Good morning and welcome to the last Saturday of August. As always, it is amazing how fast time goes by when you are having fun (or is that getting old? I forget which.). Anyway, I hope you had a good week. It has been a good week of ministry for the church. In fact, some of us are serving in the community today handing out food and participating in an event with the schools, Advent Health, and Mercy & Truth. The backyard Bible clubs went well last Wednesday. We were able to minister at three different locations. It is amazing the things the Lord leads us to do and the doors that He opens for us.
Last Sunday evening, after a very busy day, Michelle and I decided to unwind by taking a walk. That has been our hobby during the last few months. So we jumped in the car and went to our favorite place to walk, the Turkey Creek Trail. Like always, we parked in the lot adjacent to 75th Street and then began our journey north. If you haven’t walked this trail, it is really a nice one. It runs from 75th Street north four miles to where Merriam Lane and Antioch intersect. The trail runs adjacent to the creek most of the way and has a lot of nice scenery along the way. Depending on the time of day, you may encounter a variety of wildlife. We have seen groundhogs, possums, deer, an unidentified varmint scurrying along the bank, birds, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, turtles, fish, and even a snake. The last one was not Michelle’s favorite, by the way. One feature that is really nice is that there are several sections where you are walking through a fairly heavily wooded area. Most of the time, you feel as though you have left civilization behind for a bit.
On Sunday, we were walking along, enjoying the sights, and talking. We had intended to just go two miles and turn around since we had gone the full distance on Saturday. As we approached the two mile marker, we decided we would go another half mile and then turn around. Once we turned around and began our journey back, we soon realized that it was going to get dark quicker than we had anticipated. By the time we got to 67th Street, it was getting fairly dark. From 67th to 75th, there is a lot of the trail that runs through the woods. Soon, we found ourselves in total darkness. In the midst of the woods, it was amazing how loud the chorus of bugs was and how completely black it was. As modern day warriors, we were prepared for anything. We quickly pulled out our cell phones and called for help. No, actually we turned on the handy little flashlight feature. It was incredible how nice it was to have enough light to see the path around us and what was immediately ahead of us. Fortunately, we are familiar enough with the trail that we had a good idea of where we were at and some of the milestones we would pass as we finished our walk. It was a relief when we rounded the last corner and saw the lights illuminating the parking lot ahead.
As I thought about this near death experience, I was reminded of Psalm 119:105, which says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” God’s Word often provides us with the illumination or insight to take the next step. Sometimes a few steps. Even though God will often lead us in the direction we should go, we sometimes don’t know what is around the corner or way up ahead. No, most of the time we walk step by step relying upon the light He provides for us. I am the type of person that would love to have all of the details in advance. I want to know where I am going, not only right now, but way in the future. God has taught me a lot over the years. One thing is that I don’t need all of the answers. What He wants is for me to trust Him, to walk with Him, to take the next step. Sometimes, however, I like to run ahead a little (or a lot). When I do, I find myself in the dark. That is when I once again have to search His Word for guidance. Proverbs 3:5-6 teaches us to, “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Other translations will say, “direct your path.” It is a great comfort to know that God doesn’t want us to wander around aimlessly. If we will trust Him and seek to follow Him, He will lead us to where He wants us to be.
May God bless you as you allow Him to lead you on this path we call life.
“Walk in the light as He is in the light and we will have fellowship with one another.”
Larry
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