Thursday Devotion-“Fingers Crossed”

by Steven Grace

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: ¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4:4-7: ⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Fingers Crossed

As many of you know, I’ve been a little busy lately. With the new location of the shop, two excited daughters at home and a premature newborn who is growing rapidly, my mind tends to race all over the place. But a recent theme I’ve noticed in myself, especially as I talk with people about how Jaclyn is progressing—the need to keep my fingers crossed.

At first glance, that may seem a bit odd. Most of us associate crossed fingers with either hoping for something (fingers crossed that the tests are good), or being mischievous (ha-ha, I had my fingers crossed).

But in all reality, my fingers have been crossed in a different way. We have all experienced the power of prayer (though sometimes we may not know it or want to acknowledge it!). There are hundreds of references to praying in the Bible, both Old and New Testament. As the Scriptures I chose show, we are instructed to “Pray continually (or ceaselessly)”, in all situations “by prayer and with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” So no matter the situation, be thankful for what God has given you, and ask for His guidance.

As I write this on April 20, 2016, I am reminded that one year ago, we lost our son, Alexander, who was a stillborn. I did a lot of finger-crossing that day—for Jessica’s safety, for a better outcome (if it was God’s will), for understanding. While I still don’t understand the why of it, I have come to terms with the fact that God’s terms are not mine.

Same thing in September—after several years of looking, and several hurdles that were negatively impacting our business, I saw the answer to a prayer for which I had been crossing my fingers for a few years. We had several opportunities to move locations, and I asked for God’s guidance. Each time, things just didn’t quite work out, so we stayed. But in September, everything fell into place for us to make the move to a better location. And through some of those hurdles, I feel like God was preparing us for this next phase of the business.

And as I’ve mentioned recently, with Jaclyn. I have crossed my fingers a lot, asking God to help her grow, to guide the nurses and doctors, and to comfort Jessica and me.

Through all of these, I realize that there’s a lot more finger crossing I need to do. But, Jesus tells us that God knows what we need before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8b). We must keep our hearts turned to God, and then no matter when or why we cross our fingers, He will guide us to where we need to be.

Finger-Cross (Prayer): Gracious God. Thank you for always being there for us, not matter why we’re crossing our fingers. Continue to guide us to the narrow path that leads to you (Mt. 7:14).