1 00:00:32,025 --> 00:00:36,305 Speaker 1: Hey friends, Jennifer Slattery here thanking you for a wonderful year. 2 00:00:36,625 --> 00:00:39,745 Speaker 1: Your support means the world to us. I also wanted 3 00:00:39,784 --> 00:00:41,425 Speaker 1: to let you know that my team and I will 4 00:00:41,465 --> 00:00:44,104 Speaker 1: be taking a two week break in January to regroup 5 00:00:44,144 --> 00:00:47,705 Speaker 1: and refuel spiritually. During that time, will we air some 6 00:00:47,784 --> 00:00:51,385 Speaker 1: of our most popular episodes if you've already listened to them. 7 00:00:51,545 --> 00:00:55,505 Speaker 1: Perhaps consider this an opportunity to prayerfully reflect on the 8 00:00:55,585 --> 00:00:59,785 Speaker 1: truce anew. May you encounter the Lord in a personal 9 00:01:00,025 --> 00:01:13,545 Speaker 1: and fulfilling way each time you listen God Bless Life Audio. 10 00:01:15,185 --> 00:01:17,985 Speaker 2: Hello, thank you for listening to your Daily Bible Verse, 11 00:01:18,425 --> 00:01:21,464 Speaker 2: the podcast that examines one verse each day to learn 12 00:01:21,465 --> 00:01:24,145 Speaker 2: more about God and his will for us. I'm your host, 13 00:01:24,185 --> 00:01:27,305 Speaker 2: Carol McCracken, and after a short word from our sponsor, 14 00:01:27,425 --> 00:01:41,825 Speaker 2: will dive into today's Bible Verse. So I'm thirty two eight. 15 00:01:42,625 --> 00:01:46,225 Speaker 2: Today's Bible verses Song'm thirty two eight. I will instruct 16 00:01:46,264 --> 00:01:48,145 Speaker 2: you and teach them in the way you should go. 17 00:01:48,665 --> 00:01:50,865 Speaker 2: I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. 18 00:01:51,625 --> 00:01:55,185 Speaker 2: I have a confession. I really don't like being slowed down. 19 00:01:55,825 --> 00:01:59,225 Speaker 2: Not by people, not by cars, not even by my dog. 20 00:01:59,985 --> 00:02:02,665 Speaker 2: If someone's walking in front of me at a slower pace, 21 00:02:02,825 --> 00:02:05,545 Speaker 2: especially when I have a destination in mind, it creates 22 00:02:05,585 --> 00:02:09,024 Speaker 2: on me. My college roommate used to laugh about this. 23 00:02:09,345 --> 00:02:11,264 Speaker 2: She said, I didn't even know how to walk with 24 00:02:11,305 --> 00:02:14,625 Speaker 2: someone unless I was leading. I'd start out beside her 25 00:02:14,625 --> 00:02:16,625 Speaker 2: on the way to class, and before we made it 26 00:02:16,705 --> 00:02:21,304 Speaker 2: halfway across campus, I'd already pulled ahead. It wasn't intentional, 27 00:02:21,745 --> 00:02:25,425 Speaker 2: it was just my pace. But over time I've realized 28 00:02:25,465 --> 00:02:28,665 Speaker 2: this quirk of mine reveals something deeper. I don't like 29 00:02:28,745 --> 00:02:31,625 Speaker 2: being slowed down in life either. If I see a 30 00:02:31,665 --> 00:02:34,625 Speaker 2: path I want to move. I like having a plan, 31 00:02:35,185 --> 00:02:40,505 Speaker 2: a direction, a sense of momentum. Sitting in traffic frustrates me. 32 00:02:40,864 --> 00:02:44,905 Speaker 2: Delays make me restless. And yet, spiritually, this can be 33 00:02:44,945 --> 00:02:49,345 Speaker 2: a dangerous posture, because when we insist on leading, we 34 00:02:49,544 --> 00:02:53,305 Speaker 2: risk getting ahead of Jesus. So I'm thirty two. Eight 35 00:02:53,465 --> 00:02:56,544 Speaker 2: is God's gentle reminder that he is the one who 36 00:02:56,584 --> 00:02:59,985 Speaker 2: teaches and leads. He says, I will instruct you and 37 00:03:00,065 --> 00:03:02,785 Speaker 2: teach you in the way you should go. That means 38 00:03:02,864 --> 00:03:06,785 Speaker 2: there's a pace, a process, and a path he sets, 39 00:03:07,185 --> 00:03:10,585 Speaker 2: And if I'm always rushing ahead, I'll miss the direction altogether. 