Wednesday Devotional: Walking with the King

When I was in 8th grade, I joined a youth group called Pathfinders. We went camping, learned outdoor skills, and did service projects for our community. As Labor Day approached, our club director had a big idea—he reached out to the Governor of Michigan to ask if we could join him in the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk.

For over 65 years, the bridge has opened its southbound lanes on Labor Day for people to walk the five miles from St. Ignace to Mackinaw City. The walk is always led by the governor.

A few weeks before the event, an official letter arrived inviting our club, the Battle Creek Pioneers, to walk the bridge with him.

On Labor Day weekend, we packed our bus and drove to a campground just south of the bridge. Early Monday morning—well before sunrise—we rolled out of our sleeping bags, ate a quick breakfast of instant oatmeal and hot chocolate, and got ready in our dress uniforms. But getting 60 kids dressed and onto the bus took longer than expected. By the time we got on the highway, we were running about 15 minutes late.

As we pulled into the St. Ignace rest area, several men in dark suits and sunglasses stopped our bus.

“Are you the Battle Creek Pioneers?” one of them asked urgently.

“Yes, we are!” we replied.

“Hurry up,” he said. “Everyone’s waiting!”

We quickly parked the bus and gathered in formation outside a small portable building. Moments later, the Governor of Michigan stepped out, smiled, and greeted us warmly. He told us how excited he was to walk with us that day.

Then he motioned for us to follow.

He led us past a row of emergency vehicles and toward a long orange hurricane fence that stretched across the road for hundreds of yards. Behind the fence stood tens of thousands of people, waiting for the walk to begin—waiting for us.

That’s when it hit us: the entire bridge walk had been delayed so we could meet with the governor.

We walked past the waiting crowd, feeling amazed and a little overwhelmed. We didn’t feel that important, but clearly, we were. As we stepped onto the bridge beside the governor, the fence was lowered behind us, and a wave of walkers surged forward. But we weren’t just walking—we were walking with the governor.

In Philippians 2, the Bible tells the story of what God was willing to do to bring us back to Him:

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”
— Philippians 2:5–8 (NLT)

Think about that: The God of the universe put all of heaven on hold to rescue you.
He came to earth as a helpless baby, worked as a simple carpenter, and died on a cross to pay the price for your sins.

There are so many voices in the world that tell you you’re not good enough—that you’ll never amount to anything. But Jesus thought you were worth everything.

So don’t keep Him waiting.
He’s invited you to walk with Him.
Start the journey today.

Discussion Questions

• What would it feel like to walk with someone really important, like the governor or president?

• How does it change the way you see yourself to know that Jesus gave up everything to be with you?

• What does it mean to walk with Jesus in your everyday life?