Sunday, prior to the big snowstorm, was an ideal day for further hiking on the Bruce Trail. There were some places where the snow was quite deep and a thin crust had formed on top. As we were hiking along, we discovered that it was extremely helpful to step in the footprints of those who had been hiking the trail before us. I was reflecting that this is so much our faith experience. When we consider people of faith who have trusted Jesus and faced life’s challenges, we are inspired for our own journeys. We can step into their footprints of faith and avoid sinking on the path. Hebrews 11 is a Scripture that recounts several people who lived by faith in God and marked out the path of faith that we also can follow. Then in Hebrews 12:1 we read, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Yes, other people discovered God’s grace to live by faith and we can too. For our prayer time this week, we will thank God for those who have provided footprints of faith that we have been given to follow. We will also pray that our imperfect footprints of faith will give others a path to follow always looking to Jesus to show us the way! Please plan to join us for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow, January 19th at 1 pm.
Thanking God that we can be inspired by the faith of those who have already walked before us and that our faith can also provide inspiration and courage, Pastor Lola
Our God of loving grace, we marvel that You know us so completely. You know how much we need encouragement for our journey of faith. We thank You today for the encouragement that comes from those who have gone before us. Their determination to keep their eyes on Jesus reminds us to do the same. We know that we are not alone in facing tough times and heartaches. Your constant Presence with people of faith who travelled ahead of us reminds us that You are always available to us. Knowing that You lifted them up has us relying on You to lift us up. We want to walk in their footsteps of faith. When we consider trying to navigate this path of life without faith in You God, we cannot even imagine it. You God know the twists and turns on the path that each of us is walking right now. When we do not know which way to turn, we place our faith in You. Help us, we pray to keep taking one step of faith at a time. And where we have moved off of the path You intend for us, please draw us back to humble faith in You. We pray that we will be inspired, not intimidated by the faith of others. Guard us against protesting, “I could never have faith like that.” Thank You God that faith truly is a gift from You. We are grateful for our initial decision to trust You by faith and we long for that path of faith in You to be the path that we consistently follow. When we are faced with decisions about whether to follow our own preferences or to walk in Your way, we want to choose Your way our God. Sometimes we admit that we are influenced by those who do choose to walk a path of self satisfaction instead of keeping their eyes on Jesus. Please keep guiding our steps to a closer walk with You. All around us there are people feeling the effects of stress. We pray for the conversations that we have and that our words will invite others to walk by faith in You. We know that our lives are not perfect examples of faith, but we can always invite people to place their faith in Jesus. We pray that this is what we will be doing each day. Thank you God that we can renew our faith in You and allow the steps of faith that we follow to always be bringing us closer to You. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN.