The Journey Continues: Delighting in His Will
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
"For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen." Lutheran Worship, Order for Confession and Forgiveness
It may be early September, but my wife and I are eagerly anticipating our annual fall photography trip to the eastern Sierra. Days of walking among the golden aspens, along the mountain creeks, and by the waters of several alpine lakes, refreshes our souls and renews our spirits. In the past, our trips were very well-planned, with the various roads and side roads planned out and mapped ahead. But now, we take a more leisurely and unplanned approach: sure, we know where we're going (straight up highway 395 along the backbone of the Sierra Nevada mountains), but we allow ourselves the freedom to on occasion, take a road less-traveled.
As I was doing my morning prayers on Labor Day morning I began to think of the phrase above that comes from Lutheran liturgy, specifically "delight in your will and walk in your ways." I said to myself "I really want to delight in your will, and walk in your ways". Then I realized that much like I used to meticulously plan our road trips, trying to live in what we might interpret as "God's will" often leaves us disappointed, and in the end, not following His will at all. But if we allow God to actively walk with us, showing us His will, it's much like the joy of discovering that side road which leads to wonderful and serendipitous locations that we could not have planned of for ourselves. To truly delight in His will and walk in His ways means to let Him be the navigator of our journey.
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