40 00:03:11,584 --> 00:03:15,304 Speaker 2: The next line deepens the truth. I will counsel you 41 00:03:15,345 --> 00:03:18,905 Speaker 2: with my loving eye on you. That phrase loving eye 42 00:03:19,424 --> 00:03:23,665 Speaker 2: paints a beautiful picture of intimacy and care in Hebrew. 43 00:03:23,704 --> 00:03:26,945 Speaker 2: It carries the sense of personal attention, like a shepherd 44 00:03:27,025 --> 00:03:30,625 Speaker 2: watching over his sheep, guiding them not from afar, but 45 00:03:31,065 --> 00:03:34,825 Speaker 2: through a steady, priser presence. The shepherd's job isn't just 46 00:03:34,905 --> 00:03:37,305 Speaker 2: to show the way, but to make sure the sheep 47 00:03:37,385 --> 00:03:40,665 Speaker 2: stay close enough to hear his voice. But to hear 48 00:03:40,705 --> 00:03:44,904 Speaker 2: that voice, we have to stay behind this shepherd. That's 49 00:03:44,905 --> 00:03:48,385 Speaker 2: where my little quirk collides with my faith. I often 50 00:03:48,425 --> 00:03:51,745 Speaker 2: want to run ahead, convinced I know the destination or 51 00:03:51,865 --> 00:03:54,825 Speaker 2: that I'll get there faster if I could just take charge. 52 00:03:55,385 --> 00:03:59,065 Speaker 2: But when I do, I stop following and start leading. 53 00:03:59,905 --> 00:04:03,665 Speaker 2: That's when the spiritual equivalent of taking a wrong exit happens. 54 00:04:04,145 --> 00:04:09,185 Speaker 2: I find myself lost, confused, or stuck, wondering why the 55 00:04:09,265 --> 00:04:13,425 Speaker 2: path isn't working out. There's a big difference between moving 56 00:04:13,425 --> 00:04:18,945 Speaker 2: with purpose and moving in presumption. Purpose trust God's timing, 57 00:04:19,865 --> 00:04:24,344 Speaker 2: presumption assumes mine's better. I think of the disciples in 58 00:04:24,385 --> 00:04:28,385 Speaker 2: Mark fourteen, when Jesus warned them that they'd all fall away. 59 00:04:28,825 --> 00:04:33,104 Speaker 2: Peter jumped out in front, literally and figuretip. He declared, 60 00:04:33,225 --> 00:04:36,825 Speaker 2: even if all fall away, I will not. It sounded 61 00:04:36,865 --> 00:04:41,465 Speaker 2: loyal and bold, but in reality, Peter was out pacting Jesus. 62 00:04:41,745 --> 00:04:45,145 Speaker 2: He wasn't listening to what Jesus was saying. He was 63 00:04:45,185 --> 00:04:48,585 Speaker 2: asserting what he thought he was ready for, and within 64 00:04:48,825 --> 00:04:53,065 Speaker 2: hours he learned just how wrong he was. Peter's story 65 00:04:53,265 --> 00:04:56,505 Speaker 2: comforts me because Jesus didn't shame him for running ahead. 66 00:04:56,784 --> 00:05:00,104 Speaker 2: He restored him, But he also used that moment to 67 00:05:00,185 --> 00:05:05,665 Speaker 2: teach Peter a vital truth. Following requires humility. It means 68 00:05:05,705 --> 00:05:09,625 Speaker 2: slowing down, letting go of our urgency, and trusting the 69 00:05:09,665 --> 00:05:13,265 Speaker 2: shepherd's pace, even when it feels too slow or uncertain. 70 00:05:14,224 --> 00:05:17,745 Speaker 2: Sometimes I imagine Jesus smiling gently when I get impatient, 71 00:05:17,904 --> 00:05:19,985 Speaker 2: like when I'm behind a slow driver I'm a way 72 00:05:20,025 --> 00:05:22,825 Speaker 2: to church, muttering under my breath, come on, come on 73 00:05:23,585 --> 00:05:26,745 Speaker 2: a picture, and whispering You're not just behind this car, 74 00:05:26,904 --> 00:05:30,945 Speaker 2: You're behind me. You're safe right here. We may not 75 00:05:31,025 --> 00:05:35,425 Speaker 2: always realize it, but the pauses, detours, and slow downs 76 