Where will our hearts center for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER this week? In keeping with our ongoing desire to both listen and speak when we pray, I am wondering what Jesus may want to reassure us over when it comes to trusting Him. On a recent trek to link up with the Bruce Trail that our daughter Geneva and I have been walking together, we came upon a sign. It was a warning that the winding, narrow road ahead was dangerous for large vehicles. In large letters were the words: “TURN AROUND NOW”. I am reminded of the song that was part of our Sunday Service this past week, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.” It comes to the conclusion, “No turning back. No turning back.” Psalm 48:14 gives the promise, “For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide, even to the end.” It is understandable that when we consider the road ahead and the uncertainty of what we might face that we could be inclined to favour the option of turning around now. I respect the necessity of accurate warnings on roads to ensure safety. In the living of our lives, as much as we would want to avoid some of the difficult and threatening situations, for the most part we do not have that choice. There are unsettling circumstances that we face, but never alone. None of us would have chosen the things we have dealt with and are dealing with as a result of the COVID pandemic. We may have wished and continue to wish many times to “TURN AROUND NOW”, but this is the road that we must travel. How will we summon courage from God to proceed through the challenges that we face every day. How will we focus on the truth that Jesus remains with us and is helping us to stay on the route that He has for us? We do this a step at a time as we pray and allow God to provide the resolve to keep trusting Him. Our prayers for each other ensure that we are all looking to God and expecting Him to bring us through. You know the relief when you have been on a treacherous road and you reach a place where you can pull over and rest. When we come to God in prayer, we are pulling over to rest. We are thanking God that we have made it this far safely and asking Him to keep on guiding us forward. We have come all this way with Jesus and no matter what is ahead, we won’t turn back now. “He will be our guide, even to the end.” Please join us, as you are able, for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER, tomorrow March 10th at 1 pm.
Our God of compassion and understanding we come to this time of prayer with gratitude. Thank You that we can pull over to the side of the road now and rest in You. We see where we have come from as we look back and we recognize that You protected and kept us safe when the road was narrow and winding. You have guided us when there have been sharp turns and sudden drop offs on all sides. Please minister the calm and reassurance of Your love for us as we take this time to listen for You. So many things in our lives are temporary. Both the blessings and the adversity only last for a time, but You God are eternal. This is how we can be confident that You are our God forever and ever and we treasure that You will be our guide, even to the end. We pray our God that we truly will let You guide us. Please forgive us for times that we listen to others instead of You. Forgive us for the times that we become caught up in all the reasons that we don’t think we can go forward instead of deepening our trust in You. And God as we find strength in You, our constant Companion, remind us to share this hope with others. We name before You now those we know who are facing steep and troubling terrain. Our prayer is that they will turn to You to guide them. Throughout our lifetimes You have been faithful and we have no reason to think that You would fail us now. When You do sustain us and enable our steps forward, please remind us to thank You. We don’t want to move quickly to the next thing ahead and forget to acknowledge that You have brought us through. Our God we pray that the lessons You teach us along the way about trusting You will be remembered and cherished. God, above all, we want to cherish You and Your loving grace available to each of us. We want to praise You Lord for who You are, not just for all the things that You have done. Our God, we are asking You to reveal to us how what we are learning about You as our dependable Guide will equip us to serve You well. We pray with sincerity that others will dare to trust You because they see us trusting You. In the times that our faith wavers, we ask that the prayers of others will empower and lift us up. In the times that someone else’s faith wavers, we ask that we will be available to pray for and encourage them in their faith in You. Praise you God that You have arranged for us to be guided by You even to the end. More than just getting through, we pray that our lives will accomplish things of eternal significance. With the inspiration and energy that You provide, may we be the means of others deciding not to turn around now, but to keep going. And when the way we travel is demanding, keep our feet on the path that You intend. Only as we know that You are with us can we refuse to turn around and insist on receiving the blessings that come with letting You be our Guide forever. Thank You Jesus that as we reach out to You, we discover that You are reaching out to us. All this we commit to You in Christ’s Name. AMEN