Sweet Words of Wisdom

I hear the Lord saying, “I will stay close to you,
Instructing and guiding you along the pathway for your life.
I will advise you along the way
And lead you forth with my eyes as your guide.
So don’t make it difficult; don’t be stubborn
When I take you where you‘ve not been before.
Don’t make me tug you and pull you along.
Just come with me!”
Psalm 32:8 (TPT)

I like things well planned out, and do not like things done haphazardly. Being out of control pushes all my wrong buttons. In the days before we had directions in the palm of our hand, getting off track in another city would sometimes overwhelm me. My husband likes to embellish one such escapade that happened in Evansville.

The interview at the television station had gone well and while starting to return home, I pondered over a few of my answers, and my driving wandered a bit off track. Suddenly, I was lost! I came to an intersection and I had to choose which way to go. In panicked desperation, I started to sweat! In an instant, I phoned my husband at work and said, “Which way do I go?”

He said, “Where are you?” Hurriedly I said, “Evansville. Now, which way do I go?!” In retrospect, I must have sounded ridiculous, especially to the customer sitting across from my husband. And I was expecting precise directions like “two lefts, then a right, and then merge into traffic.” Instead, my husband said, “Drive toward the sun and that should bring you to 41.”

Grumbling, having exhausted all lifelines, I reluctantly followed his directions. It didn’t help hearing hubby, and his customer, laughing it up while I was suffering. But his directions were absolutely perfect, and within two minutes I was on 41 heading home.

Later that evening he asked if I wanted to know how he knew which way to go? Instinctively I replied, “I know the Man who knows the way!”

By 2005, global positioning was improving and God placed His first DVD project in my heart. Pilates for the Soul was the name He had given me and all I needed to do was follow His direction. All my years of training had been preparing me to present exercise in a way to bring honor and glory to God. Seemed easy enough, except … there was no film crew, director, or outdoor location, yet.

But God always provides when we are working in His will. He actually seems to prefer those of us who know less so He is recognized for who He is and what He supplies. (Look at the disciples as an example.) We serve a very big God!

At this point in my spiritual training, I knew to trust God, lean into Him, depend on Him, and allow Him to do the rest. His Word promises if we do those things, He will direct our path. It seemed like things were moving in the right direction as I researched and prayed about scriptures to be used with the exercises. I had the workout format together and carefully matched the scriptures with each exercise.

There happened to be a videographer at our church, and he agreed to be part of the project. My friend had a beautiful property with a lake, I asked, and she agreed. We rented equipment, including a Jib camera, and set the date for filming. Everything was working out just as God had planned!

Finally, the big day arrived. Then, just like that, the wind came up, the sun beamed brightly right into my eyes, and those were the minor issues. In the midst of it all, the high-priced Jib camera had been on the wrong setting the entire day. Let’s just say it was a disaster!

At the end of the day, standing on a big rock overlooking the lake, the dam just broke and tears began pouring out of me, dripping down my face and soaking the rock below. With my hands reaching toward heaven I cried out, “God, what happened? I thought you wanted this. Was I selfish, or prideful? I am sorry Lord.” But could there be another reason why things turned out all wrong?

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on a solid rock” Matthew 7:24 (NLT).

Have you ever been so sure of something in your heart, went for it, and then it flopped? Well, I couldn’t quit on God’s assignment! I prayed and prayed and prayed some more and waited on His direction. My prayer was simple, “Show me how to do it Your way.”

“Listen well to wise counsel and be willing to learn from correction so that by the end of your life you’ll be known for your wisdom. A person may have many ideas concerning God’s plan for his life, but only the designs of God’s purpose will succeed in the end” Proverbs 19:20-21 (MSG).

As the months passed, God was teaching me to trust and endure. Finally, He spoke those sweet words of wisdom to my heart. I knew where I missed the mark. I had failed to consult God on the workout format. I mean, I know exercise, but when I thoroughly reviewed the format, I felt uneasy. Goodness gracious God, please forgive me! God told me to take out half the exercises and reduce the length to 27 minutes. He also had me rearrange the scriptures to fit the condensed format.

The location was another God moment. “God, my friend has a beautiful location, right?” Wrong. God asked me and my husband to drive around looking at property with lakes. Just like that, God placed a name in my heart. I knew the person, but not well. Sounds unbelievable, but I called the person anyway and they just so happened to have a property with a lake. God showed up BIG when we looked at the property, and we knew immediately it was His chosen place.

Lesson learned, consult with God about everything! By the way, that 27-minute DVD that no one would want, well, God was right, and it has helped thousands of people everywhere.

So, if you have a project, or maybe you’re just lost and need some help with direction, “I know the man who knows the way, and His name is Jesus!”

…

Learn How You Can Have a Relationship with God

Order your copy of Shaped by Faith: 10 Secrets to Strengthening Your Body & Soul by Theresa Rowe