Dear Ones,
   Hope you had a wonderful weekend! The weather is still cool and rainy and we wonder when Spring will come. This morning I studied and made a new chicken casserole and went to my exercise class. This afternoon we are invited to friends for coffee and fellowship. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
   How is our trust level with the Lord? Do we bring everything to Him and let Him lead us, or do we run our own lives and come to Him when run into trouble? There is a marked difference when we let Him have the controls.
   I was having coffee with one of our friends who had returned from shopping with her daughter. She said she had looked and looked for a new chair and as she was leaving the last store, she saw a comfortable chair near the door. She sat in it and just glowed as it was so comfortable and she bought it on the spot. When she got home, she told her husband what she had purchased and that it cost $1500. (I can only imagine that Al would have fallen off his chair if I had done that!) But her husband’s response was, “Shouldn’t you have told me first so we could talk it over?” She readily agreed and said, “Yes, I should have.” In this case it was an ideal chair for her as it reclines, massages, heats up and gives her some relief from her scoliosis etc. It could have been a disaster as she is allergic to certain fabrics and once the chair was delivered, it could not be taken back. But in this case, it turned out fine!
   I thought of this situation as parallel to our spiritual lives and how we can run ahead of the Lord and get involved in all kinds of things that may or may not be His will. When we don’t pray and ask for His leading, we may get into troublesome situations that are hard to get out of and cause us anxiety…All because we did not trust Him and wanted to do it ourselves, just like toddlers. We can get ourselves in situations that the Lord never intended if we do not wait.
    Psalm 119:1-6 (Message) says, “You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow His directions, doing your best to find Him. That’s right—don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road He set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; and now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel.” 
    Challenge for today: Be blessed by doing whatever the Lord tells you to do and in His timing.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy