Hope Series Episode 5

Hope Series Episode 5

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Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:4-5

Hello, my walking friend! When you head out for a walk, do you plan your path? Do you know what direction you are going to go in? I know I do! In your spiritual walk, do you ever head out on your own without seeking the counsel of your wise guide, Jesus? Oh, man, I know I am guilty of that! Today’s meditation should help us remember to seek the counsel of our Lord and Savior and hope.

Today is the 5th episode in the hope series and our verse to meditate on is Psalm 25:4-5:
Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Life is filled with twists and turns, challenges and triumphs, isn’t it? In this psalm, David opens his heart to the Lord, expressing his desire for divine guidance and instruction. He acknowledges that his hope lies solely in God, the one who saves and leads him in the right way.

In our own lives, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the uncertainties and complexities that surround us. But take heart, my walking friend, for Jesus invites us to come to Him with open hearts and minds. He longs to reveal His ways and truths to us, offering guidance and wisdom every step of the way.

I wonder what my life would be like if I regularly prayed for Jesus to show me his ways and to teach me his paths and to guide me in his truth and to teach me, like David did. Do you wonder what your life would be like if you did that, too?
Let’s stop and consider that for a minute. I think I would be a more loving person if I lived according to Jesus’s ways. My perspective on the world would be different if I were guided by his truth. I would probably have more peace and be more heavenly focused, a little more concerned about how things looked on my inside – like my heart and soul – than how I looked on the outside. And my heart would probably be more tender toward unbelievers. How about you? And if I were praying this psalm to Jesus throughout the day, then I know I would be a more hopeful person all…day…long.

Christian author and speaker Max Lucado said,

 “Hope is not based on optimism. It is based on the reality of God’s presence, His faithfulness, and His promises. When we hope in Him, we are never disappointed.”

When you take these 10 minutes to walk with Jesus, you have the space, mentally and emotionally, to experience the reality of His presence. These 10 minute walks with Jesus, our Savior, are wonderful! But Jesus wants us to be with him all day long. Not just during our quiet time, not just when we say a blessing at a meal or pray at bedtime. He wants us to be aware of his presence always. Meditating on his words and his ways, whenever we can, whenever a problem or conflict arises during the day. Asking him for guidance and direction. Expressing gratitude for the big blessings in life, and the little ones. Asking to see situations and people from his perspective. Honestly, I think this is one of those verses that can be such a powerful prayer for us, one we might want to consider memorizing. I know I am going to – how about you?

Why don’t we start now by taking a little time to mediate on today’s verse, Psalm 25:4-5:
Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

You are now at the halfway point of your walk. If you need to be back in 10 minutes, this would be the time to turn around and head back.

The second half of our walk is an opportunity for reflection, meditation, and prayer. For many of us, myself included, this might feel challenging. But the spiritual rewards, and transformation, that come from developing this discipline is great and so is the power of the Holy Spirit to help us. So let’s start with some questions that will guide you in the process of reflection.

Do you think there is a correlation between how much time you spend in the presence of Jesus and how hopeful you feel?

What specific action can you take to remember to talk to Jesus throughout the day?

What does biblical hope mean to you? How is that different from the world’s view of hope?

Now let’s listen to today’s verse one last time:
Psalm 25:4-5:
Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Is there anything else you would like to talk to Jesus about? Anything going on in your life? Remember he is right there with you, walking with you, and he is eager for you to share all that is on your heart and mind with him. Take some time to talk to him now.

Now I am going to pray for us:
Dear Jesus,
I love you and I love that you want to spend time with me. Forgive me for getting so busy during my daily life that I leave you out. I need you like breath and I could never forget to breathe, so how could I not think about you more throughout my day? No wonder I get impatient and frustrated, worried and scared. Help me, Jesus, to remember that you are right here with me throughout the day. I put my hope in you – not my abilities, not my good fortune, not in others. Let my breath be a reminder that it is you who has given me life, in my body and in my soul, and you are my source of hope. I love you, Jesus, and I thank you for walking with me throughout the day and always. Amen.

Well, my walking friend, you did it! Another 10 minutes of walking and another opportunity to build the spiritual discipline of prayer and quiet time with Jesus, our guide, our Savior, our hope. I’m grateful for you and I’m grateful you took the time to walk with me today.

For more Walk with Jesus resources, including the Walk with Jesus 21 day scripture, devotional, and guided prayer journal book for walkers, go to WalkWithJesusDevotional.com. You will find the URL for the show notes for this podcast in the episode description.

I hope we can walk together again tomorrow, friend, as we continue to meditate on biblical hope. Until then, God bless you as you walk with Jesus.