00:05:35,425 --> 00:05:39,784 Speaker 2: in life are often God's protection and preparation. When he 77 00:05:39,825 --> 00:05:43,224 Speaker 2: says I will instruct you, he doesn't mean we'll always 78 00:05:43,305 --> 00:05:46,705 Speaker 2: understand every twist. In turn, he means that if we 79 00:05:46,745 --> 00:05:49,745 Speaker 2: stay close enough to watch his movements, we'll never miss 80 00:05:49,784 --> 00:05:53,265 Speaker 2: the way forward. Think of Israel in the wilderness. God 81 00:05:53,305 --> 00:05:55,864 Speaker 2: didn't give them a map. He gave them a cloud. 82 00:05:56,545 --> 00:05:59,664 Speaker 2: When the cloud moved, they moved. When it stopped, they camped. 83 00:06:00,305 --> 00:06:02,785 Speaker 2: They didn't know how long they'd stay or where they'd 84 00:06:02,825 --> 00:06:06,865 Speaker 2: go next. They only knew to follow. And that's what Jesus, 85 00:06:07,224 --> 00:06:10,545 Speaker 2: in walking with him looks like. Moving when he moves, 86 00:06:10,865 --> 00:06:14,464 Speaker 2: stopping when he stops, and trusting that his pace is 87 00:06:14,585 --> 00:06:19,785 Speaker 2: perfect even when ours feels impatient. And yet that's so countercultural, 88 00:06:19,825 --> 00:06:23,585 Speaker 2: isn't it. We live in a world that praises hustle, ambition, 89 00:06:23,784 --> 00:06:26,904 Speaker 2: and speed. We're told that if we're not moving, we're 90 00:06:26,985 --> 00:06:31,625 Speaker 2: fallen behind. But spiritual maturity often looks like learning to walk, 91 00:06:32,145 --> 00:06:36,625 Speaker 2: sometimes slowly, behind the one who knows the terrain. So 92 00:06:36,705 --> 00:06:39,225 Speaker 2: what do we do when that restless urge to move 93 00:06:39,385 --> 00:06:43,585 Speaker 2: faster kicks in? When the waiting feels like wasting, when 94 00:06:43,625 --> 00:06:46,185 Speaker 2: the person or circumstance in front of us feels like 95 00:06:46,224 --> 00:06:50,984 Speaker 2: an obstacle instead of an instrument, We pause, We breathe, 96 00:06:51,904 --> 00:06:55,785 Speaker 2: We remember Psalm thirty two eight. God's loving eye is 97 00:06:55,825 --> 00:06:59,065 Speaker 2: not just on our future, it's our steps right now. 98 00:06:59,784 --> 00:07:02,505 Speaker 2: He's not impatient with this for wanting to move forward. 99 00:07:02,945 --> 00:07:05,784 Speaker 2: He just wants to make sure we're following, not forging 100 00:07:05,825 --> 00:07:09,825 Speaker 2: our own way. In the Gospels, Jesus often told his 101 00:07:09,945 --> 00:07:14,745 Speaker 2: followers come follow me. Not once did he say go 102 00:07:14,865 --> 00:07:19,785 Speaker 2: on ahead and I'll catch up. His invitation was always relational, 103 00:07:19,945 --> 00:07:23,985 Speaker 2: not directional. To follow means to stay near enough to 104 00:07:24,025 --> 00:07:28,744 Speaker 2: see his expression, see his correction, and feel his presence. 105 00:07:29,585 --> 00:07:31,905 Speaker 2: And that's why Scripture uses the image of his shepherd's 106 00:07:32,025 --> 00:07:35,185 Speaker 2: so often. The sheep don't need to know where they're going, 107 00:07:35,465 --> 00:07:37,745 Speaker 2: They just need to stay close enough to hear the 108 00:07:37,785 --> 00:07:42,745 Speaker 2: shepherd's voice. Maybe you've been feeling like God's moving too slowly. 109 00:07:43,345 --> 00:07:46,905 Speaker 2: Maybe you've been praying for direction, for something to happen, 110 00:07:47,385 --> 00:07:50,265 Speaker 2: for an answer, and it feels like he's lingering while 111 00:07:50,265 --> 00:07:53,065 Speaker 2: you're ready to sprint. Could it be that he's not 112 00:07:53,185 --> 00:07:57,105 Speaker 2: delaying but protecting. Could it be that he's working out 113 00:07:57,185 --> 00:08:00,665 Speaker 2: something ahead of you that you can't yet see. When 114 00:08:00,665 --> 00:08:04,105 Speaker 2: I get behind a slow car my dog blocks the hallway. 