If you had one wish that would last for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Answer

King Solomon, the writer of Proverbs, would say, “Wish for wisdom.” “Actually,” he would continue, “forget about wishing for it. Search for wisdom like you would for a fabulously rich hidden treasure. Make this search your quest every day of your life. In every situation and challenge, get wisdom and put it to good use.”[1]

Why such a big deal about wisdom?

It’s a powerful skill that you absolutely need for living well. That skill is mental and spiritual. As you deal with a situation, you assess it through the grid of God’s way of thinking and you’ll know what to do.

So, what is wisdom?

It’s the ability to tell the difference in any given situation what is right and good, true and lasting, pure and smart…and, all this, per God’s definitions. Then you live that way.

I know that’s easy enough to say, that thinking like God is possible. But, as impossible as that may seem, it needs to be said. Each one of us hopes that it’s true that the skill of wisdom is really possible. Otherwise, how does a spouse deal with an explosively angry partner? What does the parent do about the wayward child? And, what about resentment and disdain for a neighbor or co-worker, how do we get rid of that? Without wisdom, we have no hope.

How do you get wisdom into your everyday life?

It starts with your attitude. A reverential devotion to the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.[2]  This means that your heart, your innermost, beats with only one desire: “I want to please God in everything I say and do, in everything I eat and drink, in what I think about, and the way that I treat people.”

You pray for it. You know that only “The LORD gives wisdom”[3] because, after all, he’s the sole owner. Wisdom is a specialty item with only one place in town where it’s found. God wants you to ask him for wisdom and promises to give it.

But, there’s a catch: when you ask God for wisdom, you can’t doubt at the same time that he’s giving it to you.[4]  To doubt is to say to Jesus, the embodiment of God’s wisdom, “I don’t believe you’re generous enough to give wisdom to me,” or, to say, “I’m not sure that your wisdom is any better than what I can get anywhere else.” You can’t slam the Giver of Wisdom, either his person or his gift.

You work for it. God will infuse you with wisdom to solve an urgent problem of the moment, let’s say, like how to talk to a co-worker about a sensitive issue. Or, the Spirit may use another Christian who has a “word of wisdom” to speak into your life. But, like any other subject, if you want depth of wisdom, it’s up to you to go deeper. The greater the depth, the greater the complexity you’ll discover. 

For example, anyone can plunk “Chopsticks” on the piano. But, you recognize a real pianist by the intricacy of music and how it’s played. Beauty and ease go together in those who have studied and practiced for long hours.

So it is with wisdom. You’ll discover that wisdom is a river fed by two major tributaries: knowledge and understanding. Knowledge finds information about any subject by using its many contributing streams,[5] and understanding is learning how to put that knowledge to daily use.[6] Putting wisdom into life is an art and a skill.

Take just the first example listed above, the angry spouse. How do you gain wisdom through knowledge and understanding? Get information about anger to know what it is. Think through possible causes, like your spouses’ family history and your relationship up to now. Read books, talk to others about specific steps you can take to minimize anger and how to maintain your own healthy equilibrium as you deal with this ongoing issue.

What results can you expect?

You’ll become a personification of the “wisdom of the righteous.”

We are what we think and do as a way of life. The more that we invest ourselves in acquiring the wisdom of the righteous,[7] the more we’ll rule the “kingdom” of our inner and outer world with justice and righteousness, two key ingredients of shalom. You will be naturally living life according to the “wisdom from above” which is really quite attractive and desirable.[8] Not that you’ll seek this, but, people will seek you as a godly counselor for the perplexities of life.

You’ll become bold in calling others to wisdom.

People who have the “wisdom of the devil”[9] are amazingly brazen and brash in their boldness to convince others to come their way. The adulterous woman of Proverbs 9 is loud, undisciplined and without knowledge. But, that doesn’t stop her from sitting at the highest point of the city and calling out to those who pass by.

But, no force is greater the force of wisdom. The more you possess wisdom and wisdom possesses you, the greater your strength within to position yourself at every level possible and invite others to listen to the “worthy things I have to say.”[10]

Search for wisdom and in your searching, gain knowledge and understanding.  In so doing, live a life worthy of the Lord in every respect.

