Great Plains Daily Devotional for 3/26/19

Psalm 39 

To the leader: to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

I said, “I will guard my ways
    that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will keep a muzzle on my mouth
    as long as the wicked are in my presence.”
I was silent and still;
    I held my peace to no avail;
my distress grew worse,
    my heart became hot within me.
While I mused, the fire burned;
    then I spoke with my tongue:

“Lord, let me know my end,
    and what is the measure of my days;
    let me know how fleeting my life is.
You have made my days a few handbreadths,
    and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight.
Surely everyone stands as a mere breath.Selah
    Surely everyone goes about like a shadow.
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;
    they heap up, and do not know who will gather.

“And now, O Lord, what do I wait for?
    My hope is in you.
Deliver me from all my transgressions.
    Do not make me the scorn of the fool.
I am silent; I do not open my mouth,
    for it is you who have done it.
Remove your stroke from me;
    I am worn down by the blows of your hand.

“You chastise mortals
    in punishment for sin,
consuming like a moth what is dear to them;
    surely everyone is a mere breath.Selah

“Hear my prayer, O Lord,
    and give ear to my cry;
    do not hold your peace at my tears.
For I am your passing guest,
    an alien, like all my forebears.
Turn your gaze away from me, that I may smile again,
    before I depart and am no more.”

Remember when we did not have GPS systems to guide us while driving? I would either set out for my destination, knowing the general direction, or I would look at a map and write down directions on how to go. It was kind of freeing heading out on the road to a different place enjoying the highways and byways. Then GPS came along, and while I love it, it also drives me crazy. I find myself paying more attention to the directions than to the sights along the way.

I absolutely love the fact that God promises to guide us along the way! When I’m listening to Him, abiding in His Word, I do just fine. Let me take a shortcut, or a different path than what is laid out in the journey, and I usually end up lost and searching. I find myself wondering, how far away from God did I move this time? At times I wish He would guide me with “a bit and bridle!” Yet I find even those times off the main path rich and fulfilling. There is always a lesson to learn, even off the main path! It doesn’t take me long to realize I’m off the main path, and I find myself recentering and listening to God as He gently guides my steps back into His guidance and instruction. The joy of it all, God will do the same for you! He understands, yet He is waiting on us to move make onto the right path. His outreached hand is just waiting for us to take in, and allow His strength and grace to re-center us, dust off the dirt, and set us back on our way.

Prayer for Reflection

Isaiah 55:1-9
Psalm 32
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9