07/05/2025
Do we include the Lord in all of our plans? Do we consider him in the minutest details of our lives? Is He not only our God in the grand plans of life, but the friend who walks beside us throughout the day, and sits with us in the evenings to talk over the smallest details that have transpired? This is our contemplation today.
“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”
Psalms 37:5 ESV
Opening up our lives to God sounds like an easy thing to do, but if it is so easy then why do we walk alone through so much of our day? We consult Him on the big things, but we tend to walk alone through all those trivial tasks and the routine doings of our day. This is dangerous to us and to our faith, and as I read my devotional this morning, Pastor Oswald Chambers touched on this very thought...
"In our religion it is customary to put God first, but we are apt to think it is an impertinence to put Him first in practical issues of our lives. If we imagine we have to put on our Sunday moods before we come near to God, we will never come near to Him. We must come as we are." - Oswald Chambers
I have mentioned before that I speak aloud with God and Jesus all through my day, and that people around me are probably thinking I am talking to myself, but even as I think back on yesterday, I realize that there were many times when I worked, relaxed, or even day-dreamed alone. In those moments I made decisions and plans without a conscious thought to what God would advise me to do. I had separated myself from Him, regardless of how briefly, and although these seemed to be routine h everyday happenings, neglecting to include God in them leaves the door ajar and invites Satan to enter into my life. God wants me to lean on Him in all I do. Without His presence even the trivial occurrences become dangerous moments and decisions. It’s as simple as a proverb… and as inclusive as a psalm…
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”
Psalm 37: 3-7 ESV
Sometimes when I meet friends I had before my life was truly dedicated to God, I get wrapped up in a conversation or activity and my old self begins to reassert itself. Later, as I look back on that time with them I do so with regret... the inappropriate language I used, or perhaps remembering sinful thoughts from long ago, and how they made me feel; I realize that for that time spent with those old acquaintances, I had withdrawn from my righteous conversation with God. I had forsaken my closest friend to spend time with who I once was, and an old friend who took me back to that place and behavior I thought I had conquered, and that I had put on the clothing of a past day.
Has this happened to you? Have you been at a reunion of some sort and found yourself suddenly talking, reminiscing, and acting like you did long ago? Well, these are the occasions when we are tempted to stop allowing God into the most intimate and detailed plans of our lives. These are times when we drop our guard by allowing who we once were to take back control over our thoughts and decisions... this is when we inadvertently exclude The Lord and allow Satan an opportunity to have his way with us.
The minutia of life... it seems so innocent, and yet, it can be the undoing of our faith. As the Psalmist said, we must commit ourselves to the Lord... always and in all things. He will keep our most intimate thoughts, help us control our emotions, our actions, and influence the most obscure and seemingly trite of our plans. Just as He leads us in the greater things, He will also guide that first small step that we are just about to take in error... after all, every large mistake in the course of our lives begins with a single small step in the wrong direction.
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8 ESV
So, we must endeavor to walk always, in everything we do, with the Lord, and to include Him in all of our plans and considerations... the large and the small. He is our compass, and Jesus our tiller who corrects our course, and the light that illuminates our steps. When we allow either of them to be withdrawn, or neglected, then we are prone to stumble back into sin and our lives are in peril. For this reason we should trust God always, and in all things.
“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:5-7 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your good council in all I do and every plan I consider; both great and small. Thank you, Father, for being present with me and whispering in my ear when I am making even the most insignificant of decisions. Your voice comforts me because I know that in it there is love, wisdom, and good. You guide my steps and walk beside me. As I talk with you, I am comforted; when I walk with you, I do not stray, and when I feel your hand upon me, I am lifted up. My day is made perfect by your very presence, and your steps not only guide mine in all I do but protect me from the temptations of Satan. My nights are spent in peace and comfort because I know that you are watching over me and guarding my dreams. Keep me Holy Father and know that I strive to follow your Son Jesus... listening to you as He did, walking with you as He walked, and obeying your will as He obeyed. Strengthen me in my faith and belief Father that I might be a pleasure to you in all I do today. Guide me in every step I take and know that in these things I love you, honor you, and give you all the glory. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God, to whom I give my thoughts, my heart and my soul. Holy are you whose grace and mercy have rescued me, and who stands ready to come for me again should I find myself wandering back into the man I once was... and in need of escape from the temptations of the dark one. Hear this my prayer and give me the perseverance needed to pray it all day long. Praised be your name Lord, and I pray in the name of Jesus that you step between me and my past and not let me look back from whence I have come.
Amen, Amen, Amen!
“Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
Genesis 19:24-26 ESV
Rich Forbes