Daily Devotionals
2021
Sunday, November 28
Jen Powell
As a child hiking with my parents in the beautiful, dense forests of Wisconsin, I could not be contained. I’d rush ahead, impatient and confident that I knew the way. They’d shout to wait for them at the fork.
But who has time to wait when there is so much to discover? One day, one turn led to another and then another until I didn’t know where my parents were. Or where I was. Alone. Hungry. Cold. And angry at them for not keeping up.
How often do we do that to God? Run ahead. Expect Him to follow us. We try to lead the way even though we don’t know where we’re going. And then we get angry at Him for where we end up.
Of course, God doesn’t need us to tell him where we should go. He created the forests we’re walking through. Just as He tells Israel he doesn’t need their sacrifices.
“Every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures in the fields are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.” (Psalm 50:10–12)
Still, He asks them to sacrifice thank offerings to fulfill their vows. God does not need us to show Him the way, yet He wants us to walk with Him; to the extent that He sent His son, Jesus, as our redeemer. He has so much to show us, so much to give us, if we turn to Him.
God’s grace is that he never loses sight of us. He knows where we are, and He knows how to get us to the destination He designed for us. If we follow Him.
Jen Powell lives in Winthrop and has been attending Park Street Church for 23 years. She works with the Youth Group, leading middle schoolers. She is passionate about her family, sailing, and skiing.