The Prayer I Needed When Relief Started Feeling Like God’s Direction
I was standing beside a crowded baggage carousel watching the same battered blue suitcase pass for the fourth time. Mine still hadn’t appeared, the airport announcements were muffled beyond recognition, and I had an important decision sitting in my mind that had absolutely nothing to do with luggage. I’d been turning it over for days, asking God for direction, and by that point I was prepared to call almost any feeling of relief an answer. That was the part I hadn’t admitted yet. One option felt difficult, awkward, and likely to create several uncomfortable conversations. The other option offered an immediate escape from all of that. Naturally, I wanted the easier choice to be God’s will, and I had become remarkably skilled at finding spiritual language to support what I already preferred. Standing there while strangers reached across one another for nearly identical black suitcases, I finally prayed a different prayer. “The Lord, help me recognize the difference between Your peace and...