Session 19

How to stay on track

From Ecclesiastes: A 20-Day Devotional

“Recalculating…Make a legal U-turn," directs the electronic voice as you struggle through unfamiliar streets. You feel overwhelmed as your spouse adds, “We’re lost! You said you knew exactly how to get there. I told you to turn on the GPS sooner!”

Just as a map or GPS is more beneficial when you use it from the beginning of a trip, a daily relationship with God can keep us grounded and on track for His plan for our lives.

Too often, we wait to seek God until we feel desperate and overwhelmed. Prayer is frequently our last resort rather than a daily routine. In Ecclesiastes 12:1, Solomon gives us simple and wise counsel: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come.” The metaphors that follow describe the physical and emotional challenges of life and growing old. Solomon advises us to seek God now, not to wait until we feel hopeless and out of options.

God has a specific plan for your life, beginning with a personal relationship with Jesus. He wants you to experience a full life through a daily relationship with Him. There will always be trials and tribulations, but walking through them with God allows us to face those trials with the wisdom, encouragement, and comfort only He can give.

Avoid last-minute U-turns by seeking God's direction every morning. 

Seeking God only when you are in desperate circumstances is like turning on your GPS after being lost and driving aimlessly. You can avoid the last-minute U-turn by seeking God’s direction every morning.

Reflect:

• Think of a recent difficult situation you tried to handle on your own rather than with God. How did you feel?
• How might the situation have gone differently if you sought God from the beginning?
• What is one step you can take today to begin relying on God by spending time with Him in prayer and trusting Him to direct your path?