Oakwood Church Fresh Start Women's Devotional Encouragement for Today Hartland Delafield

Black Ice
By Susan Klein

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
Psalm 119:105

Anyone who lives in Wisconsin will understand me when I say that “snow” is a four-letter word! We had over 100 inches of the wet, white stuff last winter in our area of the state! During one of those blustery days, I had the opportunity to be out shoveling our driveway. Now, I don’t usually mind shoveling, but this was a particularly dangerous day to be out because it had rained the day before. Overnight, the temperatures plummeted to below freezing which turned the rain into a thin layer of black ice. With fresh snow now falling, the ice was not visible to the eye. When I proceeded to shovel, I was met with unseen slippery spots that caused me to lose my footing. I had to stop, retrace my steps back to the garage, and grab a pail of salt. As I sprinkled the salt ahead of me, I could anticipate where the ice was by watching it form little pits as it melted. This would prevent me from slipping as I inched my way forward.

While I sprinkled and waited, I was struck by the parallel of God’s Word to our lives. As we walk the paths set out before us, we are often unaware of those unseen slippery spots of temptation and trials lurking around the corner. We forge on ahead in our own power, and BAM! We slip and fall into sin or into discouragement over our troubles. After we fall a time or two, we realize we need help. We cannot do this on our own. We need God’s Word to be a light for our path to expose the slippery spots before we reach them. We must know God’s Word, we must store it in our hearts and we must live it in our daily lives. David explains it well in Psalm 119: 9-11. He says: “How can a young man (a woman) keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Let’s not be unprepared for the slippery spots on life’s path. Let us move forward with the salt of God’s Word in our buckets, prepared for the black ice that lies ahead!

GOING DEEPER:
1. How much salt do you have in your bucket? Do you need to add a little more of God’s Word to your daily life?
2. Spend some purposeful time in Scripture this week. Ask God to show you which passages you will need to be prepared for this week’s trials and temptations.

FURTHER READING:
James 1:5, 22-25; Psalm 119:33-37; Proverbs 2: 1-15

Susan is a wife and mother of two. She leads a small group and teaches for Tuesday a.m. Bible Study.