We were bowling with friends the other day and I noticed in the lane next to us there were kids bowling in their lane with a guide and bumpers. The guide was an elevated aluminum ramp that the kids could position, start their ball at the top and roll it down to keep it straight. Now just in case the ball went astray, there were these side bumpers along the entire lane on both sides that kept the ball from sinking into the gutter. Man, bowling with a guide and bumpers looked very easy!

Can you imagine how manageable life would be with a guide and bumpers? One thing is for certain, we have THE GUIDE. Isaiah 58:11 says, “The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

In Proverbs 3:6, Solomon says, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
So we know that we have the Lord’s promise that if we acknowledge Him and trust in Him wholeheartedly, He will guide and direct our path. That’s comforting!

Now what about the gutters of life? I know God’s path is straight but we sometimes get bumped in the gutter or drift that way from time to time. In life, there are no bumpers. But, we know that God will never allow us to stay down in that gutter nor would He allow us to go through something we cannot handle.  Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that, “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted (tried or tested) beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

So when the gutters of life threaten God’s straight path for you, there may not be bumpers but cling to this promise in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Amen!

Brian Lee

The Lord has been speaking to me lately about prayer and prodigals, and He has been showing me that these two “p” words are very linked together.  In my mind, a prodigal is someone who has known the Lord, but has taken a worldly detour.  We all know these people and most of us have a prodigal in our life; that child that has wandered away from the Lord or that brother or sister that finds the things of the world enticing.  Some of our prodigals aren’t even related to us.  Sometimes it is that good friend who has forsaken the Lord to pursue earthly things.  I have several prodigals in my life for whom the Lord has given me a burden.  Over the years, I have tried to witness to these prodigals, to convince them that they are on a bad path.  Sometimes they will receive but most of the time my words fall on deaf ears and that is when the Lord reminds me that this is a spiritual battle.  That’s where prayer comes into play.  God keeps speaking to my heart that He loves my prodigals more than I do and He wants them back even more.  God shows us just how much He loves the prodigals in Luke, Chapter 15.  When the prodigal comes to his senses and determines it is time to go back to his father and ask forgiveness, Jesus tells us that the father runs to his son.  This is a precious picture…”And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” Luke 11:20

Notice, his father was looking out for him.  Before he had even got near, the father saw him and ran to him. We’re not sure how long the son was gone, but it feels like it was a long time, yet the father remained vigilant, waiting for his son to come home.  Jesus tells us this story to help us understand the Father’s love for us and His desire that we should repent and come to Him.  The Lord will gladly receive our prodigals back if they repent and seek Him.  So what is our role in the lives of these prodigals?  That’s where prayer comes into play. God calls us to pray for these prodigals, to remain vigilant and to continually bring them before the Lord. We need to pray against those things that have captivated our prodigals and we need to pray that the Lord will open their eyes.  We can take great comfort in doing this because we know that when they repent God will gladly receive them back to His loving arms.

We live in interesting times.  As we watch the world around us, we can’t help but believe that these are the last days and that Jesus is coming back soon.  That should make our prayer life even more pressing and urgent.  This has been a serious topic of conversation within the elders of the church and I am blessed that so many are starting to have an increased burden for prayer.  If we become a praying church, there is no telling what God can accomplish through our fellowship.  The Lord encourages us to pray big and I want to encourage you to do the same.  We need revival in our land.  Wouldn’t it be neat if we had a part in sparking that revival?  Who knows, the next great awakening just might start at CCLW.  Why not?  Pray Big!

John Ohanian