Sometimes we feel like we are lost in a forest and don’t know the way out.  There is evil all around us, people making poor choices with awful consequences.  We see it and then we get caught up in it ourselves and can’t move on.  God has the answer in the Book of Jeremiah.  These words were spoken to the nation of Israel, but I think that they most certainly apply to whatever nation you and I live in today.  The evil is real; it’s part of the national headlines daily.  There are rapes and murders, small children being killed, Godly people being maligned, and lies everywhere.  I don’t know what to believe about what is presented on the media, but I do know that God’s Word is true.  The only way that we can find rest is to go on the path that God has for us, but many of us are stubborn and want to continue in our own way, doing whatever “makes us feel good” because that is the current way of the world. But that is NOT God’s way!  He wants us to choose the path of life, to pray before we step out and make poor decisions.  

If you are like me, you have a tendency to worry, or at least that was my go-to behavior in the past.  I am working on changing that because I am hiding God’s Word in my heart and He tells me not to worry, but to pray.  On Tuesay, I followed my usual routine of arising early, reading my Bible and praying.  I record my prayers in a prayer diary and encourage everyone to do likewise.  That way, you can look back in your prayer journal and see all of the times that God has answered your prayers.  But, I digress.  So, back to my journal entry on Tuesday.  I prayed for the safety of each of my children and grandchildren.  I never know what they will be facing each day, so I pray for God’s protection over them daily.  That particular day, unbeknownst to me, my daughter was faced with driving through hail and heavy rains, with tornado warnings blasting all along her route.  Why was she out in this storm?  Because her beloved eldest daughter was at a Cross Country meet and the school bus had not been able to turn around and return to the safety of the school.  So, Hope drove through the storms in time to get to Teya, make sure she was safe and pray with her. Shortly thereafter, the storms ceased and all was okay.  What a scary event to go through!  I didn’t find out about it until that evening, but I certainly give God the glory for protecting and watching over them.  Now, I could pray and then sit and wring my hands in worry all day since I never know what activities my family will be doing that day and what they may face.  Today, I do know that my baby brother (he’s in his fifties, so he’s certainly not a real baby), is having a nuclear test on his heart.  So, he is in my prayers.  I could sit here and be anxious about the results of the test, but I am choosing to rest in God and His grace and mercy.  He knew my brother before I did and He loves him much more than I ever could.

Once I have prayed, and I have and will continue to do so, I can experience the peace of God.  His peace will take care of my wandering mind and my heart that threatens to race away with me when I am feeling anxious.  God knows what my brother has need of; and He knows what I need.  He is strengthening me today, just as He does every day, preparing me to face the challenges of the day.  No matter what I face, I know that Christ lives in me and will enable me to do the task, to the best of my ability.  Long ago, I chose the path that I was going to follow.  But I also make that same choice daily, to follow the path that God wants me to be on, with Him in the lead and my following closely behind.  That is what God wants for you and for each of His beloved children.  Yes, the world is a mess, but you don’t have to be.  You choose…eternal life and peace or lost in a forest with no way out.  It’s not that hard a choice, is it?  Choose life!  Choose God!  He already chose you!