March 5, 2025

“Be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or the left. Follow the whole instruction the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live, prosper, and have a long life in the land you will possess.” – Deuteronomy 5:32-33

Imagine someone who is driving to a place they have never been before, so they pull the destination up on their phone’s GPS. Then, they proceed to begin driving and never once look at the GPS or listen to the directions. Eventually, they find themselves completely lost so they toss their phone out the window and blame it for failing to guide them to the place they wanted to be. Completely irrational, right?

This is so often how we treat God. We see God’s instructions as an infringement on our personal freedom. We want God to bless all our decisions so that we end up exactly where we want to be, regardless of what turns we make or which road we take. The truth is, God does have plans to prosper us and not to harm us…but that only applies if we decide to commit our lives to him and follow those plans. We cannot live every day and make every decision apart from God, and then expect to experience the peace and protection he promises. Abundant life is only found within the will of God.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for the arrogance of our self-centered thinking. Forgive us for the times we have followed our own path and then blamed You for our hopelessness. Draw us to Yourself, give us guidance for life, and let us find peace in knowing we are within in Your will, even on the difficult days.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon