Bible Studies

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Lesson five reminded us of our intention, "Lord, make the path visible and I will follow." Today we see the all too common dilemma of remembering something from yesterday that seems to be missing today.





6. Show Me Again

Lord, I’m sorry. Don’t be angry, I couldn’t survive your displeasure. Be kind to me, I am tired and broken and have bad habits. I want to do your work but I have no direction, how long must I wait?

Come back and save me again, please, and I will do all for You. I am ready to die for You, but what could I do then? I am tired, how many times must I ask? I wake in the night wondering how to serve You. I can’t even see straight anymore, every step seems to be wrong.

Go away, all you tempters. The Lord has heard me. He knows my trouble, He can hear my call. Look out, be quick about it; get out of the way, here I come.





"Come back and save me again," is a place we have all been at one time or another. One day we reach for the stars and find important truths, and the next day we are left wondering where the feeling went. It is impossible to avoid mistakes but what do we learn when we make the same mistakes over and over again?

Lesson three spoke of the fear of enemies that surround us but lesson six speaks of the enemies within. We all make mistakes, that can’t be helped. Sometimes it takes many mistakes before I finally learn something. Then time passes with other cares and suddenly there I am in the same old jam. Logic says give up. Emotions tell me I’m a failure. There’s nothing for it but to grit my teeth and go at it again.

We can become disheartened by our weakness or we can learn humility. We can cover up weakness or blame the problems on others or we can acknowledge a power greater than our own. We can hope that by doing the same wrong thing we will eventually get better at it, and we do get better at doing the wrong things: giving up with style is still giving up. “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” asked Paul. (Rom. 7:24) The choice we always face is very simple but very hard; we can either attempt to solve our own problems or we can look outside ourselves for help. We are back to the fear of lesson three again and the answer comes, again, unlooked for.

The gap between “…every step seems to be wrong.” and “The Lord has heard me.” is not very wide, but it is very deep. The bridge between is taking the initiative of “Go away, all you tempters.” It is rebuking the enemy, persevering even when it hurts because it is your decision and will to do so. It could be as big as changing the basis of all your desires, or as little as just saying no, not today.

The cycle of the first three (enlightenment, responsibility and fear) has been revisited in the second three: the answer, the path and show me again. The first three looked to the world outside and the second three looked inside ourselves. Action, thinking and emotion are highlighted from one to the next and within each lesson also. Understanding this cycle shows how our choices lead to the next set of problems to be faced. Growing as individuals and as societies means anticipating what problems will come next and responsibility means preparing to deal with those problems before they arise.

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