1. When The Way Forward Isn’t Clear

Psalm 25:4-5 Make your ways known to me, Lord; teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; I wait for you all day long.

You’ve been there before. Standing at the intersection of decisions, staring down multiple paths, each shrouded in fog. Which way leads to blessing? Which to regret? The weight of uncertainty presses down, and that familiar feeling creeps in—you’re lost.

We hate feeling directionally challenged in life. When the GPS of our plans starts “recalculating,” anxiety rises. Our instinct is to grab control and make something—anything—happen. We want to chart our own course through the uncertainty.

But David shows us a different way in Psalm 25. Facing enemies on all sides, his future hanging by a thread, he doesn’t scramble for solutions. Instead, he says something counterintuitive: “I wait for you all day long.“

Waiting isn’t passive resignation. It’s active trust. It’s saying:

• I don’t have all the answers—but God does
• I won’t rush ahead with my limited vision
• I believe God is working even when I can’t see movement

Think about it: When you’re actually lost in an unfamiliar place, what’s the worst thing to do? Panic and start running in random directions. The wisest response is to stop, get your bearings, and seek guidance from someone who knows the territory.

Waiting on God means putting down your self-made maps and saying, “Lord, I trust Your navigation more than my own.” It means leaning into prayer before leaping into action. It means opening His Word before opening ten browser tabs of solutions.

Are you feeling lost today? Has life taken an unexpected turn? The path to trusting God begins with waiting on Him. Silence your phone. Close your laptop. Open your Bible. Get on your knees. And wait.

Not because you have no options—but because you’re choosing the best one.

Prayer: God, my Father, I need help when I feel lost. I know my instinct is to figure things out for myself, but I want to wait on You. Help me trust in You more than I trust in myself. Teach my heart to wait patiently on You. I ask this in the name of Jesus, amen.

Day 2: Loved When Lost

Psalm 25:6-7 Remember, Lord, your compassion and your faithful love, for they have existed from antiquity. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my acts of rebellion; in keeping with your faithful love, remember me because of your goodness, Lord.

You’re standing in the middle of chaos. Life has thrown a curveball you never saw coming. The future you counted on has evaporated, leaving you disoriented, confused—lost. And in that moment, the whisper comes: “If God really loved you, would you be here right now?”

It’s the most natural thought in the world. When we’re lost, we question love. “If You loved me, God, wouldn’t You have prevented this? Wouldn’t You make the way clearer? Wouldn’t You answer all my desperate questions?”

David felt it too. Surrounded by enemies, uncertain of his future, he might have wondered if God had abandoned him because of past sins. But instead of spiraling into doubt, he recalled something more foundational than his circumstances—God’s faithful love.

This isn’t just any love. It’s a love that has “existed from antiquity“—it was there before your problems, before your mistakes, before you were born. It’s a love that doesn’t fluctuate with your performance or your circumstances.

When you feel lost, remember:

• God’s love isn’t new, so it won’t suddenly disappear
• God’s love isn’t earned, so your failures can’t diminish it
• God’s love isn’t limited, so your situation hasn’t exhausted it

Have you been walking in darkness lately, feeling your way forward one tentative step at a time? Remember God’s love. It’s the flashlight that illuminates just enough of the path for your next step.

Your sins are real—but God’s love is bigger. Your confusion is valid—but God’s love is clearer. Your pain is deep—but God’s love goes deeper still.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, when I feel lost, I question Your love. There are times in life that I feel like I’m unloved or unloveable. But, Your love has always been there for me. Remind me by Your Holy Spirit that Your love isn’t based on my performance. Remind me that it’s based on Your faithfulness. Thank you for loving me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Day 3: Obeying God

Psalm 25:9-10 He leads the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the Lord’s ways show faithful love and truth to those who keep his covenant and decrees.

Sometimes life feels like one big question mark. You want God to spell out every detail:

• What job? 
• What relationship? 
• What city? 

Most of us spend a lot of energy trying to figure out the “secret” will of God, hoping for a sign or a clear answer. But what if God’s main will for you is actually pretty clear?

