Devotional 3-13-08

Scripture: Matthew 6: 9-13

A few months ago our Johnson Memorial Sanctuary Choir sang the anthem, “Thy Will Be Done,” by Joyce Eiler. Both the words –which I am sharing- and the music are beautiful.

Sometimes the load is heavy, and sometimes the road is long. And sometimes, Lord, this heart of mine is not so very strong. But Thy will be done, Lord, Thy will be done. Father, I do not ask You to take this cup from me. I only ask Your guidance o’er paths I cannot see. And Thy will be done, Lord, Thy will be done.

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever, A-men.

Now, Lord, I feel you near me, I feel Your guiding pow’r. And know you’re standing by me through ev’ry passing hour. And Thy will be done, Lord, Thy will be done.

Have you ever known a teenager who couldn’t wait to get a driver’s license? No? When I was in my teens, we were a one-car family and four members already had their licenses. The car always was in use, and when I was old enough to get a learner’s permit, I wasn’t at all interested. Two city buses went near our house every half and quarter hour, and if I ever did need another ride, someone always was there to take me.

After Phil and I were married, we lived in Memphis, TN, where he, a member of the Marine Corp, was stationed at the Naval Air Technical Training Center. Our few trips back to West Virginia, over the winding, pre-interstate highways, took 20 to 22 hours each way. (We had a cousin who regularly made the trip in less than 12 hours, but the glove compartment of his car was crammed with speeding tickets.) After one particularly tiring trip, I decided I really should learn to help with the driving. I asked my husband to teach me how to drive.

Though I was determined to learn, I did not enjoy being behind the wheel. I disliked having to practice so much that sometimes I wished for bad weather so I could skip that day. However, one day Phil suggested that I take the driving test, and though I felt that I wasn’t ready, it actually was quite easy. Now I was a licensed driver. Still, I found no pleasure in driving anywhere or anytime.

One day an elderly friend, who was injured in a terrible car wreck a few months earlier, told me that the only way she could get into any vehicle was to pray constantly before leaving and while riding. The only trips she was able and willing to make were to her church for services. As I listened to her, I wondered if prayer could change my attitude and make being behind the wheel less of a chore. I would ask for God’s guidance the next time I drove! My confidence grew and my attitude did somewhat improve as I always paused to ask Him to keep me safe before I started a trip.

Twenty-eight years ago we moved to our farm in Ohio, and during the school year I drove daily to my school in Huntington – a 30 minute drive. On one very cold morning, I scraped the frosted windshield of my car and slowly drove up the lane to the highway. I had gone only a few feet, not enough time to pick up any speed, when suddenly the windshield became totally white in the glaring sun and all visibility disappeared. As I slowed to a complete stop, I rolled down the window beside me, and at that moment a large shadow crossed in front of the windshield. Looking out the open window, I saw a huge buck bounding across the highway, leaping the ditch and running up the hill. I was too stunned to count the points on its racks, but there were many. If I had not stopped the moment I did, that magnificent animal and my car would have collided. There would not have been a winner.

As I watched the deer disappear into the trees. I quietly prayed over and over, “Thank you, dear Lord. Thank you.”

Thy will be done.

Jean Modlin