The 2013 Accessibility Summit took place at MBC Tysons on April 19-20. With 45 workshops and 60 exhibitors, the conference welcomed 600 participants from 28 states, plus Nigeria and India. The Friday night keynote speaker, Clay Dyer, a professional bass fisherman born with no legs, no left arm, and only a partial right arm, inspired attendees with his philosophy that no obstacle is too big to overcome.

On Saturday morning, Emily Colson, daughter of Prison Fellowship Founder, Chuck Colson, and single mother of a 21-year-old son with Autism, shared stories and encouraged parents to appreciate the joy of God’s gifts in their children with special needs. Access Ministry of McLean Bible Church is one of the largest special needs ministries in the country. The Summit was pleased to have 56 churches from across the U.S. come to learn more about launching, growing, and programming a special needs ministry at their respective churches. Over 120 conference attendees also toured Jill’s House.

The perpetrators responsible for the violence and carnage wanted it well documented; they wanted the world to see. They didn’t care to know that God saw it all. But someday they will be summoned into God’s courtroom, where he is the prosecuting attorney, the witness, and the judge. They will be defenseless against his charge that they violated his nature, his laws, his rule, and his love for people. Then they will experience the wrath of his fury against them for their sins.

I don’t wonder anymore why the Psalmist said, “God…is angry with the wicked every day.” (Psalm 7) God’s anger isn’t a temporary passion. We tend to forget atrocities only because we can’t keep up with the new ones captured by headline news. God has no such problem with memory. Every day he is indignant with the evil he sees in the entire world. Since he sees all of history as if it were the present, he seethes in anger daily against those who have ever committed despicable acts that destroyed the lives of others.

I rejoice in God’s judgment of the wicked. Indeed, without the knowledge of such future judgment, righteousness and justice would have no present meaning.

But it is here where I encounter a different wonder, which I confess I want for myself, but not for the terrorists of the Boston Marathon and the millions of others like them.

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will one die for an upright person—though perhaps for a genuinely good person one might actually dare to die. But God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, much more will we be saved from the wrath of God through him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, will we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:6-11)

In God’s sight, apart from Christ, I stand side by side with terrorists as sinners and enemies of God. I’m not saying that the life that I might have lived had I not believed in Christ would not have been a decent life. I’m saying that in terms of my inherent sinful nature with zero righteousness to offer to God, I’m no better than a terrorist. I’m just as helpless to argue my case for self-goodness before a holy God.

But, Christ died in my place – God’s justice was satisfied. Christ reconciled me to God – I’ve been given Christ’s righteousness. God desires the same for each person in the world, from the best to the worst that the world can offer. The love of Christ constrains me to desire the same.

So, where does that leave us in reference to the Boston Marathon? Let’s start with prayer, an action available to us all.  Pray fervently for:

• Law enforcement to find the truth that will lead the perpetrators to justice
• Medical personnel to diagnose and prescribe the right treatment for the wounded
• Clergy and other counselors to have God’s wisdom in the choice of words of hope and therapy for short and long term healing for victims, family members and friends
• The salvation of the persons behind this evil act and all those who support it
• Americans to turn their hearts to the Lord in this time of national disaster

May we, the Lord’s people, proclaim to all around us this inspiration from scripture, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

We need to prepare!
It’s a head shaker to consider how little we prepare for Easter (more accurately called “Passover” in other languages). Think about the massive efforts made to prepare for a wedding, graduation, or an appreciation event. But, for the resurrection, what do we do?  Many Christians just show up at an Easter weekend service, sing the songs, hear the message, say “Happy Easter!” and then out the door they go to live the day as they lived the day before.

Many of us already do more than that, so, let’s all join together. Here are some ideas.

Palm Sunday – Easter Sunday
The last week of Jesus’ life and ministry. Each day, read the passage(s) of scripture that tells what Jesus was doing on each day. But why read them alone? Gather family members and friends to read, contemplate, and pray.

For a reading schedule, click here: Holy Week Scripture Reading and Devotions.
To review the timeline of events, click here: Holy-Week-timeline.

Good Friday Service
Communion service. Come to the Smith Center at 7:30pm so that we, together as the Lord’s people, can remember what our Savior, Jesus Christ, did for us on the cross. We’ll hear a message about the cross, participate in a special ceremony, and have communion as the highlight of our worship.

