‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse/mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit & bridle, else they will not come near you.’ Psalm 32:8-9 NKJV
Do you ever feel like you’ve made a wrong choice, said the wrong thing, or didn’t get it right? While walking, I was praying about that, and someone’s words came to mind, ‘God doesn’t call us to do it perfectly.’ In the end, I could feel God drawing me to the right, but I wanted to go left (for a seemingly good reason) and turned left, then stopped. I could feel He was drawing me to the right, so I turned on my heel and went right. The instant I obeyed, I saw with new eyes what He wanted to show me – how tall these evergreen trees had become. A song came to mind, “I’m not yet where I’m going…but I’m a long way from where I was.” Then He opened my eyes to notice how small I was and how big the expanse was around me and above me. He was shifting my perspective, lifting my eyes and showing me He is much bigger than all the circumstances in which I don’t get it right, and at the same moment, He was lifting a weight off my shoulders. He was answering me.
In His kindness, He showed me, ‘Just like these trees, you’ve been growing, slowly growing, where maybe you couldn’t see any changes and got discouraged, but look…how far you’ve come. I see growth.‘
His illustration reminds me that He’s fine-tuning us. In the moment of yielding, the trees popped out, just like words jump off a page. He had been ready to answer me. Would I listen? Would I yield? Would I be faithful in a little thing?
This story of His kindness and patience reminds me that the way He answers prayer is a beautiful gift, and He included another: I looked back and saw what that person had said: “God is not expecting perfection for us. He wants our heart and wants to see us grow.” That is precisely the encouragement God was communicating in this “tree” lesson. Those words were Spirit-led, perfectly placed, perfectly timed. We may never know the impact of words seemingly small, but words God gives life to, and that live long after.
Prayer: Thank You, Father, for fine-tuning us. Thank You for guiding us with Your eye and teaching us “in the way” we should go. Help us to yield to You more quickly. Thank You for Your patience. Please open our eyes to see the ways You are answering us. Please speak to our hearts. Thank You for encouraging us. Thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness. Amen.
