The Night Walk

Proverbs 3:5-6, (NIV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Recently, as part of my ordination training, I went on a retreat with other ordinands. We rocked up to the retreat Centre with no clue what lay ahead for the next two days. All we knew was that it was a 'retreat in nature' and that, importantly, we’d not be camping out in freezing February! 

Fast forward to the evening: we were invited on a night walk, no torches, no headlamps, just us in the nearby woodland, walking in the dark. So off we went and as we progressed through the dark, I started to notice something: we had to put our complete trust in the retreat leader. He was someone who had led night walks in all weathers, had lived on the land for years and knew the paths to take and what things to highlight during the walk. My initial apprehension of trying something completely different was squashed by having a capable leader. It made me reflect on how hard it can be to trust God completely, especially in times when we feel out of depth and out of control.

In times of uncertainty, we have the most capable leader, the Creator of all things; God himself is right here to lead the way. When we put our trust in God, we can trust him to lead the way, to guide and navigate life, because he has been right there from the beginning, and he is still here. 

What areas are you struggling to trust God in? I’d encourage you to write them down, speak them aloud to yourself or someone else, and ask God to help you trust him in those areas. We can be assured that God hears us, sees us, and is with us. 

Prayer - Father, today I put everything that I've struggled to trust you with, into your hands. Help me to leave them with you.