He Leadeth Me...O Blessed Thought!

Monday morning found me feeling scattered. After an absolutely wonderful weekend (more about that later) I had a messy house, a huge pile of laundry and a to-do list a mile long with no idea where to start. For a number of reasons, I was feeling distant from God and frustrated with myself. After going through the motions of doing my bible study, I got in the shower and started to tell God how I was feeling: I had let Him down (again) and while I knew in my head He loved me, I didn't really feel it in my heart that morning. I confessed some specific sins and then, feeling kind of sorry for myself, asked God if he would just reveal himself in some way to me that morning.

I got out of the shower, got dressed, and was in the bathroom getting ready when I realized I was humming. At first not sure what tune it was, I started to sing the words. To my surprise, this is what I was singing: "He leadeth me, he leadeth me, by his own hand he leadeth me; his faithful foll'wer I would be, for by his hand he leadeth me." At first I couldn't figure out how I'd gotten that hymn in my head, until suddenly I was overcome with the realization that God had answered my prayer by literally putting a song in my heart! I immediately dropped to my knees right there in the bathroom and thanked God for his overwhelmingly tender and personal love for me. Then I went downstairs, got out my hymnal and sang the whole hymn back to God in praise.

He leadeth me, O blessed thought!
O words with heav'nly comfort fraught!
Whate'er I do, where-e'er I be,
still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.

He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
by His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful foll'wer I would be,
for by his hand He leadeth me.

It was, of course, precisely the message I needed to hear that morning. I left the hymnal open to that page all day as a reminder, and I let God lead me from one task to another all day. Things I thought were top priority slipped quietly to the bottom of the list and I spent a great deal of time playing with my boys, listening to friends who needed to talk--I even took a 20 minute nap. By the end of the day, however, somehow my house was in order and by mid-week I had accomplished everything on my list without stress and before it needed to be done.

My enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD
for he has been good to me.

Psalm 13:4-6