Back in early December I attended the most amazing Christmas concert by Danny Gokey and Natalie Grant with special guest Mac Powell. It was a night full of amazing worship of Jesus- the true reason for Christmas.

I left the concert with my friend, and we had driven separately. I was full of much needed spirit filling from the worship time during what is a very draining time of year for me. It was an uplifting night I desperately needed.

I got in my car, plugged in my phone and pulled up maps. The problem is my phone just kept spinning and spinning. I could not get a map to pull up on anything and I was in a completely unfamiliar location. I had no idea how to get home and all the cars around me were piling into lines to get out. My initial reaction was a couple choice words that immediately frustrated me and caused me to ask for forgiveness.

I prayed.
I sat.
I started to cry a little bit.

One of my biggest fears and anxiety is being out of control and that is highlighted when I am somewhere unfamiliar. Add to it this already directionally challenged girl doesn’t know what way to go to get home safely.

I was not in the greatest part of town but the parking lot was a safe place because there were police directing traffic and guiding the cars. I ran back inside the building where the concert took place and asked one of the security guards if he could pull up a map for me so I could know how to get back home. He messed with my phone for a minute and after not getting it to work, we walked to his phone, and he showed me a map that directed me the roads to get back to the main highway where I could find my way.

Rushing back out to my car. I was now one of only a few cars left in the parking lot and it was now 10:15 pm and I could’ve been almost home at this point. Another prayer, and I headed out and despite feeling I wasn’t going the right direction and feeling confused with my surroundings,  found my way safely. As I prepared to turn down the street leading to my house, I was telling God I was sorry for my initial reaction that it was frustration and sin, and instead of immediate prayer for guidance. I bound Satan because I really felt like he was attacking me after filling myself with more of Jesus.

And as I finished my prayer, I heard in my soul a whisper, “That’s what grace is.“ Earlier in the evening Danny Gokey had talked about how we come to Jesus and it’s by grace we are saved through faith. For some reason, I tend to always leave out the grace part. Probably because I don’t have a lot of grace for myself. But I was reminded this night, no I am not perfect, and I will mess up, but that is why God provides us grace.

It is not a license to sin, but if we are in the process of sanctification, and becoming more like Jesus, then, as we grow in Jesus, when we sin, we come back to asking for His forgiveness. Repenting and asking God to guide us in different decisions and directions moving forward.

Even as I’m writing this, God is still using this to speak to me. Because I was going to link a video to the song they sang at the end of the concert, “The Prayer” and as I looked up the lyrics again, these are the first lines.

“I pray You’ll be our eyes
And watch us where we go
And help us to be wise
In times when we don’t know
Let this be our prayer
When we lose our way
Lead us to a place
Guide us with Your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe”
Lyrics by: By Carole Sager and David Foster

Enough said. Thank you Jesus! This is my prayer for you as well.

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