I confess, I have been out of focus lately, feeling a little out of sync, as if I’ve lost my sense of direction. I feel like a ship that has lost sight of the lighthouse and is being tossed around by the waves, slowly drifting away from its intended path. Ever since BSF ended in the beginning of this month, I have not been consistent with meditating on or digging deep into Scripture, and I feel the difference. Knowing how amazing it can be when I dwell in God’s Word, being able to discern His urgings more clearly, and experience Him working within and around me, there’s really no other place I’d rather be and all I want is to get back in God’s path. Just like Moses and the Israelites, I want to follow His cloud by day and His pillar of fire by night, and have a sense of direction as I live out my God-given purpose in this life.

Desperately needing to find a daily devotional that I can go to consistently, I turned to She Reads Truth as I often do and I was pleasantly surprised to find that they’re currently offering a study on hymns. They’re taking a break from their typical Bible-reading plans and focusing on favorite old hymns and the Scriptures that inspired them. I highly recommend that you stop by to see what it’s all about.

I was excited to see on their list one of the hymns we chose to sing in our wedding ceremony, Be Thou My Vision, a favorite of mine and my husband’s. The words spoke to how we wanted to live our life journey together. Please allow me to share the words to this beautiful hymn with you:

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night;
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father and I, Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise;
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart;
O King of glory, my treasure Thou art.

O King of glory, my victory won;
Rule and reign in me ’til Thy will be done;
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall;
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

Ah, these words just play with the strings of my heart, “Be Thou My Vision, O Lord of my heart…Thou my best thought, by day or by night; waking or sleeping, thy presence my light…Thou and thou only, first in my heart…Rule and reign in me ‘til Thy will be done…Heart of my own heart, whatever befall; still be my vision, O Ruler of all.” This is how I want to live my life! God as my vision, my purpose for living, my end goal, the prize for which I’m running this race called life.

Our job is to follow God’s lead, right behind the cloud and fire,

not getting ahead and forging our own way

nor falling behind and losing our way.

I remember back when we were first married, I had a vision of how our life would be like. Regardless of my husband’s desires, I imagined us somewhere in Central Asia or South America, serving God thru long-term missions. It might have been a noble and Christian-like vision but the problem was that it was my vision, not God’s. Who knows? Long-term missions might still be in God’s plans for us but only God can show us where we need to be and when we need to go there. Our job is to follow God’s lead, right behind the cloud and fire, not getting ahead and forging our own way nor falling behind and losing our way.

This brings me back full circle to the main point of this post. I have been feeling unfocused because I have not been focusing on God and His Word. Only when we are in close relationship with God thru Scripture can we discern the path we need to take. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” His Word is also nourishment to our soul as it says in Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Knowing that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work,” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) how can we not hunger for our daily intake?

When it comes to spiritual training, we ought to be like runners,

training for the most important race of our lives.

When it comes to spiritual training, we ought to be like runners, training for the most important race of our lives. Imagine the dedication that it takes for athletes to endure the grueling physical training, to push themselves to the limits of their potential, to stay focused, to never give up, to never let anything get in the way, and to always persevere. God expects that same kind of wholehearted devotion from us. However, our spiritual fitness will bring us much more than a fleeting taste of victory as it says in 1 Corinthians 9:25, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” I want to be relentless when it comes to seeking His truth. As Paul describes in Hebrews 12:1-2, I want to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” So that at the end, when it’s all said and done, I’ll be able to join Paul in His words, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Here’s some food for thought: Are you running the race? Are you aiming for the prize that lasts forever? Are you living your life purposefully or are you merely existing?

Have a blessed rest of the week!

Linking up with these lovelies: Unite | Word Filled Wednesday | A Little R & R | Coffee and Conversation | Thursday Favorite Things | Thriving Thursday | SHINE | Thought Provoking Thursday | Fellowship Fridays | Faith Filled Friday | Faith & Fellowship | Grace & Truth