DIRECT
“My voice shalt thou hear in the
morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will
look up.” Psalm 5:3
The
definition of direct as used here is: to arrange in rows or to put in order.
Interesting. Prayer is to have
order. I have heard people complain
about grocery list prayers – the type where you simply move down a list of
prayer requests – but with this definition it seems listed prayer requests have
their place. No doubt they do, because our
prayers should have aim. Like a marksman,
we should have a steadiness of mind and heart as we direct our prayers to the
Lord. Keeping a list of prayers helps to
give that purpose and direction.
Keeping
a prayer journal is another way to direct your prayers. As you record not only the requests, but also
the history of the answers, and the things God reveals to you along your prayer
journey, it becomes a source of encouragement and rejoicing.
However,
I see another side to prayers that are in order. Since God is a God of order we will find that
in prayer He will reveal His direction, his orders, and his agenda for our
lives. Prayer should be the first place
we go in the morning and throughout the day as we face decisions and
circumstances. This was the example of
Christ and a worthy one for us to adopt.
By following his example in prayer we will find that God will set the
agenda for our lives. Our lives will
take on more order and purpose. We will
become better marksmen not only in prayer, but also in living. That steadiness of mind and heart will be
honed as we get our sights in the right place – looking up.
Prayer
is work, and thus, it requires direction. So, we are encouraged to have a plan
in prayer.
Is
your prayer life aimless? It is hit and
miss? Or, do you see prayer as a vital
work of God with purpose and power?
DIRECT
“A
man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
Proverbs 16:9
“O
Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that
walketh to direct his steps.”
Jeremiah 10:23
Jeremiah 10:23
Frank
Sinatra’s version of “My Way” is well known.
As he recounts in song all the difficulties he has faced and the paths
he has walked, he comes to the conclusion that he was victorious because he did
it his way. This is pure humanistic
philosophy. God is removed.
However,
God’s Word reveals the sovereignty of God in all things. Man may go his “own way”, but God is still in
control. When we look at the actual
definition of the word, direct, in these verses we will understand more of what
God is saying. It means to establish,
make firm, prepared or made ready. So,
while man’s heart may have a way it wants to go, only God can truly make a
solid way forward.
Man
is like a fickle dove. He is always
chopping and changing. He will go with
his whims and fancies. But God prepares
a firm way for us. We do not have to be
blown about in life or allow our emotions to have total sway in our
decisions. God has a prepared path for
us. We have only to follow and
acknowledge that His was is best.
It’s
sorta like the toddler who is trying to learn a new skill. They don’t want instruction. They want to do it their way. You have to sometimes leave them to it until
they come to the end of their tether and ask for help. God does the same with us. He will let us have our “own way” for a time
and once we see the futility of our struggle, He will step in and direct our
steps into success.
How
much better to start out on the path with God, than to waste valuable time and
effort in trying to demand our own way?
DIRECT
“And
the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting
for Christ.” II Thessalonians 3:5
I
remember the day when this verse came alive to me. I was listening to a dear church member do
his first Scripture reading during the morning service. My heart was distracted with the burden of a
sad situation, and then I heard this simple phrase that lifted my heart and
restored hope to my soul – “The Lord direct your hearts into the love of
God”. I had allowed this burden to shift
my heart. It was starting to draw me
down that path of despair and worry.
My
thoughts were completely overtaken by the amazing strength and promise of this
verse. God will direct my heart into His
love. I, so, needed to be directed! And God was standing there ready to do it!
The
word, “direct”, as used here, means to guide, to lead – with morally pure
light. God is the one doing the
directing. His direction is pure –
totally pure. There are no ulterior
motives with God. There is no “what
if’s” or “if only’s”. He knows exactly
the direction our heart should take in every circumstance. That direction is straight to Him. We need not be tossed about or overly
burdened. We need not sit up at night
wondering and surmising. We have only to
allow Him to direct our hearts into His love.
I
never cease to be amazed at God’s ability to capture my attention. His Word is so alive and powerful, so pertinent
and exact. He knows what my heart needs,
and the direction it should take – straight into the love of God.
I
don’t know about you, but I need directing.
My heart will get distracted and drift; I need God to be taking hold of
me and directing my heart back to Him.
DIRECT
“In
all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Proverbs 3:6
Proverbs 3:6
I’ve
heard people say the Christian way is rough and rugged. And truly, sometimes things we face can be
hard and challenging. Yet, they can always
be placed against the promise of this verse - “..he shall direct thy
paths.”
Surprisingly,
the definition of “direct” here is not to do with guidance or arrangement, but
rather with the actual consistency of the path.
It actually means to make straight, smooth, or do good. There are more
promises of this kind throughout God’s Word.
Isaiah
45:2 “I
will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight; I will break in
pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron.”
Isaiah
45:13 “I have raised him up in
righteousness, and I will direct all his ways…”
Proverbs 11:5
“The righteousness of the perfect
shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.”
In
each case the Lord is promising to make the way of his child straight and
smooth. I find there are fewer
complications in life when I am walking alongside my Lord. When I am looking to Him and looking for Him,
He is there. When I face what might seem
an insurmountable problem, I have but to step aside and let Him sort things
out. I am not called upon to solve every
situation or to control every outcome. I
have but to acknowledge that He is God.
I am not.
I
can do very little about the path I tread except to walk according to His Word in
righteousness and believe in His best for me.
He will do good for me. The
roughness and ruggedness of the Christian life is often brought about by
deviation from His Word, from the presence and activity of sin, and from my own
failure to acknowledge Him.
He
has promised that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. (Matthew 11:20) No matter how difficult life gets, when I
take time to acknowledge His supremacy and power, I can find Him working on my
behalf to sort life, to make it more bearable, to lighten my load – to direct
my path.
DIRECT
“Who
hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counseller hath taught him?
“ Isaiah 40:13
How
many times do we presume to tell God how we want things to work out, instead of
asking Him to allow us to see His hand in the situation and adjust ourselves to
be walking aligned to His purposes?
We
are often guilty of playing God. We
think we have everything figured out and God needs to move quicker, or in a
certain direction, or to a certain end. Yet,
all of our assumptions are based on our personal reasoning and desires. We are trying to second guess the Spirit and
direct God.
The
word, direct, means to weigh, estimate or understand. We need to remind ourselves that His thoughts
are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. (Isaiah 55:8) We are not God.
God
doesn’t build in straight lines. He
cannot be “pinned down”. Like the wind,
His Spirit moves upon the face of the earth to an order that God alone
directs. Yet, He does not leave us
without the direction or understanding that we need. His promises are solid and
secure.
In
Jeremiah 33 he describes how secure his promises are as Jeremiah records, “Thus saith the Lord; if ye can break my
covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be
day and night in their season; then may also my covenant be broken with David
my servant…” (Jeremiah 33:20,
21) Interesting to note that this same
statement is made again in verses 25, 26.
Guess God really wants us to understand that though He does not work
according to our selfish desires, He does work according to His eternal plan
and He will be successful.
Jeremiah
33:2, 3 gives us another glimpse, “Thus
saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the
Lord is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and
mighty things, which thou knowest not.”
Though we are wasting our effort in trying to instruct or direct God, we
are offered the invitation to come alongside and allow Him to instruct us – to
show us what He is up to! Asking God
submissively will lead us to greater understanding, but it never gives us the
power to direct.
Are
you a presumptuous prayer? Do your
prayers sound like commands instead of petitions? Do you think you could handle things better
than God? Better get back in your place!
No comments:
Post a Comment