Tag: guide

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Seeking the Breath of God

Bighorn sheep eating grass on the roadside at Badlands National Park
Acts 17:26–27 (ESV)—And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us.

The bighorn sheep in Badlands National Park stood at the roadside. They munched on grass, not a care in the world about the human snapping photos from up the road.

Later in the day, while flipping through the photos on the camera screen, I noticed something. The bighorn sheep had collars around their necks, GPS tracking devices that allow for monitoring the species.

Thankfully, God created us with his own breath and not a tracking device. This mark is God’s promise he’ll guide us when we seek him.

To seek God, we choose not to weary ourselves with human ideas. Perfection. Individualism. Money. Fame. Ideas with no end result or outcomes that fade with time.

We choose, instead, to simply pray to the God who remains with us and controls the universe and all that is in it.

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Walking in Obedience

The Old Town of Zurich along the river
Exodus 23:20 (ESV)—“Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.”

Stepping out of the bustling mall in the Zürich Hauptbahnhof, I clutched my guide book, finger marking the page for the start of a self-guided tour. Chock-full of information, the book led me through the Altstadt (Old Town), into churches whose decor left me in awe, through courtyards surrounded by charming buildings, to the shore of Lake Zürich. The book laid out a history of the area, a step-by-step path for me to walk in the present.

At Mount Sinai, God prepared a path for the people of Israel to follow in the present. He gave them not only the Ten Commandments but also rules for righteous living.

In return for their obedience, he promised to send an angel to protect them and bring them to the place he had prepared for them. He’d drive away their enemies and grow their population, one step at a time to protect the land from desolation and wild animals.

Like Israel’s path, our path comes from God if we choose to walk in obedience. God will help us to grow, one step at a time, on our path for today, our path for tomorrow, our path leading to our place in heaven.

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Traveling Toward Jesus

Matthew 2:2 (ESV)—“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Silhouette of pine trees against a deep blue sky with stars and northern lights

When I travel, I usually have a destination in mind. Hotel booked. Tickets purchased. Stops along the route planned. Only once have my husband and I traveled in a random direction with no plan.

I imagine the Wise Men didn’t have their trip planned. They set their eyes on the star and “traveled afar,” as the song says. And they journeyed with their only plan being to worship baby Jesus, the king of the Jews.

In my life, I often have to metaphorically travel toward Jesus. I fall out of practice in reading my Bible and have to start again. I forget to pray about big decisions and a day later ask for God’s forgiveness for not coming to him first and I seek his guidance. I feel anxiety and have to read Bible verses to remind myself of God’s greatness.

No matter my physical, mental, or emotional state, the star of Jesus shines bright as a guiding point. The star leads me to a place of worship, the destination where I can sit at the cross in God’s mercy and glory.

I encourage you to travel toward Jesus today. If you feel lost, if you feel ecstatic, if you feel torn up or some other emotion, repeat this verse and say, “I have come to worship him.”

I pray your Christmas season is full of worship!