: “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

Dear friends, be blessed as you choose to fix your gaze on Jesus and allow him to give you a heavenly perspective.  Be blessed to see that God has not abandoned you, but is just waiting for you to turn to him and spend time with him.  Be blessed with renewed confidence and secure hope in today and every day you spend with him. Amen.

Mary Sumner ~ October 3, 2023