115 00:08:04,345 --> 00:08:07,905 Speaker 2: I started asking myself, what if this pause is grace? 116 00:08:08,585 --> 00:08:11,585 Speaker 2: Maybe it's not about the traffic at all. Maybe it's 117 00:08:11,585 --> 00:08:14,105 Speaker 2: about teaching me to trust the pace and the one 118 00:08:14,105 --> 00:08:18,385 Speaker 2: who leads. So I'm thirty two eightes a verse of assurance, 119 00:08:18,705 --> 00:08:22,425 Speaker 2: not anxiety. God's not saying I might guide you if 120 00:08:22,465 --> 00:08:26,105 Speaker 2: you can figure out how to listen. He's promising I 121 00:08:26,145 --> 00:08:31,585 Speaker 2: will instruct you, I will teach you, I will counsel you. 122 00:08:32,105 --> 00:08:35,585 Speaker 2: That's his job. Ours is simply to stay behind him 123 00:08:35,585 --> 00:08:38,785 Speaker 2: long enough to see it unfold. So the next time 124 00:08:38,785 --> 00:08:42,105 Speaker 2: you feel that itch to pass to hurry to make 125 00:08:42,185 --> 00:08:46,345 Speaker 2: something happen, remember being outfront doesn't mean you're leading well. 126 00:08:47,065 --> 00:08:51,505 Speaker 2: Sometimes the greatest act of faith is choosing to follow slowly, 127 00:08:52,145 --> 00:08:56,065 Speaker 2: step by step, trusting that the one ahead notes exactly 128 00:08:56,105 --> 00:08:59,385 Speaker 2: where he's going. And the best part, when you let 129 00:08:59,505 --> 00:09:04,025 Speaker 2: him lead, you don't just derive. You arrive ready, whole 130 00:09:04,345 --> 00:09:08,265 Speaker 2: and in his timing, because his pace may not match 131 00:09:08,305 --> 00:09:13,625 Speaker 2: your urgency, but it always matches your good. Thanks for 132 00:09:13,705 --> 00:09:17,385 Speaker 2: listening to your daily Bible verse. I'm Carol McCracken. Join 133 00:09:17,465 --> 00:09:20,065 Speaker 2: me again as we continue to learn how God's word 134 00:09:20,665 --> 00:09:23,825 Speaker 2: leads us every step of the way. And now will 135 00:09:23,825 --> 00:09:27,625 Speaker 2: you pray with me? Dear Lord in heaven, You're a 136 00:09:27,785 --> 00:09:31,745 Speaker 2: perfect Father, you're the father that leads us right where 137 00:09:31,745 --> 00:09:34,705 Speaker 2: we need to go. But yet you know where your 138 00:09:34,785 --> 00:09:37,425 Speaker 2: children because you created us, and you know we are 139 00:09:37,465 --> 00:09:40,385 Speaker 2: going to rush ahead and lad behind and fall off 140 00:09:40,425 --> 00:09:43,025 Speaker 2: the path. But you still want to be with us, Lord, 141 00:09:43,665 --> 00:09:47,385 Speaker 2: and you gently guide us, and sometimes you snatch us 142 00:09:47,425 --> 00:09:52,065 Speaker 2: right back where we belong in the most loving way. Lord, 143 00:09:52,145 --> 00:09:55,665 Speaker 2: help us to take a breath and not see what 144 00:09:55,745 --> 00:10:01,865 Speaker 2: we perceive to be obstacles as just obstacles. Sometimes it's you, 145 00:10:02,745 --> 00:10:06,065 Speaker 2: and sometimes you're slowing us down, preventing us from rushing 146 00:10:06,065 --> 00:10:09,665 Speaker 2: ahead into something that might be dangerous for us. Because 147 00:10:09,705 --> 00:10:12,185 Speaker 2: you love us, Lord, and you know the way in 148 00:10:12,225 --> 00:10:17,345 Speaker 2: which we should go, and you say, follow me. Continue 149 00:10:17,385 --> 00:10:20,785 Speaker 2: to protect us as you do, Father, but just make 150 00:10:20,865 --> 00:10:26,145 Speaker 2: us aware of it. In your precious name, we pray Amen.