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Psalm 18:31-33  ³¹ For who is God except the LORD? And who is a rock besides our God?–  ³² the God who girded me with strength, and made my way safe.  ³³ He made my feet like the feet of a deer, and set me secure on the heights.

Who is God to us? When we try to make decisions on our own, we are making ourselves the god of our life. If we allow ourselves to be influenced by those things and people that tempt us to do wrong, we are letting them be our gods rather than the Lord. These gods are unreliable, irresponsible, and shifting in their loyalties. They do not have our best interests at heart. They will lead us astray and then abandon us in turmoil. Even when we are the ones playing god we cannot trust that we will make the right decisions. We cannot see the big picture, but rather we rely on how we perceive our situation in the present. We are prone to mistaken impressions and relying on feelings rather than facts. If we or others are our guides we cannot depend on advice being constant or consistent. We feel unsafe and insecure.

When we put our trust in the Lord we have a sure foundation for our life’s journey. God is our constant bedrock. God gives us strength to choose the hard way. God gives us hope and confidence in uncertain times. God is the beginning and the end and sees the big picture. God makes our steps secure and our decisions sound.

Lord, you are our God. Help us put our trust in you. Amen.

2 John 1:6   ⁶ And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning– you must walk in it.

When we were children we showed our love for our parents by obeying them, helping out where we could, doing our chores without nagging, and being happy and not crabby about doing what they asked.

Our covenant with God is also based on obedience. Jesus kept his side of the covenant by being obedient even though it meant his death. He willingly went to the cross to bring us into a right relationship with God.

We show our love for him by walking according his commandments: to love one another, to lift up the weak, to live a holy life, and to risk being faithful even if it means being uncomfortable. God is keeping his side of the covenant. We, too, must willingly obey not only because he loves us so much, but also because we love him.

Lord, we love you for who you are and because you love us so much. Help us be obedient to show our love. Amen.

Proverbs 15:19  ¹⁹ The way of the lazy is overgrown with thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.

It is easy to see a path that has been well-traveled. It is worn down and easy to walk on. Branches and twigs have been cleared away. The path that has not been taken often is narrow and filled with weeds and stones. Branches slap us in the face and thorns tear at our skin.

Our path of faith is much the same. If we are not careful to walk in faith and keep that faith tended, the path becomes difficult. It is hard to see where it leads because the weeds of doubt and fear take over. The branches and thorns of temptation and sin slap at us and tear us away from our faithful journey.

To keep our path smooth and clear we must do the work of faith. We need to walk the path of faithful reading of the scriptures, frequent worship, and fellowship with other believers. Only then will our path be well-traveled and level.

Lord, keep us on the right path…the path that leads to faith. Amen.

Proverbs 6:20-22   ²⁰ My child, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.  ²¹ Bind them upon your heart always; tie them around your neck.  ²² When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you.

Have you ever tied a string around your finger to remember something? For some of us it still doesn’t help. We can’t remember what the string was for. We know it must have been important, but the actual thing to be remembered is forgotten. Or we put an important item in a special place so it will be safe only to forget the place we put it. Well, it is safe at least.

The scriptures will only help us if we remember them. Find those scriptures that speak to you and put them everywhere. Repeat them often to memorize them. Put them on the mirror in the bathroom, on the refrigerator, on the computer monitor, wherever you spend your time. Look at them and say them aloud. If we repeat them over and over again, we will be more likely to remember them when we need them to guide us through a difficult situation.

Lord, put your words in our minds and hearts. Help us remember them when we are in times of trouble. Amen.

Acts 3:6-12  ⁶ But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.”  ⁷ And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.  ⁸ Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.  ⁹ All the people saw him walking and praising God,  ¹⁰ and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.  ¹¹ While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s Portico, utterly astonished.  ¹² When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk?

When we are spent, when we are feeling helpless, let us not forget that our power comes from the name of Jesus. He gives us the ability to do what we cannot do alone. He gives us the strength to stand up against powers that would hurt us and others. He gives us the compassion to give generously. He gives us the faith to see us through great difficulties. He gives us the joy to conquer our sorrow. He gives us the character to forgive when we have been hurt. He gives us peace and wholeness when we are broken. Let us be filled with wonder and amazement at what Jesus does for us and let us praise God.

Lord, you are with us through it all. Thank you for helping us be more than we can be on our own. Amen.

Jeremiah 10:23   ²³ I know, O LORD, that the way of human beings is not in their control, that mortals as they walk cannot direct their steps.

