What makes the Christian life exciting also makes it terrifying - there is no itinerary. Sure, you can create your own. However, I suggest you write it in pencil and leave plenty of room in the margins – cause’ there will be changes. Having a goal, a plan, or an outline is like my wife having a perm; it may look and feel better, but it’s only temporary.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalms 119:105
Oh how I wish it said, He is a system of street lights so I won’t fear what’s lurking in the bushes. I’d even settle for Him being high beams so I can see a bit further and wider. Like mapping programs, why can’t God offer a zoom out button? It can be quite frustrating when I don’t know what’s going to happen next. It’s my life and I should be able to make decisions that have my best interests at hand. Had I known my plan would draw enemy fire, I would have drawn a fallback plan. If God would clue me in, I could help Him strategize, or at least discuss a compromise.
BINGO!
And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” Luke 8:22-25
(Why didn’t you tell me there was going to be a storm that would scare me to death? I would have still sailed…honestly.)
God knows that men and rivers follow the path of least resistance. He is a candle at our feet, so we won’t stub our toe; and a torch on the path so we can stay ON it. He never promised to be a spotlight so we would know when to jump off. Here’s a principle; if Jesus doesn’t tell you what is ahead, it’s probably because you would avoid it. Remember, the only way Murdock got B. A. Baracus in the air was to wake him after the flight. If the plan called for air travel, best you leave that part out. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. John 16:12
God’s direction get’s us moving; but His direction, is not always His destiny. God will give us just enough information to get us to the next pit stop. What’s great about having a map is that I can SEE my route. What’s bad about having a map is that I can see OTHER routes. It is the alternate routes that God wants us to stay away from. He knows that at first sign of traffic, I’m already looking for a side street to cut through. Here’s another principle; most of our short cuts go back around the same mountain. God in His infinite wisdom has ordered our lessons perfectly. There is no skipping and coming back to it later.
If God told you that you would lose your job, would you have still given that much to charity? If God told you they would never come back, would you have let them go? If God told you she would leave, would you have still loved her? If God told you he would die young, would you have allowed yourself to fall in love? Here’s a thought; Jesus knew Judas would betray Him, but that didn’t change the picks.