Easter Weekend
Services. Invite family and friends to a service so that they can witness God’s family celebrate and praise their risen Savior.

Brunch. Perhaps you can host an Easter brunch for your neighbors and explain on a more personal level the meaning of Easter.

40 Days After the Resurrection Until The Ascension
We hardly give any thought to why Jesus remained for 40 days after his resurrection. Likewise, we do not highlight the critical importance of the ascension. When the Easter weekend is over, you will receive information to help you continue in learning about the life that Jesus Christ came to live and give.

A thought to ponder
As we do all that we can to prepare, worship, and live out what Jesus has done for us, the Lord will see in us “the result of the anguish of his soul and be satisfied.” (Isaiah 53:11)

On Saturday, May 9th the ROCK hosted a campus wide event for Junior High girls and their moms, called “IDENTITY Night”.  Over 215 6th-8th grade girls, 110 moms, and 40 volunteers attended the evening!  This was actually two separate events, one for the girls and one for the moms.  The girls spent the night rotating through different activities in the church, such as the “make over room” where Christian NYC fashion model Claire Cannon spoke about real beauty.  They also visited a “craft room” and “dessert room” where the following issues were addressed through creative means:

• What is your purpose?
• Where do you get your affirmation?
• Do you fit in and belong?
• What brings you true joy?

The night finished with a concert by Joy Lippard and a presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

While the girls were rotating through different activities, moms heard from two guest speakers who sought to inspire them to learn more about building their confidence and identity in Christ as mothers raising up this next generation of young women.   Guest speakers included Chimene Dupler and Meredith Ehler.  Chimene is founder of Pink Polka Dot Productions, whose mission is to make a difference one mom at a time by inspiring moms to a godly passion for motherhood.  Meredith is a former Redskins Cheerleader and now founder of Homefashionbeauty.com who has a passion for speaking to moms about raising their daughters in a godly manner.  Overall, the Lord blessed this special evening to encourage both daughters and mothers into seeking a closer relationship with Christ and with each other!

Change happens

Change is like a buffet. Some things you want, others you don’t. When we were kids, at times we had no choice. Our parents made us eat what we didn’t want because of their dubious claim, “It’s good for you.”

Change can be unexplainable (like a tragedy), inevitable (growing older), unwanted (losing your job), or planned (getting a degree). In any case, change is external. It’s anything that makes life different than what it was before.

Transition matters

Thinking through how a specific change is going to work for you is called transition. That requires seeing yourself in a setting different from the one to which you’ve been accustomed. Here’s the key, though: You’re not focusing on the external setting but, rather, on your internal self, how you will grow as a result of the change.

Transition takes effort over a period of time. It doesn’t come naturally. It has one goal: self-transformation, becoming more the person that God wants you to become. Whether it’s something we’ve wanted or not, external change is the divine catalyst for self-transformation to begin.

Self-transformation, the goal

Self-transformation is a concept as old as the beginning of time. From Genesis to Revelation, the Lord tells his people to change their minds and see life his way, to think and act like Jesus. Paul’s words sum up the idea, “Don’t be conformed to this world’s schematic of values. Instead be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”[1]

“Sea-change” is sometimes used to express transformation. For example, in literature, a character may have a profound and positive transformation because of a series of trials, temptations, or tragedies. Ebenezer Scrooge experienced sea-change, as he went from “Bah Humbug” to “God bless everyone!” In the corporate setting, sea-change could be a buzzword way of saying that the process or product took a turn for the better. For you and me, sea-change means that we’re learning to live through change as Jesus would if he were the one living our lives. That’s the pinnacle of transformation, supreme success in living.

There’s no pill, but there is a process for self-transformation. Since we’re body, soul, and spirit, let’s use that as a template, starting with the most important, that is, the spirit.

Align your spirit with God’s way of thinking

It could be said that God makes his decisions about his children based on four aspects of who he is: his sovereignty, goodness, faithfulness and love. When change comes your way, favorable or not, you need to ask yourself the following questions:

• Is God sovereign over my life?
• Is he good to me in what he allows?
• Is he faithful in where he leads me?
• Does he love me, no matter what happens?

The closer you are to saying, “yes” the more aligned you’ll be with God. That’s beauty at its best. You’ll experience calmness and confidence. Your inner strength will be as solid as a rock.

