Jeremiah 29:11

Ok. Bear with me for a few minutes. I promise this whole thing isn't going to be a vent. I AM going somewhere productive with it

Why is it that when I think I am following the Lord's will for me, suddenly, I am under attack?
For the first time in a LONG time, I am following a path.
I have a goal.
I have a mission.
I have a light that I believe is my pillar at night.
And then, on that same path, there are snakes.
And rocks.
And side trails.

I don't want to give TMI, as is my custom, so we'll just leave it at that.
And then, I was searching in my hubby's Bible for a verse. I had one in mind, and the Lord brought me a different one.
I know most believers, who have been believers for very long, have read and know Jeremiah 29:11 by heart.
It goes: "For I know the plans I have for you," Declares the Lord, " Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
Let's just stop right there. That's where most of us stop, and go back to our lives, taking for granted that that means that the Lord has our best interests at heart. Which he absolutely does. Definitely.
Which means, that since I KNOW I am following his chosen path for me, that I am to KEEP following this path. He will work it out. He will bring the time. The funds. The people. He will MAKE it happen.

Ok. Back to Jeremiah. Anyone ever read verse 12 in Jeremiah 29? It is just as fabulous as the one we all know by heart.
Jeremiah 29:12: Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. (13)You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
(14) I will be found by you" declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity."

Oh MY WORD! I am in tears over this. Thank you Lord. ALL we have to do is to call on Him. Come to Him in prayer. And our prayers will be answered. How do I know that? The Lord says so, right there, in black and white. I wanted to put that whole paragraph in bold. I want to shout it and cry it out and pray it all at once.
He is there. All we have to do is ask. All we have to do is whisper in our souls: "Father. Help me. I know you have the path for me. I know it is laid out. I know all I have to do is to come to you in prayer, and you will answer.
The Lord promises to bring us back from captivity. Captivity that was being referred to here was the captivity of the Jewish people I believe. But, since I believe that all scripture is relevant to these days, captivity is anywhere you are stuck, that you cannot see the Face of the Lord. Any manner that you are bound, and unable to do as you will, is captivity.
So, I came to the Word in search of one verse, and found another that completely took me down a path I did not expect.
That happens sometimes doesn't it?

As for my path that I believe- KNOW- the Lord has set out for me to follow, I am following it.
I am tiptoeing, going ever so slowly, but, I am following it.
If drop my flashlight, penlight though it may be, all I have to do is call out. And He will be there. To help. To guide. To show me that the path didn't disappear. I just lost my flashlight, closed my eyes, whatever.