My family and I are continually discovering how God is often willing to go to great lengths in order to direct our steps when we earnestly seek His will. Recently, I broke a tooth and needed to get to the dentist as soon as possible. My husband, Joe, and I both agreed that I shouldn't wait to make an appointment with our regular dentist who was over an hour away. I turned to the Lord in prayer and asked for His perfect will and wisdom in the matter. Then I got a referral from my son's wife. I was delighted when I was able to get an appointment with her dentist the following day, but when I got ready to leave and tried to start my car, it was dead. I then asked my son, John, to drive me there on his way to work, but when he attempted to start his car, his was dead, too! When I called the dentist's office and asked for another appointment later in the week, I was told that there were none available. After seeking the Lord about what to do next, I got out my telephone book and began combing the long list of names of dentists in our area. My eyes fell on the name of a man who had donated a generous sum of money to my son's Bible Club a few years earlier. I called his office and was given an appointment that very afternoon. Now my husband and I are thanking God for leading us to a wonderful dentist right in our own area. And we're praising Him that both of our cars needed only minor repairs that Joe was able to handle easily by himself.

Another time, my family and I had decided we needed to give away our favorite pet duck, Larry. Our two males weren't getting along, and we thought it was wiser to keep the male that our female was most attached to, even though people with more experience raising ducks didn't agree with our decision. We heard about a farmer a few hours away who was willing to take our duck, and we made arrangements to meet him halfway to hand Larry over to him. All this time, I was praying and seeking God, feeling heartsick about having to part with our most precious pet. The morning we were supposed to make the trip to give Larry away, the farmer called and cancelled because of an ice storm in his area. As I turned to the Lord in prayer once again, I began to believe that He had used the storm to prevent us from making a terrible mistake. I thanked God for intervening on our behalf that day, and since then, our ducks have been getting along fine. My family and I have decided that if the day comes when we do have to part with one of our ducks, it won't be Larry.

These are just two examples of how God has gone to great lengths to keep us in His will. We've discovered that earnestly and continually seeking the Lord's direction makes all the difference in matters like these. As much as I try to be sensitive to God's leading, I find that there are many times when He has to REdirect my steps because I start off heading in the wrong direction. As unsettling as this can be for me at times, it also gives me great comfort because it reassures me that He's in control, and He is continually answering my prayers for His perfect guidance. After I pray for God's wisdom and then prepare to step out in faith, I often ask the Lord to encourage me with little signs of confirmation along the way. Many times, He answers those requests in reassuring ways, but other times, He doesn't. For those times when God seems silent, I ask Him to at least give me a sense of peace about the direction in which I'm headed. This is a very Scriptural request because the Bible says we should let the peace of God "act as umpire continually in [our] hearts, deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in [our] minds." (Colossians 3:15 AMP) The next time you need direction in a matter, I hope you'll take a lesson from the verses above in Proverbs 3. Earnestly seek God for His perfect will for you. Don't depend on human reasoning to guide you, but rather divine revelation. Put your wholehearted trust in the Lord, believing that He wants to direct you, and that His ways are best. Then enter God's rest, knowing that He will guide your steps in His perfect will--even if He has to go to great lengths!

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You're not trying to hide Yourself or Your will from me. Teach me how to seek You with all my heart, and to trust that You love me and want what's best for me. Thank You for leading me in the paths of Your greatest blessings!