Have you ever felt out of control? We all want to be in control but often find ourselves being moved around by forces outside of ourselves. We make decisions based upon what is happening in our lives at the moment. We find ourselves changing our minds over and over as circumstances change. We feel like we are not in charge of what happens or how we react to it.

We can be tossed about by the changes in our lives or we can hold firm by clinging to our Lord. The Lord helps us deal with the changes that we experience. We put our confidence in God to help us make the right decisions for our lives. We use the direction we get from the scriptures to give us another perspective. The Lord guides our steps and allows us to walk securely on the bumpy, hazard-filled paths of life.

When we feel out of control, we need to remember that God is in control. If we put our trust in him we will be guided by his hand. We can walk with confidence and peace.

Lord, when we feel out of control, take charge of our lives. Help us to put our confidence in you. Amen.

Isaiah 35:8-10   ⁸ A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.  ⁹ No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.  ¹⁰ And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

We all have some idea of a utopian society: one in which everyone is safe and provided for. We wish that we could have a world that is not filled with evil and hatred. But, even we find ourselves having bad feelings toward others and feeling like we are entitled to more.

The only one who can bring this kind of peace and provision to the world is God. That is the reason Jesus came into this world and is the promise of the scriptures. Only God can make us clean. Only God can change our hearts. Only God can move us to love and provide for those who were once our enemies or those we do not know.

We need to pray that God’s Spirit would move in all of our hearts, that Jesus’ love would envelope everyone in the world. We also need to act: to reach out in love to those who are poor and oppressed, to reach out in peace to those whom we call our enemies, to reach out in faith and share the gospel good news. God does provide.

Lord, send us your peace and provision. Let us love as you love and spread that love to the world. Amen.

2 Chronicles 6:26-27   ²⁶ “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and then they pray toward this place, confess your name, and turn from their sin, because you punish them,  ²⁷ may you hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send down rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

There are times in our lives that we go through a dry spell. We don’t seem to be able to accomplish anything. We struggle to get through the day. We lack motivation. Even the things that we are able to do don’t go well. We feel like we are in a drought.

At these dry times, we may try to place blame. We blame our families who don’t support us. We blame our employers who make life difficult. We blame our life situation for placing unreasonable demands on us. Instead of placing blame on those outside things it is best to look inside. Could it be that our dry spell is being caused by a faith struggle? How is our relationship with God going? Maybe we need to reconnect with the one who gives us life.

When we are going through a dry spell we need to turn to the one who provides living waters that restore our souls. Pray, read the scriptures, spend time in worship. Let God restore your soul and make you fruitful again.

Lord, help us feel alive and fruitful again. Rain down the living waters of faith upon us. Amen.

Psalm 91:11-12  ¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.  ¹² On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.

 If we are walking on a rocky path we are careful where we put our feet. Our ankles turn as we work our way over the stones. If we don’t lift up our feet we may trip on a projecting rock. It helps to have a companion to hold our hand and help us when we are unsteady. They are there to hold us up through the rocky terrain.

There are times in our lives when our walk of faith is filled with stumbling blocks. As we work our way along the path God’s angels are our companions. They are God’s messengers letting us know the way the Lord wants us to go so that we won’t be tripped up. They take our hands and guide us to more level paths. They hold us up in times of temptations and lead us away from the stones on our journey.

God puts people in our lives as well to help keep us faithful when temptations would make us fall. They encourage us and guide us toward the way God would have us go. They lift us up when we fall and walk with us on the journey.

Lord, help us see the angels you put on the rocky paths of life in order to help us. Help us hold on to those you put in our lives to keep our walk steady. Amen.

Psalm 17:5   ⁵ My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

Have you ever seen the commercials for Gorilla tape and glue? It sticks to everything and will not slip. It holds things in place, no matter how heavy or awkward the item.

Jesus Christ is the glue that holds us together. When we put our trust in him we will not slip or fall. He holds us fast and keeps us in place, no matter how heavy the struggle or how awkward our faith. Our task is simply to hold on to his hand. If we surrender our wills to his he gives us the ability to make right choices. He will not let us go.

Our faith is strengthened by keeping in contact with Jesus. While he will never leave us if we are constantly struggling against him we will feel like we are slipping out of his loving hand. We stay in touch with Jesus through our prayers and reading his word. He speaks to us words of encouragement so that our steps will not falter. We will hold fast.

Lord, you love us with a steadfast love that will not let us go. Help us to cling to you. Amen.