Jesus Calling: January 18
I am leading you along the high road, but there are descents as well as ascents. In the distance you see snow-covered peaks glistening in brilliant sunlight. Your longing to reach those peaks is good, but you must not take shortcuts. Your assignment is to follow Me, allowing Me to direct your path. Let the heights beckon you onward, but stay close to Me.
Learn to trust Me when things go "wrong." Disruptions to your routine highlight your dependence on Me. Trusting acceptance of trials brings blessings that far outweigh them all. Walk hand in hand with Me through the day. I have lovingly planned every inch of the way. Trust does not falter when the path becomes rocky and steep. Breathe deep draughts of My presence, and hold tightly to My hand. Together we can make it.
RELATED SCRIPTURE:
John 21:19 NLT
19 Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”
Additional insight regarding John 21:19: Despite what Peter's future held, Jesus told Peter to follow him. We may be uncertain and fearful about the future. But if we know God is in control, we can confidently follow Jesus.
2nd Corinthians 4:17 NLT
17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
Additional insight regarding 2nd Corinthians 4:17: Our troubles should not diminish our faith or disillusion us. We should realize that there is a purpose in our suffering. Problems and human limitations have several benefits: 1) they remind us of Christ's suffering for us; 2) they keep us from pride; 3) they cause us to look beyond this brief life; 4) they give us opportunities to prove our faith to others; 5) they give God the opportunity to demonstrate his power. See your troubles as opportunities!
Habakkuk 3:19 NLT
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights.
(For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)
Additional insight regarding Habakkuk 3:19: God will give his followers strength and confidence in difficult times. They will run surefooted as deer across rough and dangerous terrain. At the proper time, God will bring his justice and completely rid the world of evil. In the meantime, God's people need to live in the strength of his Spirit, confident in his ultimate victory over evil. God is alive and in control of the world and its events. We cannot see all that God is doing, and we cannot see all that God will do. But we can be assured that he is God and will do what is right. Knowing this can give us confidence and hope in a confusing world.
I have a ring that has one hand over the other. Whenever I get frightened or worried or confused, I look at that ring, and I know that Jesus is hand is over mine every day, every hour every minute. Jesus is all that I have, but he is all that I need! Praise the Lord!
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