A Personal Guide

Well, I have no idea if anyone even reads my blog anymore, but I'm going to keep writing on it. This is one of the few places I feel free to share my thoughts. So here it goes. :o)

These are the verses I read this morning in my devotional/journal.
But I'll take the hand of those who don't know the way,
who can't see where they're going.
I'll be a personal guide to them,
directing them through unknown country.
I'll be right there to show them what roads to take,
make sure they don't fall into the ditch.
These are the things I'll be doing for them—
sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute."
Isaiah 42:16 (from The Message)

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,
"This is the way; walk in it."
Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)

We can make our plans,
but the Lord determines our steps.
Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

(These verses apply to my life so much right now. I love it when the Lord gives you exactly what you need to hear in your quiet time.)

I'm at this age where things seem very uncertain. (I'm sure that age is a very large span or ages, but it seems to have hit me pretty hard this year) It began with the decision to stay in SoCal or return to NorCal. Again I'm wonder where God is leading me. Am I supposed to stay here? Or go somewhere else? Do I stick with the job I love or try to find something that pays better? It stresses me out. But when I remember that God is leading me and guiding me I breathe a sigh of relief. God is in control!! He has plans for me and He will lead me in the direction of those plans. He is my guide.

I'm reminded of Psalm 139. I can not hide from God. But not only that, His hand will hold me steady. He will steady me as I walk along the path He has for me. There is always the great illustration from the poem "Footprints." When things get hard God does not leave us He carries us through it.

What would I do without my personal guide? No matter what gets thrown my way my Heavenly Father is with me guiding me through it.

The Road Ahead

"My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end.... But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, You will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me. And You will never leave me to face my perils alone."
I found this quote by Thomas Merton in a journal I have been using lately. It says pretty clearly how I have been feeling lately. I want so badly to know what is going to happen next in my life. But that is something that God is in control of and He has decided not to fill me in ahead of time. (Sometimes that just drives me nuts!) But it is so great to remember that He is in control and that He won't leave me, even if I am in the shadow of death.
I am so thankful for my wonderful Savior!!