Think proactively

If you see change as a threat, that it will take away something or someone that is a treasure or great value, your mind can naturally start down the wrong path of worry, anxiety, depression, resentment, bitterness and other destructive thinking. Such frames of mind were never intended by God.

If the change is seen as one of great benefit (let’s say you win a million dollar sweepstakes), then your problem may become that you rely on the Lord less than you did before. That’s also destructive. Ask King Solomon. In either case, whether a threat or benefit, telling the Holy Spirit, “I’m depending completely on you to guide and provide, protect and direct,” leads to the powerful sense of being one with God.

Being in sync with the Holy Spirit brings freedom to your spirit. It empowers you to answer strong questions that smooth the progress of self-transformation, like, “What’s the right, good, and smart thing for me to do now?” Or, “How can this blessing of God benefit others?”

Keep moving

Our God is a God of motion, always on the move in bringing his will to pass. He expects you to be on the move with him. It’s in this movement that self-transformation takes place, as Paul said, “In him we live and move and have our being.”

You keep moving the way you’ve been thinking: proactively, per the answers you gave to the questions above. Think through the best course of action and plan the way you’ll take. Don’t worry about making a mistake. The Lord promises to direct your steps along the way.[2]

Having a plan and working the plan, as they say, is the best way to keep moving in the right direction. That’s what Paul and his fellow evangelists discovered. It was because they were on the move – experiencing stops, go’s, and detours – that Paul finally saw the man from Macedonia in a dream, saying, “We need your help. Come this way.”[3]

Important note for sanity sake: Make certain of stability and regularity in your daily routine. Keep a steady pace. Run only when and for as long as you have to. Make frequent stops. Ask yourself, “Exactly when will I eat and sleep, work and play, spend time with God and my family?” Jesus lived this way. Dealing with demons or making wine at a wedding, he stopped one thing to do another, each one he considered part of the ordered plan from sunrise to sunset. At nightfall, he went to sleep to get ready for another day.

Change, transition, and self-transformation

God hasn’t kept it a secret that he desires us to be transformed into the likeness of Christ. In fact, he declares that he personally makes sure that every single thing that happens to you and me ends up in the “good” category, his definition being that we are more conformed to the image of his Son.  Why is this molding so important? Because Jesus lived just like God always intended, perfectly happy, utterly holy. Who of his children wouldn’t want a life like that?

Be settled in what you already know. Your life is never at a standstill, it’s always in motion from one change to the next. Seeing yourself – how you will think, talk and act – in a different reality is both an art and a discipline. Don’t resist this inevitable challenge, rejoice instead. It is through change, and the transition it brings, that you experience a self-transformation. You can be more like Jesus today than you’ve ever been in your life.

The Rock Staff has some amazing news to share with you from Junior High Camp at Rockbridge last weekend.  First, we had 20 youth accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Next, we had 92 students recommit their lives to Christ.  To top it off, we had 155 volunteers serve our students, and many of them were high school and college aged.  We couldn’t be more pleased with the enthusiasm and energy they brought to camp.  Simply put, the volunteers are the driving force that made the difference.  The camp theme was “Whiteout” and it was based on Romans 1:25, “Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”  The students heard four different sermons from four different pastors. The messages covered our sin nature, our pointless search for satisfaction outside of Christ, a salvation message exposing the lies we believe and a message on the solution and what to do with the truth they learned about. We thank you for your prayers and we ask that you continue in prayer for all the decisions made as we follow up with discipleship training at each campus.

Here are some encouraging stories and quotes from camp:

