A Redirected Prayer

My father is amazing. I know everyone thinks that, but mine really is extraordinary. Okay, everyone says that too. You'll just have to take my word for it. We were discussing prayer requests today on the front porch. It was a lovely evening, by the way. I mentioned that I was looking for some direction, some clarity of purpose. Realizing that my life is in a very transitional phase and not sure what's next, my natural tendencies to second-guess, plan and otherwise prepare have been running rampant. Instead of launching into a quick prayer as is our usual custom, he said he wanted to remind me of a story. He started with the story of Abraham and Lot after they had been wandering in the Negev. They'd been growing in fortune for several years and now their herds and workmen were starting to compete for resources because they kept in such close proximity to one another. Now Abraham presented a solution. In Genesis 13:8-9 you see that Abraham offered Lot his choice of which direction to take his family. Whichever way Lot chose, Abraham would take his family the opposite direction. What was interesting in that Abraham as the elder and more powerful should have had first pick. But instead he offered it to his younger and weaker nephew. There is a lot to learn from the story, but the key thing my dad was pointing out is the reason that Abraham could be so unselfish. He knew it didn't really matter. The direction you take, the road you travel, the choices you make aren't really important if it isn't for God. If you are doing the Lord's will, any road will do, any choice is perfect. Which way he went didn't matter, because he was following God either way. God would be with him either to the right or the left. What an insightful application and wonderful redirection. Instead of spending energy on what door will open, what do I need to prepare for, which way should I be going; I need to focus solely on my Savior. If I'm doing the Lord's will, the doors will be there when they are needed. The road will unfold as He deems fit. If I'm on God's road, I'll get where I want to go with no worries. Worrying is pretty a-typical for me, so it was an interesting flag to my father that he astutely picked up on. Gently, purposely, he set me right again. I told you he was amazing.