Thoughts for the Day

Prayer for Guidance. Of David.

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust;

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.

Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!

Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

During Advent we shall look at the people, places and symbols that invite us to prepare for the coming of the Christ-child at Christmas. They will not necessarily occur in the right order! Today we look at 'God's Way'.

I was on my way to a railway station in a nearby town and I was using my google phone-app to navigate. I knew the road near the station itself would be difficult because the Council were working on one of the car parks, but suddenly I ended up driving along a canal and through what looked like a huge lorry yard. I seemed to go round and round without actually getting to where I wanted to be, and then I ended up on the wrong side of the station!

In Psalm 25 we pick up another Advent theme, that of God's way. Many psalms look to God for guidance and instruction, and we should notice the plural words used here - "ways" and "paths". In life there are many ways and paths to choose from and often it's not easy to choose the right ones. We have to make multiple decisions and sometimes can't see the end in sight. For instance, should we ignore the homeless man or woman on the street? Should we give them a hot drink? Should we give them money? Should we refer them to a Shelter? The questions are endless - do they need help, have they food, will they spend money on drugs - these are just a few that come to mind!

God wants to help us navigate the difficulties of life (and he's much better than google at this!) but unlike David who wrote our psalm, often we don't turn to Him for guidance. A quick prayer might help before making a decision to act, for being mindful of God's mercy and love to us, means we must act in some way to help others this Advent.

Father-God.
this Advent when we struggle to find our way
and find the right path
may we remember to turn to You
for guidance and help.
Solutions to problems
are much easier to find
when we ask You,
the Great Teacher and Guide.
Amen.