Encouragement for Today - October 26, 2012
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October 26, 2012
A Long and Winding Road |
"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:9 (NIV)
When my daughter was just a toddler she began having reoccurring infections. With every one, she ran a high fever that sometimes resulted in a small seizure. This illness required that she stay on a low-dose antibiotic to prevent infection.
Sadly, the infections kept happening. Soon the doctor feared that this infection could cause damage to her kidneys. So by the time she was two years old, my husband and I had to make some serious decisions.
We could keep her on the antibiotics and hope she would outgrow the illness with minimal damage. Or, she could have surgery. There were risks either way.
Keeping her on antibiotics for a long period of time could make them less effective if she got future illnesses. Plus, we had to consider the risk of her kidneys being damaged. Then there was surgery—which had risks all it's own.
Faced with a decision that required wisdom beyond us, I kept thinking, "There's got to be an easier way."
At times the road before me seems long, steep and challenging. I can feel lost. Uncertain. Afraid. Sometimes I'm not sure I have the strength for the journey.
It's in those times that God wants me to remember I'm not traveling alone. He is my ever-present guide. He knows where the road leads. He can see what lies ahead. And that's not all.
God also knows my concerns. He knows what I feel. The pain I cannot explain to someone else ... God knows. The fear of the unknown—He knows. And He offers me Himself.
Perhaps you feel overwhelmed today. You may be experiencing some sadness, loss or worry. You may find that God has called you to a difficult path. "Surely," you think, "God has an easier road for me to travel."
The truth is, we aren't wise enough to assume another path would be best for us. Maybe the easier road won't make us into the person God intends us to be.
Perhaps the difficult road is a path of grace—protecting us from the worst.
Maybe this road is about learning something new about God or ourselves. Could it be the difficult journey is the path that prepares us for a greater purpose or a greater faith in God?
After much prayer, we felt led to have the surgery. It went well. Our daughter was able to come off her medicine and live a healthy life!
So, what did I learn? Out of all the possible paths, God knows the best path. Our key verse reminds us, "His ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts." Because of this, we can take the path God has laid out for us today. We can trust, and not fear, in His infinite wisdom and love. And we can be certain that God will never lead us down the wrong road.
Dear Lord, because You will never lead me down the wrong road, I can trust You when I need to make decisions about my family, my career, and my health. Thank You for Your wisdom and guidance. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Visit Micca's blog for a list of scriptures about the many ways God leads us.
Discover a faith stronger than all your fear in Micca Campbell's book, An Untroubled Heart.
For more encouragement, click "Like" on our Facebook page.
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Reflect and Respond:
God sees a million other connections to your situation than you do. Therefore, He knows the best path to take.
Seek His guidance through prayer, a godly friend, counselor, and in His Word. Watch for a reoccurring answer marked by peace. Then choose to walk that path.
Power Verse:
Psalms 32:8, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." (NIV)
© 2012 by Micca Campbell. All rights reserved.
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