David says God leads the humble, the teachable, the ones willing to obey—even before they have all the answers. Obeying God isn’t about having it all figured out; it’s about doing the next right thing. God has already shown us so much of His will: love your neighbor, forgive, pray, serve, worship, live generously. You don’t have to wait until everything makes sense to obey what He’s already said.

When you feel lost and paralyzed by indecision, don’t freeze up. Do what you know God wants—open your Bible, seek Him in prayer, extend kindness, choose honesty, offer forgiveness. That’s how trust is built, step by step.

When you don’t know what to do, do what you know to do.

You won’t obey perfectly. None of us do. But every act of obedience opens the door for God to guide you further. It’s the next step that matters, not the whole staircase.

Prayer: God Almighty, I know that You are with me. I know that You care about every detail of my life. I have questions, I need guidance, I want clarity. But, I know that You have been crystal clear that I should obey You. So, as I seek your will for everything in my life, help me to obey You. Help me to do what I know to do. I ask this in Jesus’s name, amen.

Day 4: Looking to Jesus

Psalm 25:11 Lord, for the sake of your name, forgive my iniquity, for it is immense.

Do you ever feel like you’ll never be able to trust God enough? 

• You try to wait, but end up rushing. 
• You want to remember God’s love, but you keep thinking about your problems.
• You want to obey, but you mess up—again and again.

It can feel like trusting God is just another thing you’re failing at.

If that’s you, you’re not alone. But you’re not stuck, either. The heart of Psalm 25—and of the Gospel itself—is that God meets us in our lostness. Jesus said, “I came to seek and to save the lost.” The deepest truth is not how hard you can try to trust, but how perfectly Jesus has sought and found you.

God sent Jesus to rescue us—not because we were good at trusting, but because we couldn’t find our way back on our own. He came for the lost. He gave His life for people who can’t get it right. He holds you, even when you feel like you’re losing your grip.

You might feel lost today, but in Jesus you are found. You might wander, but He’ll never let you go. When trust feels impossible, look to Jesus—the One who sought you, saved you, and promises never to leave you.

Lord Jesus, thank You for finding me when I was lost. Help me remember that Your grip is stronger than my confusion or my failures. When I can’t trust well, let me rest in the trustworthiness of Your love. Amen.

Prayer: Gracious Father, I know that I have sinned against You and that I have wandered away from You. Thank You for finding me when I was lost. Thank You for sending Jesus to seek and save me. Help me today to remember that Your grip is stronger than my failures. When I fail to trust You, help me rest in Your grace. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Day 5: When Enemies Surround You

Psalm 25:2 My God, I trust in you. Do not let me be disgraced; do not let my enemies gloat over me.

You know that feeling when it seems like everything is against you. The diagnosis comes back worse than expected. The relationship fractures despite your best efforts. The finances dwindle no matter how careful you’ve been. The criticism finds you even when you’ve done nothing wrong.

In these moments, the world feels hostile—full of enemies both seen and unseen. And something deep inside you worries that God might be among them.

David knew this feeling intimately. As king, he was surrounded by people who wanted him dead—foreign nations, political rivals, even his own family members. His life was a constant game of survival. Yet in the middle of that pressure, he makes this bold declaration: “My God, I trust in you.“

It wasn’t blind optimism. It wasn’t denial of his circumstances. It was a deliberate choice to trust God when everything around him suggested he should run, hide, or fight on his own strength.

When enemies surround you—whether they’re people who wish you harm, circumstances that threaten your stability, or internal voices that undermine your faith—the temptation is to either attack or retreat. To become bitter or become invisible.

But David shows us a third way:

• Name your enemies honestly before God
• Declare your trust explicitly
• Ask for God’s protection specifically

Have you identified your “enemies” today? Are they relational conflicts? Health challenges? Financial pressures? Persistent doubts? Whatever threatens to undo you, bring it into the light before God.

Trust isn’t pretending the enemies aren’t there. It’s acknowledging their presence while looking to a greater Presence for protection.

In your darkest moments, when you feel surrounded and outnumbered, speak David’s words as your own: “My God, I trust in you.” Not because the enemies aren’t real, but because your God is more real still.

