2 Corinthians 5:7

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

O, Lord, bear with me, please.

Too many of my prayers to You

are filled with grumbling.

Too often I complain because I cannot

see the path in front of me and I wish

I knew just where You were leading me.

But the truth is—if I’m being honest

with myself first—if I knew the journey

You had planned for me, I might just

freeze with fear and start unpacking my bags.

Not that the path I’ve already walked

hasn’t, at times, been wild and amazing

and filled with such wonder that I

could barely contain my joy.

But it has also been filled with crushing

heartache and uncertainty and doubt.

The path You lead us on, Lord,

is twisted and wandering and sometimes

seems to lead us so far backwards,

we could swear we’ve walked this path before.

But I have to remind myself that the same

vines that line the path and snag my feet

and rip my jeans, are living things.

The path You lead us on, Lord,

is a path filled with life.

And like all wild things, it’s untamable.

We cannot force it to turn left

when all it wants to do is turn right

and then wander and dance circles

around the trees and streams.

And so, Lord, we must close our eyes.

We must hold still and gather our strength

and take gloriously rich and deep breaths of You.

We must take that first step and that second step

and learn to ignore all the things that cause

us fear and threaten to stop us in our tracks.

We must know and never doubt that this path

is your path, Lord, maintained by You.

This journey we are on is a journey designed by You.

And so, we must walk by faith.

Amen.