Streams in the Desert - Jul 31
by L. B. E. Cowman and Jim Reimann
With skillful hands he led them. (Psalm 78: 72)
When you are unsure which course to take, totally submit your own judgment to that of the Spirit of God, asking Him to shut every door except the right one. But meanwhile keep moving ahead and consider the absence of a direct indication from God to be the evidence of His will that you are on His path. And as you continue down the long road, you will find that He has gone before you, locking doors you otherwise would have been inclined to enter. Yet you can be sure that somewhere beyond the locked doors is one He has left unlocked. And when you open it and walk through, you will find yourself face to face with a turn in the river of opportunity— one that is broader and deeper than anything you ever dared to imagine, even in your wildest dreams. So set sail on it, because it flows to the open sea.
God often guides us through our circumstances. One moment, our way may seem totally blocked, but then suddenly some seemingly trivial incident occurs, appearing as nothing to others but speaking volumes to the keen eye of faith. And sometimes these events are repeated in various ways in response to our prayers. They certainly are not haphazard results of chance but are God opening up the way we should walk, by directing our circumstances. And they begin to multiply as we advance toward our goal, just as the lights of a city seem to increase as we speed toward it while traveling at night.
~F. B. Meyer
If you go to God for guidance, He will guide you. But do not expect Him to console you by showing you His list of purposes concerning you, when you have displayed distrust or even half-trust in Him. What He will do, if you will trust Him and go cheerfully ahead when He shows you the way, is to guide you still farther.
~Horace Bushnell
As moves my fragile boat across the storm-swept sea, Great waves beat o’er her side, as north wind blows; Deep in the darkness hid lie threat’ning rocks and reefs; But all of these, and more, my Pilot knows. Sometimes when darkness falls, and every light’s gone out, I wonder to what port my frail ship goes; Although the night be long, and restless all my hours, My distant goal, I’m sure, my Pilot knows.
~Thomas Curtis Clark
Reference
Cowman, L. B. E.; Reimann, Jim. Streams in the Desert: 366 Daily Devotional Readings (p. 294). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Categories: spiritual