A woman from my Sunday school class died this week. I’ve never met her in person, as she’s been homebound with cancer for longer than I’ve been in the class, but I feel like I know her from all the prayers I’ve prayed. I don’t feel sad for her. She’s free of cancer and all the other cares of this world, but, oh, how I ache for her loved ones. This loss will turn their lives upside down for a long time.
Now that I think of it, the cancer battle already did that.
That reminds me of a friend and her brave teen aged daughter. I can’t begin to imagine how hard it is to watch a child fight cancer. Mommas want to fix all that ails our babies, yet all the mom can do is pray like crazy and take it one day at a time. One day, they were dealing with typical teen stuff, and the next, they were fighting for the daughter’s life.
Life has a way of throwing us curveballs.
Illness, loss, divorce, unemployment, prodigal children…our lives can just turn plain hard in an instant.
Hard circumstances cause us to take a hard look at where we are and where we’re going. We grieve what could have been and sit baffled asking God what’s next. Hard times steal future memories and taint the ones already lived. It’s natural to grief our losses. It’s not selfish to take some time to weep against God’s loving chest.
But when the sobs subside, God is there to position our feet back on His path. Just because we hit a roadblock doesn’t mean our journey’s over. God will forge a new route for the same destination.
It's like finding an alternate route when the one you're on has a "road closed" sign. You don't throw the whole trip out the window because of one road closure. You reroute and get back moving toward the destination. When a reroute is required, it’s a smart move to make a pit stop and gather your bearings.
Prayer is the perfect way to allow our Navigator to punch in our new coordinates and fill our tank with fresh fuel.
Here’s a prayer to help you get started if you find yourself needing a reroute.
Lord,
I don't know where to go from here. I thought my future was set, and now everything feels so up-in-the-air. But, I know my feelings aren't fact. I know nothing catches You by surprise. I know You've got me, Lord. I trust You even when I can't see the next step in front of me.
Though my path is changing, "Your word is [still] a lamp for my feet, [and] a light on my path" (Psalm 119:105 NIV).
"Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long" (Psalm 25:4-5 NIV).
Bring me out of this "in the dark" season and into a new dawn. "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life" (Psalm 143:8 NIV).
To You, I entrust my life.
To You, I entrust my life.
To You, I entrust my life.
Right this moment, I make a conscious decision to trust You completely. I will not buy in to my up-and-down emotions. I will submit this moment and the ones after it to You trusting You to make my path straight and true and honest (Proverbs 3:5-6).
"Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand" (Psalm 16:5-11 NIV).
I choose to follow You, Lord, wherever You lead me.
In the name of Jesus I pray, AMEN