Lead me in the right path, O LORD,
Please make your way plain for me to follow. (Psalm 5:8)
Psalm 5:8 is 100% my prayer at this stage in my life. It is May 2020, and at age 47, I find myself looking to transition careers in the middle of a pandemic. With only 23 years of professional ministry experience filling out my resume, it would be hard to look impressive to a marketplace eye at the best of times. With hiring freezes a near-constant thanks to COVID 19, it’s hardly the best of times.
I’ve dropped 102 resumes thus far. There have been precisely zero opportunities for employment that have resulted from all the effort.
So how may God answer this prayer?
Truthfully, I know something will happen whether I ever pray or not. I’m resourceful and hardworking. This life challenge will get sorted eventually.
So what’s the point of praying?
There is something healthy and beautiful about entrusting myself to God. It’s a way to destress from the struggles of life. Last night my 10-year-old Jemma was burdened down with a pack she deemed too heavy for her. She said
“Dad, you are the one with the big muscles you carry it.”
Prayer is like that. “God, you are the one with the big muscles you carry it” prayer is handing the pack over to God.
My pack is the weight of responsibility for having a family without a clear plan to provide for them. I can shoulder that burden and let it sink me deep down into despair, anxiety and frustration or through prayer; I can hand it over to God. With the peace that comes from trusting prayer, I believe I will be strong to lift my head and see the clearer path forward that currently hides from me.
When this happens, I’ll be sure to say thank you.
