Coronavirus Response

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Cross & Flame Logo

Lent 2021

  • Discipleship
    • Christian Formation
      • Children
      • Church & Society
      • College
      • Differently Abled Persons
      • Educational Ministries
      • Older Adults
      • Status & Role of Women
      • Young Adults
      • Youth
    • Church Revitalization
      • Coaching
      • Disciple Making Way
      • Evangelism
      • Grants
      • MissionInsite
      • Real Discipleship Survey
      • Shift
      • Spiritual Life
    • From the Bishop
      • Bishop’s Bookshelf
      • Bishop’s Sermons
      • Church Transformation
      • Conflict Transformation
      • Connections
      • Discipleship & Learning Plan
    • Multicultural
      • Anti-Racism
      • Asian
      • Hispanic-Latinx
      • Native American
      • Strengthening the Black Church
    • Stewardship
      • Apportionments
      • District Remittances
      • Financial Discipleship
      • Grants
      • Insurance
      • Mission & Service
      • Pension
      • Treasurer Training
  • Leadership
    • Bishop’s Office
      • Appointment Book
      • Bishop’s Sermons
      • Church Transformation
      • Conflict Transformation
      • Connections
      • Discipleship & Learning Plan
    • Ministerial Relations
      • Board of Ordained Ministry
      • Called to Ministry?
      • Extension Ministries
    • Board of Laity
      • Certified Lay Minister
      • Lay Servant Ministries
      • Local Church Lay Leaders
      • United Methodist Men
      • United Methodist Women
      • United Methodist Youth
    • New Faith Comm.
      • Called to Plant?
      • New Room Society
      • Our Communities
    • Conference Offices
      • Center for Leadership Excellence
      • Christian Formation
      • Communications
      • Conference Secretary
      • Connectional Ministries
      • Information Technology
      • Multicultural Ministries
      • Outreach Ministry
      • Treasurer’s Office
  • Service
    • Local Outreach
      • Church Construction
      • Church Loans
      • Restorative Justice and Mercy
      • Disciple Bible Outreach
      • NCC UMVIM
      • Seed Funds
      • Mission Projects
        • Health Ministry
    • Global Outreach
      • Imagine No Malaria
      • Love for Liberia
      • Missionaries
      • Project AGAPE
      • Sierra Leone: Mission of Hope
      • ZOE
    • Disaster Ministries
      • Donate to Storm Response
      • Hurricane Florence
      • MERCI
      • Response Plan
      • Response Team
      • UMCOR Kits
    • Giving
      • Advance/Rainbow Covenant
      • Apportionments
      • Give to Storm Response
      • Mission & Service
      • The Gary Wayne Locklear Mission Endowment
      • New Room Society
      • Special Sundays
    • Ministry Partners
      • Camps & Retreats
      • Partners In Ministry
      • Robeson Co. Church & CC
      • UMF
  • Resources
    • Conferences
      • Annual Conference 2020
      • Annual Conference 2021
      • Charge Conference 2020
      • General Conference
      • Pilgrimage
      • SEJ Conference 2016
    • Media Center
      • Catalog
      • Labyrinth
      • Ministry Tools
      • Online Resources
      • Weekly Newsletter
    • Online Resources
      • Anti-Racism
      • Archives & History
      • Church Lookup
      • Online Data Collection
      • Online Learning
      • Pastor Lookup
      • Podcasts (NCCUMC.FM)
      • Ramus: Web Hosting
      • Video (Vimeo)
    • Publications
      • Advent 2020
      • Appointment Book
      • Bible Study
      • Conference Directory
      • Conference Journal
      • Every Day Grace
      • Lenten Reflections
      • Mission & Service
    • From UMC.org
      • Agencies
      • Communications
      • Discipleship
      • Finance & Administration
      • Global Ministries
      • Graphics Library
      • Relief
      • Status & Role of Women
  • Lent 2021

Day 26 – Jay Locklear

March 18, 2021

“The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.“ - Isaiah 58:11

Throughout the scriptures, one of the constant themes we read about is guidance. God leads Abraham to travel “to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1) The Israelites are guided by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. The prophets are led and inspired by God to proclaim both blessing and warning to God’s people. The disciples leave their old lives behind and follow Jesus and help proclaim the good news. Paul travels from place to place, preaching, teaching, and helping to establish the church.

But guidance is only useful when it is paired with trust. In some of the same stories mentioned above, we can also read what happens when God’s guidance was not followed. Abraham took matters into his own hand – twice – to disastrous result. The children of Israel failed to trust in God’s promise and wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before entering God’s promised land. Even the disciples, who spent time with Jesus, sometimes failed to follow the path God laid out for them.

In Isaiah 58:11, the prophet says, “The Lord will guide you continually . . . you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water . . .” Even we can’t see the path ahead, or don’t understand the circumstances, God is still leading and guiding us. Isaiah was speaking to a people who were still in captivity, prophesying to them about how their lives would be in the days to come. And how would they make it to that place? By following the God who guides continually. The same God who invites us, every day, to follow. Friends, know that God leads us and guides us and gives us “water when we are dry, restoring [our] strength.”

Prayer

God, we pray for the wisdom to follow all the ways you guide us and for the peace and the patience to trust you in all that you do. Amen.

Jay Locklear is the Church Communications Consultant for the North Carolina Conference

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

NC Conference of The United Methodist Church · 700 Waterfield Ridge Place · Garner, NC 27529
Phone: 919.779.6115 · Toll-free: 800.849.4433 · Fax: 919.773.2308


Copyright © 2021 · Privacy Policy · Powered by WordPress · Log in

  • Español
  • 한국어