WATCHWORD:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10
“Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Matthew 6:25
Meditation:
The Difficulty inTrusting
Years ago, I rode the elevator to the top floor of the Sears Tower in Chicago and looked out over the city and then down to Michigan Avenue and the Miracle Mile. I suddenly had a queasy feeling and involuntarily stepped back from the window. I had that same sensation when, as senior class sponsor, I chaperoned a group of my high school students to New York and we stood on the observation platform of the Empire State Building. While we joked about looking down, I was not comfortable.
Are you adverse to heights? Do you have a kind of a weird feeling when you look down from a height, maybe a cliff while you’re hiking, or at the Grand Canyon at an Overlook? It’s not a comfortable feeling.
This morning I read Our Daily Bread and was reminded about Charles Blondin, who, in 1859, became the first person to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope! Remember hearing about that? He did it again, and again, over a hundred times! Once he did it with Harry Colcord, his manager, on his back! Blondin gave Colcord these instructions: “Look up, Harry…you are no longer Colcord, you are Blondin…If I sway, sway with me. Do not attempt to do any balancing yourself. If you do, we will both go to our death.”
Can you even imagine what Colcord must have been thinking? Imagine the trust that he placed in Blondin. Trust. Think about that. What about our trust in Jesus, in the Lord, God Almighty? Can we let go and let God? Are you walking on water and now you are not sure? Are you anxious? Have things that you have planned so carefully, gone awry? You don’t know what to do. Are you leaning on your own understanding? Or, are you being still, knowing that God is in charge?
Did you know that Paul corrected Peter early in their ministries? It was a time when there was some thought about the blend of Judaism with the new Christianity. In Galatians 2:14, Paul says: When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish Customs?”
Trusting Jesus is difficult. We are not called to walk with Him, rather He has called us to hold on to His Right Hand, to cling to Him in all we do, and walk this life with Him. When He sways, we sway, we do not lean on our own understanding for balance in this life. He is all the balance we need. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Old story: A hiker on a precarious trail. Suddenly is surrounded by fog. He slips and falls over the edge. At the last fraction of a second he grabs a branch. He hangs out over the fog-shrouded abyss and cries out, “Is there anyone up there?” No answer. He cries again, “Lord, save me!” Out of the fog, he hears a voice saying, “This is the Lord, just let go, my son.” Long pause, then the man calls out again, “Is there anyone else up there?” Trust in the Lord. Lean not on your own understanding?
Closing Prayer:
Prayer in song –
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I’m tired, I’m weak, I’m lone
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
When my way grows drear precious Lord linger near
When my light is almost gone
Hear my cry, hear my call
Hold my hand lest I fall
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
When the darkness appears and the night draws near
And the day is past and gone
At the river I stand
Guide my feet, hold my hand
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I’m tired, I’m weak, I’m lone
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home.
Amen.