Prayer: Lord, I have enemies in my life. Some days they seem more powerful than anything else. Instead of fighting them on my own, I am choosing to trust You. You see every enemy that I face, and You are more powerful than anything. Let me walk in confidence today because of Your strength. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Day 6: Lost in the Wilderness

Exodus 13:21-22 The Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to lead them on their way during the day and in a pillar of fire to give them light at night, so that they could travel day or night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night never left its place in front of the people.

You’ve been there—wandering in a wilderness not of your choosing. The familiar landmarks of your life suddenly gone. The comfortable routines disrupted. The people you counted on, distant or departed. And the questions start to swirl: Where am I going? How long will this last? Has God forgotten where I am?

The Israelites knew this disorientation all too well. Fresh out of Egypt, they found themselves in a vast, trackless desert. No maps. No trail markers. No GPS. Just endless sand stretching to the horizon. If ever there was a people who had the right to feel utterly lost, it was them.

But notice what God did. He didn’t hand them a detailed itinerary. He didn’t explain the journey’s length or difficulty. He simply made His presence unmistakably visible—a pillar of cloud by day, a pillar of fire by night. And it “never left its place in front of the people.”

This is the stunning truth about your wilderness seasons: You may feel lost, but you are being led.

The wilderness strips away our illusions. In the barrenness, we discover we never really knew the way on our own. We never really had control. We were never really self-sufficient. These are painful but necessary revelations.

What does it look like to trust God in your wilderness?

• Look for His presence, not just His plan
• Follow the light you have today, not the light you wish you had
• Remember that being led sometimes feels like being lost

Your wilderness may be:

• A diagnosis that’s rearranged your future
• A loss that’s hollowed out your present
• A decision that’s clouded your path forward

But even there—especially there—God’s guiding presence remains. Not behind you as a memory. Not beside you as a companion. But “in front of” you as a guide.

The wilderness isn’t a detour from God’s path for you. Sometimes, it is the path.

Prayer: Father God, thank You for always being with me. I confess that I sometimes prefer answers to my questions over Your presence. Forgive me. Let me rest in Your presence today, no matter what happens. I ask this in the name of Jesus, amen.

Day 7: Surrender the Map

Psalm 25:1 Lord, I appeal to you.

Control feels good. Having a plan, knowing what’s coming next, holding the map firmly in your hands—it gives you that comforting illusion that you’re in charge of your life.

Until the moment comes when the map makes no sense. When the territory doesn’t match what you expected. When you realize you’ve been navigating with outdated information or false assumptions.

That’s when you feel it—that sick, sinking feeling of being lost.

David begins Psalm 25 with five simple words that represent the hardest thing for us to do when we feel lost: “Lord, I appeal to you.” In other words, “I surrender my map. I admit I can’t find the way on my own. I need Your guidance more than I need the comfort of thinking I’m in control.”

It’s the spiritual equivalent of that moment when, after driving in circles for an hour, you finally pull over and ask for directions. It’s not a sign of weakness—it’s a sign of wisdom.

But surrender doesn’t come naturally to us. We cling to our maps, our plans, our illusions of control with white-knuckled determination. We’ll try everything else first:

• Forcing our way through obstacles that God may have placed as warnings
• Redoubling our efforts down paths that lead nowhere
• Convincing ourselves we’re not really lost, just taking the scenic route

Why is it so hard to surrender? Because it means admitting we’re not sufficient in ourselves. It means acknowledging we’ve reached the limits of our wisdom, our strength, our resources.

Yet it’s precisely at that point—the point of surrender—that God’s guidance becomes available to us. Not when we’ve exhausted every other option, but when we’ve exhausted the notion that we have options apart from Him.

Have you been clutching your map so tightly that you can’t receive God’s directions? Has your determination to find your own way kept you wandering in circles?

Today is the day to echo David’s surrender: “Lord, I appeal to you.“

Prayer: All Knowing Father, I’m prone to stubbornness and pride. I know that I try to figure everything out myself before coming to You. Give me the willingness and the wisdom to come to You first. I surrender everything to You today. In Jesus’ name, amen.