Wisdom for the Road
by Pastor Mark Slabaugh
Proverbs 1:20 Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public square.
I’ve always been struck by Proverbs 1:20. As the middle child, I watched my older brother to see the pitfalls he encountered and tried to learn from his mistakes. In the same way, I want to know the right way to follow Christ—how should I live? What’s the best way to be a father/husband? How can I get this right the first time? (Yeah right!) I believe this verse tells us that God’s wisdom is available to us; it is not hidden when we need it most.
April 15, 2008 was a beautiful day—a warm spring afternoon. My wife called to tell me she was in an auto accident. “It’s bad,” she said, “the kids seem to be okay, but the van is toast.” She was seven months pregnant, so I was thinking, “Who really cares about the minivan?” I ran out the door and jumped in the car. I was zooming to her location and I rationalized, “everyone should just get out of my way.”
But a brilliant piece of wisdom came to my mind as I was praying for my wife and unborn child. It was a calm voice that said, “Mark, if you don’t get there safely, you won’t be able to help anyone.” As I slowed the car to a reasonable and safe speed I sensed God’s assurance that He would get me there in time. I’m glad His wisdom was available to me when I needed it most; but I’m also glad that I could hear His voice in the midst of anxiety. And, by the way, everyone is alive and well now.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for giving me Your wisdom when my own wisdom wasn’t enough. Forgive me for the times that I disregard or don’t bother to seek Your wisdom for my life. I want to seek You each and every day.
This helps remind me to stop and listen for God's direction in frantic times. It is good feeling to know we have God's guidance in the most chaotic situations. Thanks Mark for your devotional, I needed this.
ReplyDeleteI kinda needed this one today. When I stop and think, my chaos doesn't even compare to the chaos in this story. But if I don't hit the pause button, that fact can just blow right on by. Tying back to Bela's understanding of grace, God is already working His plan and providing His grace, I just need to realize it, grab onto it, and thank Him for it... and relax.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mark. I never thought of wisdom crying out to us, I have thought of it as something we have to look for. It is hard to hear his voice when everything around us is chaotic. You made me realize that when he hear his voice- that is wisdom and when we listen to it we are being wise.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad God brought you all through that accident safe and alive. God is good!
Dear Mark:
ReplyDelete... “Mark, if you don’t get there safely, you won’t be able to help anyone.” ...
Wow, good for you for listening, so often it is easy to ignore the voice of God and do what we want to do, not what he is telling us to do.
I am very thankful your lovely family made it through that ordeal unscathed.
Heidi Williams
I like Jacene's comment...wisdom calls out to us. God's wisdom doesn't play hide-in-go-seek. He actively pursues us and longs to engage and enlighten our spirit with His.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Pastor Mark was able to recognize God's wisdom in a tough situtation means that he was already tuned into God's voice. We need to daily become more familar with God's "road signs" that point to His infinite wisdom so that when chaos tries to run us off the road we will know how to obey God's leading.
It is so easy to forget we are His, and everything around and about us is as well. When we keep things in perspective and remember to slow down (and Pray continously about all our activities) and let Him take control, and life seems to go much smoother.
ReplyDeleteI was reminded of this today while I was working. I thought I understood how the yard was to be shaped and was about finished, when the customer stopped me and said it was all wrong. God reminded me to pray and ask for guidance, and as the customer is always right, so was God. I reshaped the yard in a few hours, and the customer and me were happy, I'm sure God was, because it could have very easily gone a different way. Just remembering to pray for a moment helped me to react in the way I'm sure all appreciated. Thanks God for the reminder to Pray. Bud
It is sometimes easy to get caught up in the chaos as it swirls around us. But God is always faithful to pull me back to Him. I just have to remember to seek Him first and I always find that there He is...waiting for me. Waiting for me to pause, waiting for me to focus on Him and seek His direction and wisdom in the midst of the chaos. What a comfort in knowing that my Father loves me and is always here to help me walk through whatever comes my way.
ReplyDeleteListening...9 letters put together that form a word that means so much...
ReplyDeleteListening is a lot more difficult than one thinks. I just printed off a task for children in regards to listening & it was broken down into steps, such small steps that it made sense.
So here would be my listening task for myself:
Step 1 - Close your eyes
Step 2 - Take a breath
Step 3 - Breath out
Step 4 - Inside say Thank You
Step 5 - Calm your mind
Step 6 - Be still within yourself
Step 7 - Feel the peace
Step 8 - Listen
Step 9 - Listen
Step 10 - Listen
Thank you father! Thank you for hearing my prayers and for loving me even when I don't listen to your answers. Please help me to be a better listener, help me to seek your guidance, even when I think I know best, help me to hear you. Teach me to be a better listener and to be devoted to walking the path with you. Amen