“Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have made
your way around this hill country
long enough; now turn north.’”
Deuteronomy 2:2-3 (NIV)
Finding the mall
in a city should not be hard for any female with shopping on her mind. And not
just one female, but three, determined to find fantastic bargains for
practically nothing. So the shopping trip began for my two daughters and me one
Saturday morning.
We didn’t get
directions but were fairly confident that we could find the mall and scoop up one
bargain after another. While I have long been known for getting lost –
everywhere – I felt certain that my daughters did not inherit that flaw. Wrong.
After two hours
of driving, we decided that being “fairly confident” that we could find the
mall was actually “overly confident.” Our conversations went like this: “Is
that a prison?” “Yes. Wouldn’t it be scary to live in a city with a prison
close by?”
Forty-give
minutes later: “Hey…isn’t that the prison again?” “It can’t be.” “Well, are
there two prisons in this city?” “Not that I know of.” “Either there are two
prisons or we are going in circles.” Silence. Then: “I vote for two prisons.”
I understand
today’s Scripture completely. In the beginning of Deuteronomy, Moses reminds
the Israelites about their years spent in the desert and the march to Canaan . Then he talks about journeying into the
wilderness and around Mt.
Seir
Moses also
reminds them that, through it all, despite their complaining and disobedience, God
had supplied their every need and had been faithful to His children.
I could have
been one of those Israelites. God has guidance and direction for my life but so
often I think I can do everything on my own. So I travel in the desert, going
round and round, never accomplishing anything and complaining every step of the
way.
Maybe my Mt. Seir
I moan and whine
when I step on the scales and see my weight. But I go round and round, hopping
from one diet to another instead of seeking my Father’s face and asking Him to
give me strength and will power in choosing my meals.
I have decisions
that need to be made about my career or a family problem or my business so I run
in circles, talking with friend after friend to get their opinions rather than
stop and seek the Lord first for answers.
Going in circles
eventually leads . . . nowhere! Have you been wandering on that path long
enough, trying to figure out on your own the direction for your life? It’s time
to listen to the Lord and turn north!
Father, so many times I go in circles when I
need to be listening to your voice and following a new direction. Thank you for
being faithful and pulling me back to you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
R.A.P. it up . . .
Reflect
- Have you ever had a situation that you tried to correct on your own without direction from the Lord?
- Did you find yourself going in circles with no solution in sight?
Application
- Draw a circle in your journal. Write the situation that you are facing on the inside of the circle and around the outside, write the steps that you have taken so far.
- Now pray about the situation and draw a “turn north” line and write down the solution the Lord puts on your heart.
Power Verses
- Deuteronomy 2:2-3 (NIV) “Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.’”
- Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”
- Psalm 120:1 (NIV) “I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me.”
- Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
- John 8:12 (NIV) “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
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