Begin with 2 minutes of silence.
Scripture :Mark 8: 31-38
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Devotional : A Road Less Traveled
by Anguel Atanassov
The first part of this passage, specifically verses 31 – 33, remind me of how God is in control and that sometimes God pushes us out of our comfort zones to challenge us to embark on something that we do not necessarily want to take part in. Peter “rebukes” Jesus and then Jesus turns around and “rebukes” Peter, to basically tell him that this is Gods will and that it’s happening whether he likes it or not.
Whenever I find myself questioning God, or what he has planned for me, I just remind myself that he knows better than I and that he will continue to surprise me.
In my own life I have had a few instances where God has led me down a path that I did not want to take. My biggest example of this would be how I came to Pullman. Out of all the schools that I applied to WSU was the one that I swore I would never go to. The funny thing was that God had a different plan. He closed all the other doors and left this one wide open. He pretty much had to shove me through it. I am happy that he did. I would not change this experience for anything. Going down this path has allowed me to grow in ways that I never thought were possible. Whenever I find myself questioning God, or what he has planned for me, I just remind myself that he knows better than I and that he will continue to surprise me.
Question to Consider:
Is there a path that God seems to be leading you down that you are resisting?
Prayer:
Father God, please give us eyes to see your will and grant us the ability to do as you want, rather than prioritizing our own wants. Gives us ears to listen and us be at peace with your will. In Jesus name, Amen.
Close with two minutes of silence.