They do not enquire of the LORD, so they do not prosper (Jeremiah 10:21) | Dreaming Beneath the Spires

I  have been listening to the Old Testament as I walk around the countryside around Garsington, which is supposed to have more public footpaths than any other village in Oxfordshire (or was it England?).

The advantage of listening to huge swathes of Scripture at a time is picking up the big themes.

A phrase which often comes up—when people do something rash, foolish, misguided, or which ends very badly is “they did not enquire of the Lord.”

They did what they felt like doing, what seemed eminently sensible to them. They acted out of fear, or pragmatism, or ambition. They just omitted to enquire of the Lord.

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I think enquiring of the Lord is a habit slowly acquired–but it has to be learnt, if we want a life which has the hallmarks of God’s blessing.

 I particularly need this, being both decisive and impulsive.  You know how Peter had enough of sadness and jumps up saying, “I’m going fishing,” in the last chapter of John. I can easily jump up and do things: commit to a course of action without thinking it through and seeing if it is the wisest and best.

Through trial and costly error, I am training myself to enquire of the Lord in big things and small: where to go on holiday; major purchases; whom to invite for dinner; what to eat for dinner!, which opportunities to take up and which to turn down; which writing projects to commit to; which books to read in my limited time;   how to grow my blog….

I think of God as a silver waterfall full of grace and wisdom, and I just need to step in it, be bathed in it, and ASK to receive his guidance.

Slow me down, Lord; slow me down.

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

Oh, what grace we often forfeit
Oh, what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer