Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
September 20, 2023
Psalm 119:105-112
105 Your word is a lamp before my feet and a light for my journey. 106 I have sworn, and I fully mean it: I will keep your righteous rules. 107 I have been suffering so much LORD, make me live again according to your promise. 108 Please, LORD, accept my spontaneous gifts of praise. Teach me your rules! 109 Though my life is constantly in danger, I won’t forget your Instruction. 110 Though the wicked have set a trap for me, I won’t stray from your precepts. 111 Your laws are my possession forever because they are my heart’s joy. 112 I have decided to keep your statutes forever, every last one.
Good Morning. Praising my Savior all the day long!
I remember when I was a kid, whenever we were going to go on a trip, we got our road maps and began to plot our journey. Maps contained much information that was necessary to plan our route. There are different kinds of trips that we make in our lives. We make daily trips where we need to get from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time, and sometimes, we need to schedule several stops along the way. In my family, we also liked to go on scenic drives. This is the kind of trip where you wander from place to place looking for interesting or exciting things. As kids, these were the trips when we might be asking, “Are we there yet?” which was really a moot point because we had no particular destination in mind.
Today, most of us use GPS on our phones or programmed in our cars. GPS is great for those point A to point B trips, but you only see the exact place you are traveling. Maps provide a big-picture view, while GPS gives you an up-close detailed view. Most of the time, GPS does a good job of helping me avoid traffic backups and road construction, but when I’m traveling somewhere unfamiliar, I have no idea what might be just beyond the screen image. There could be something amazing, but I will go by obliviously unless I programmed that as my destination.
The Bible provides us with a Big Picture Road Map of our lives. Most of us begin in some kind of wilderness in our lives. We don’t know what we’ll be when we grow up, nor do we know the best way to get there, so we wander for a bit. Sometimes, we repeat this wilderness wandering multiple times in our lives.
Within the Words, we find truths to help us find our way. We read examples of those with great strength, those who humbly serve others, and those who love with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength. We also learn that when we stray from the path, Christ is there to light our way so that we return to our Creator, who awaits us with open arms.
When we rely on reading a single verse or passage, we get the GPS view for a specific trip, and we might miss seeing the glimpses of glory that are just beyond the scope of our search. Don’t be afraid to open your Bible when you feel lost, but don’t forget to open it when you are ready for a scenic drive as well. Glimpses of Glory await the ones who seek them.
Loving God, We love you! We forget to look at the map, and we get lost. Thank you for helping us find our way. Forgive us, O Lord. Help us! In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God’s word enlightens my path.
Use the map! Pastor Liz
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