• 7^th grade boy who made a first time decision for the Lord said he came into camp “swearing and sinning” and left knowing “God is real”
• 6^th grade girl wrote that the best part of camp was “seeing and meeting new friends and getting closer to God”
• Our volunteer leaders were awesome and were a major part of camp.  One leader wrote to us that, “Saturday felt as I imagine Heaven will be: worship & fellowship intermixed with crazy games/sports”
• 5 girls from Coverstone outreach ministry in PW attended camp for the first time.  On the first night, discussion with their cabin focused on the basics of Christianity, and the leader was able to explain many things to them about the Bible.
• 8^th grade boy who recommitted his life to the Lord said that camp taught him that, “I need to need to stop living the lie that anything but God can give me satisfaction”
• 7^th grade girl who made a first time decision for Christ came to the conclusion that she was “worshiping the created rather than the Creator”
• When a leader of a guy’s cabin asked the boys (mainly from a church background) “where do you stand with God?” many replied that they have one foot in and one foot out.  The leader challenged them to move from being lukewarm to fervent.
• 8^th grade girl who committed her life to Christ wrote that before camp she was, “Struggling with my appearance, and worrying too much about guys, beauty and my weight.  I also learned to not be tricked by Satan’s lies”
• The ROCK was pleased to have so many highschoolers come out to be co-counselors.  The co-leader girls stepped up and were great leaders.   They grew tremendously through their service to the Junior High girls, and went from being “receivers” to leaders.
• 8^th grade girl who recommitted her life said she learned that, “If I want a healthy relationship with God I have to fight for it (i.e. read by Bible and pray daily)
• One 8^th grade girl reported that after camp she will try “to not be so focused on worldly things and to focus on Jesus and leading others to him and being an ambassador for Christ”

Christmas may have already passed but it’s a holiday that long stays on the hearts and minds of Kid’s Quest families because February is the month that some very special Christmas gifts from us reach their final destinations. In November, a little over 100 MBC children, youth, and adults came together to assemble gift-filled shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse International Relief, that presents our gifts and the Gospel message to children living in desperate situations around the world, including children living in 23 closed countries.

Kid’s Quest families lovingly put together 434 gift boxes adding to the 9 million total boxes collected from churches all over the United States. That’s 9 million children that just recently heard for the first time the Good News that Jesus is the greatest gift of all. These boxes are very unique gifts. New children are selected each year to receive them so they are once-in-a-lifetime gifts. We are excited to share that our boxes were recently delivered to children living in Zimbabwe, Mali, and Ukraine.

Enjoy some stories from box recipients:

“Many children were shocked at first when they received their present and couldn’t believe it was theirs to keep…Most had never received a gift in their lives and had no real possessions of their own.” – OCC volunteer

“These boys live underground, in sewer pipes. The shoe box gifts were the first gifts they ever received!” – Ukraine volunteer

“Churches in our country have been united as the Body of Christ, more than ever before, by the demonstration of the love of God, through a simple shoebox.” -  Local Pastor in Zimbabwe

“Church denominations are being united through the OCC ministry everywhere in the country, working together as never before.” – Mali

“There were some people – men and women who came to me to bring me a gift. I was very surprised. My first thought was that it’s not for me, but they confirmed that it was mine. So, thank you everybody – I don’t know who you are and how you happen to know me that you’ve brought me a gift. I am very glad and I tell everyone – just believe – the miracles come true! I am sure about it. Then those people told me that God has concern for me and He will not leave me and my mom alone if we would come to Him in prayer.” – 9 year old girl in the Ukraine

“We wish to express our sincere gratitude for the kind gesture your ministry extended to us. The gifts you sent us were received in good order and have been of great help in ministry to our children. Through our Sunday school ministry we were able to distribute the gifts among the children in our congregation. Some of the children were very needy, especially for school stationery, which was part of the gifts. These items went a long way in satisfying the need for the older children, while we got wonderful toys for the younger ones. Every letter that was sent to us was read out loud and appreciated. It was also an opportunity for our Sunday school teachers to teach our children about giving, and the love of our God that has caused them to receive these gifts from other brethren. May God shower you with His love, joy and protection as you continue in His service. Your love goes round the globe.” – Local Pastor in Africa

A big thank you to all who participated in this Kid’s Quest missions project. We hope it was a rewarding experience for families and a special teaching moment for kids. Click here to see a video of our Assembly Day and continue to pray for the children who received our gifts!

On February 9, 20 children experienced a milestone moment in their spiritual journeys as they publicly proclaimed their faith in Jesus in a baptism ceremony and reception hosted by Kid’s Quest.

Joe Henriques served as baptizing pastor, greeting an audience that consisted of about 300 family members, friends, and Kid’s Quest leaders. He shared the Gospel message, the purpose of baptism, and then invited each child to personally acknowledge their guests and share their video testimony of who Jesus is to them.

The ceremony concluded with a charge to all who play a role in the faith training of these kids, to continue their good efforts and to remember that baptism symbolizes a beginning, not an end, to becoming a fully devoted follower of Christ. Following the ceremony everyone enjoyed a reception to celebrate this happy moment in these kids’ lives.

