A Magnolia's Heart Beats

10 Minute Tuesdays is hosted on Faithful Chick's site. Pop over there and check it out by clicking here...

God's Word For You Today:

Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his
path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed. -Psalm 37:34 (NLT)

Traveling steadily along God's path...there's a wonderful vision of hope. Do you envision God's path like I do?

I'd like to see it as a straight shot, clean and shiny, no clutter, no pot holes, no speed bumps, no S curves.

The fact is that God's path is not always like that. On the path I travel there are construction zones everywhere. Obstacles on that road, slowing me down as I try to press on.

Putting my hope in God has made the path a lot more manageable and easier to travel. Where I used to not see the signs warning of the obstacles ahead, they seem to be more visible to me now. I see the speed bumps before I hit them most of the time, and with God's leading, I take those hairpin curves on both feet rather than just falling over.

God promises to honor us if we will put our hope in Him. What are some ways we can do that?

1. Make prayer your priority, and the first thing you do each day if you can. I'm not talking about having your quiet time for 30 minutes and spending an hour in prayer with God the minute your feet hit the floor each morning. I'm just recommending breathing a prayer and a promise to God, letting Him know your hope is in Him and to keep you mindful of what He wants you to accomplish.

2. As soon as you can, get in some time with His Word. It's refreshing, it's recharging and it will give you the fuel you need to travel the path He has for you.

3. When you're faced with an obstacle, view it as an opportunity. Don't let it throw you off the path. Assess it, then either climb it or burst through it or ask God to remove it. He'll let you know how to tackle it.

4. Thank Him. Honor Him at the end of the day, thanking Him for leading you down the path you traveled today. Thank Him for being your hope and for promising to honor you for staying hopeful in Him.

May God bless you as your journey down the path God has for you, keeping your hope in Him as you face the obstacles, er, opportunities, with the grace and faith He has so richly given you. He will never abandon you. In fact, He's the one who carries us down that path!