“Men make plans in their hearts, but God
orders their steps.” – Proverbs 16:9
The path that I follow as I
walk in the Way is not about me chopping my way through the jungle – making a
path – figuring it out on my own. It’s about me listening to the Lord and not
judging the people or decomposing the problem to solve it like it was some
academic exercise, but hearing the still small voice. Lord, I want to hear your voice and follow
you.
Example: Having made my first
trip to Haiti, I wish I could say I knew where the Lord was leading us, but I
didn’t. I had a strong suspicion that Haiti was part of our future somehow. It
would be nice if the Lord would load our next destination into “My Favorite
Places” in our GPS and then I could just select it and follow the route to our
next place of service. It is probably not going to happen. Instead, He wants us
to do what we have done in the past. Place our faith in the One who calls and
look for the signs along the way. The route may seem treacherous, but God is
with us. He is in the boat sleeping while we are in the same boat worrying. And
He asks ‘Why are you worrying.’ He is on the water, walking confidently, while
we are struggling to keep our head above water. We are concerned about the
waves around us and wondering what in the world we are doing outside of the
safety of the boat. And He asks us, “Why did you doubt?” Lord we believe, but
help us with our unbelief.
So, the first trip was a
stepping stone on the path the Lord had set our feet upon. I was hoping for an
epiphany, something I could tell Martie ― OK, this is it. But I still saw men
as trees walking. I knew my vision would clear in time and we would be in the
place the Lord had intended. In the meantime, we would walk in what we knew and
would trust the Lord in what we didn’t know.
“Nothing happens until
something moves.” ― Albert Einstein
A friend of ours told me the
other day, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” I know that sounds like one of
those “Duh!” statements. But it is
actually profound in its simplicity.
Accepting and acting when we don’t know is what faith and obedience in God
is all about. But oh, we want to know!
Choosing to step out is an
act of our will in obedience to the voice of God. Making a change in the
direction we thought we were going in, is a demonstration of our willingness to
follow wherever He leads.
There is a song – “Wherever
He leads I’ll go” a verse says “I’ll follow my Christ who loves me so –
wherever He leads, I’ll go.” I often
wonder what was going on in the life of the person who wrote those great hymns.
In this case the writer was, Dr. B.B. McKinney. “Reverend R. S. Jones,
McKinney’s friend of many years, who because of ill health had recently
returned from missionary service in Brazil. The two men were visiting over
dinner one evening when Mr. Jones revealed to Dr. McKinney that his physicians
would not allow him to return to South America. When asked about his future
plans the missionary said, ‘I don’t know, but wherever He leads I’ll go.’” (PopularHymns.com)
And thus a song was born from that conversation.
Following God will always
cost you some earthly devotion.
“If anyone would come after
me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” – Mark 8:34
In what way has God
challenged you in your journey as a Christian? Where does He want to take you?
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For
His Glory Alone
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