Baptism is the final step of a program within Kid’s Quest called Starting Zone. Children who wish to be baptized start by attending a Gospel presentation class. The next round of classes are coming up March 2, 3, 9, and 10. To learn more about Starting Zone, including the requirements for baptism, click here.

Can the essence of life be boiled down to one word? Whether you think so or not, what do you think of this statement? “The common denominator of all you do – which becomes the determiner for all you’ll become – is trust.”

One of the most poignant pictures I’ve ever had of this thought comes from many years ago when I was in a park. A few feet away was a dad watching his son – he looked about 5 years old – who was playing on the bars. “Jump!” said the dad who held out his arms. When his son did jump to him, the dad dropped his arms. Then he said to his son on the ground, “Don’t ever trust anyone.” 

Trust defines the purpose of your life and becomes the power for living

Do you believe God is telling the truth about his love and commitment to you and that, therefore, you can trust him? Your answer to that question is no small matter. It’s the starting point for the trajectory of your life. Why? Because whatever or whoever you trust defines the purpose of your life and becomes the source of strength you live by.

Some trust in themselves, “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”[1] Others trust in Mohammed, Buddha, or in one of the Hindu pantheon of gods. Still others trust in the “there’s no god” insular world of atheists. The psalmist reveals the harsh reality that worshippers of all false gods face: “those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them.”[2]  He was rebuking worshippers of idols of his day by saying, “Do you want to know how smart and strong you are? Figure it out by looking at the gods you’re trusting in for your life.” 

Purpose and Power

There’s an astonishing by-product of trusting in the Lord with whole hearted devotion: you’ll begin to think more the way he thinks (purpose), and then you’ll act (power) more like him in everything you do and say. 

But sometimes your whole-hearted reliance on God isn’t all that strong. You’re like the person tip-toeing tentatively on a lake covered by ice that’s 10 feet deep. Meanwhile, all around you people are having tail-gate parties in their four wheel drive trucks before going ice fishing. The problem? You may be trusting in him, but at the same time, leaning on you.

Leaning on your own understanding sabotages purpose

Here’s the problem: God is way smarter than you and sees the whole picture. “No one can measure the depths of his understanding,” proclaimed the prophet, “It’s unfathomable, it can’t be measured.”[3]  You and I just get a small pixel of the picture. So we try to create the real picture, by putting pieces together as we would if we were God. Not a good idea. It’s called, “leaning on your own understanding.”

That doesn’t mean that you don’t talk to others. In fact, you should.[4] Maybe they see more pixels. In time, the accumulation of tiny dots may start to make sense. But the process of waiting on the Lord to answer can be a rough time in life. Trust him, anyway.[5]

It must have been hard for the young John Mark to hear the great Apostle Paul say, “I don’t want you to travel with me anymore. I can’t count on you.” Rejection by someone you admire is tough. Somewhere in the process, he trusted in the Lord[6] and went to have a talk with Peter. We don’t know what they talked about, but we do know this: John Mark asked a lot of questions about Jesus’ life and from the answers Peter gave, he wrote a book that we now call, “The Gospel according to Mark.” The Lord used a hard time to lead John Mark to a great work. 

Submitting to him promises power

In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight[7].  This direct-to-you promise of God is like a boiling pot of supernatural energy bubbling over the sides. It can be for you an unstoppable power that forms and maintains your ability to have positive, forward thinking and actions.  God’s promise to personally direct you slays the naysayers yelling in your mind that God can’t be trusted.

Now God may not tell you exactly where to go, in terms of guidance, but he will remove obstacles from your path. Or, more than that, he’ll teach you how to remove them. Perhaps you need to learn how to live in a better way. For example, having a more realistic perspective, or increasing in your generosity. Whatever quality it is in that particular time of your life that you need for improved decision-making, he’ll teach you.

With this end result in mind, who would not want to trust in the Lord with all their heart?

“Jesus, I trust you as my Lord, my Savior, to lead me in your ways in every part of my life. I’m not my own, anyway. You bought me with a price. I am gladly yours. Teach me to trust and obey what you say with delight. I know this pleases you and is the only way for my own happiness and contentment. Help me to live this way for you today. Amen.”