I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
God is omnipresent, meaning He is with each of us at all times. Our finite minds have difficulty conceiving of this idea, but the Bible declares its truth. It’s humbling to realize that I am on God’s mind, even when I am going in my own way and struggling to go on the path He did not intend for me to be on. Still, He thinks about each of us and wants the best for each of us, always. He is loving and merciful at all times and constantly aware of what we are doing, the choices we are making and the desires that He wants for us. He constantly cherishes us, more than we could ever imagine.
Have a blessed day as you ponder the truth that you are constantly on the mind of God and that He always desires what is best for you.
In today’s tech savvy world, just about everyone uses GPS to get to their destination, whether it be on the car satellite or on the phone. But most of us have learned from experience that even Google makes mistakes. I know, gasp! Right? In April, my husband and I went to meet an author in North Carolina. Leaving the motel, Harry turned on the phone GPS and followed its directions. It actually took us to the address we were looking for, but in a neighboring town, fifteen miles away from the actual location. We discovered that others at the meeting had been led astray by Google Maps, too. We were actually less than a mile from the bookstore destination when we were at the motel. But we drove over thirty miles out of our way because the GPS led us in the wrong direction. That’s why we have to be careful to check out our compasses!
When we are uncertain about which path to take, we have to take time to listen for God’s quiet voice, directing us in the right way. I have often gotten off the right path and not only does God lead me back to the right one, He does not chide me the whole way back or tell me, “I told you so. You just wouldn’t listen!” He just loves me into choosing the right path again. His voice may be behind me, speaking in my ear, but His Spirit goes before me, leading the way, if I will just open my eyes and follow.
I think that sometimes my straying from the right path is because I am following what I think will lead me to where I want to go, in pursuit of my own pleasures. But I have discovered that if I put God first, He leads me in the way that is right for me and that will also result in my receiving the true desires of my heart. These two Scriptures were together in my devotional this morning and I had to ponder how they merged together. I see it now and hope that you do, too.
Finally, there is this verse that admonishes me to guard my heart because in doing so the course of my life is determined. If my heart is set on following God, then my path is straight and my desires are fulfilled. Perhaps the biggest error I make is expecting that God’s desires are the same as mine. His desires are to carry out His purpose for my life and they are much loftier than anything I can imagine, so I need to get in step and follow His pathway in order to get to the correct destination.
May each of your steps today be ordered by the Lord and may your day be blessed with His desires for you.
As a new Christian, when I read this verse, I was overjoyed with the thought that whatever I asked for, God would make it happen. Five decades later, I know that the verse is true but my heart had not yet been trained for what it really means. First of all, delight means extreme satisfaction or pleasure. Do you feel extreme pleasure in the presence of God? The second part of that sentence in the verse says God will give you the desires of your heart. The thing is, as I have grown closer to God, my desires have changed. The physical wants that I thought I one time I just had to obtain have been replaced with spiritual needs that I yearn for. My greatest desire is to be close to God and to hear His voice as I go through my day. Along with that is the desire to see loved ones in a relationship with our Father in Heaven. Does that mean that I have stopped wanting nice things? No, but they are no longer a priority.
The other important word in the verse is commit. It means to devote yourself to a person or a thing. Are you devoted to God? Is He the most important person in your life? When the path we want to take is devoted wholly to the will of God, that is when He acts on our behalf and brings our prayers to fruition.
God is not a genie in a bottle that we say the magic words, He appears and takes care of all of our problems, answering all of our prayers just the way we ask them. God is the God of the Universe, making decisions that are right for all of mankind, not just for me or for you.
I’m praying today for a good visit with the retina eye specialist. A few months ago, I was diagnosed with dry macular degeneration. My sister has been undergoing treatment for the wet kind for several years, going every 4-6 weeks to get shots in her eyes. Having accompanied her to those visits, I am not excited about the whole process. Nevertheless, I continue to believe that nothing will happen today that God and I can’t handle together. I don’t know what the doctor will say, but I already know what God has said to me. He speaks softly to my heart and tells me He is close by and that it will all be okay. And it will, because He is my Father and will never leave me.
As you ponder the verse above, please consider how close you are to the Living God and how close you allow Him to be to you. What are your expectations of God for your life? More importantly, what are His expectations for you?
Have a wonderful and blessed day, devoted to God and committed to Him. May your paths be straight and your way brilliantly lit so that you do not stray from His will.
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 