Today I drove to WV with the girls and met a friend and her daughter at Harper’s Ferry Waterpark. The weather was fantastic and the landscape was beautiful! The water was teal….which I assumed was because the waterpark people treated it with chemicals of some sort. So, my friend asked the lifeguard about the river. She said it was actually a quarry and the water came up from the ground after they had mined it; the water was that bright teal color because of the minerals in the rocks! I was so glad we asked.
Seeing God’s beautiful creation made me reminiscent of a family reunion I had in the early 90’s near the Grand Canyon. I was 13 years old, and my brother and I went out to explore the woods with our cousins. This was when parents let kids do things like that – unattended! We were a group of almost ten kids, ranging from ‘just lost my first tooth’ to ‘in the throes of puberty.’ We had been gone since lunch and it was time to start heading back for dinner….only we had no idea which direction to head.
We started walking in the direction we assumed was the camp, but none of us were quite sure which way that actually was. We kept walking, sure we would stumble upon the camp sooner or later, but things were getting more difficult and the sun was setting. The younger ones were getting scared and tired. The older ones were getting worried. We decided to start yelling to see if our moms could hear us, but we got no response. We kept walking and were positive we had just seen that same fallen log ten minutes ago. We tried walking in a straight line, following the setting sun, staying in the same spot and yelling some more, but nothing was working. We realized our last resort, which should have been our first option. We stood in a circle and prayed. We asked the Lord to guide us home. As soon as we said “Amen,” I heard my mom calling us. We followed her voice and made it out of the woods.
I never forgot the power of prayer. God hears us even in the middle of the woods. Why is it that so often we use prayer as a last resort? I can just see God watching us as we walk around in circles, begging us to ask Him for help!
We do this in every day life – we get stuck and try everything to get ourselves in a better spot, but we have to exhaust every last effort until we finally turn to Him for guidance. And we should know better; after all, He sees things from a better vantage point!
Sometimes we think we know what is going on, but we’re walking in circles. Or we make assumptions, like the water has been chemically treated, until we learn the backstory and find out we are wrong. The same is true with people! We judge people without knowing their backstory and we are wrong about their motives. Sometimes it’s better to take a step back and look at things from a better perspective, a biblical perspective. We can ask God for help; He is our LIFEguard!
Ask God first, pray about everything, and don’t worry! It won’t add a day to your life and God has a purpose and plan for you!
Isaiah 65:24 “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.”
Phil 4:6 “ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”
Matthew 7:7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
