Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, Pilgrim through

this barren land; I am weak, but Thou art mighty,

Hold me with Thy powerful hand. Bread of heaven,

Bread of heaven.  Feed me till I want no more;

Feed me till I want no more.

 

Sometimes you just need a good OLD hymn to remind you of who we really believe can lead us out of whatever predicament we are in!  William Williams, the son of a wealthy farmer, was on his way to becoming a doctor in the 1700s when he heard the gospel and his life was changed to become an itinerant preacher.  He considered himself a "pilgrim" and lived a very hard life, but wrote over 800 hymns, including our one for today.  This hymn, by the way, was sung at the funeral of Princess Diana of Wales.

 

Do you feel like a prilgrim in a barren land?  Do you feel weak and powerless?  Do you feel like nothing nourishes you, but only depletes?  Job, in the midst of a major predicament, said about God: "he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." (23:10)  Some of our predicaments are His testing, some are our choices, some are just allowed for our growth or someone around us and some are just to draw others to Himself.  The question is: who are you letting guide you through them?  The world has lots of solutions:  strive harder, take more control, go shopping, buy a prettier car, build a bigger house...is that the path you are taking?

 

In last week's Sunday School curriculum on Ezekiel, this was written:

 

"God's Spirit can teach, guide and change us

only to the extent that we listen to and obey

His voice."

 

Not to sound weird, but sometimes the voices in my head speak so loudly I couldn't hear the Spirit of God if He shouted.  If we are to seek the "Bread of Heaven", we must be intentional about what we say yes to and what we say no to.  Isaiah 30:18 says "He longs to be gracious to you...", but it also says we must wait for Him.  Do we make decisions without waiting?  I'm afraid I do...I want to be more intentional about allowing His guidance to be my rudder and not allow the things I want to happen guide me.

 

For further study:  Exodus 15:13, Nehemiah 9:19-21, Psalm 48:14, Psalm 73:23-24, Isaiah 43:2,  Isaiah 58:11, ohn 6:48, John 16:13, 2 Cor. 6:16, James 4:8.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly