Trusting the Tour Guide
My wife an I took a vacation to Boston. We love to travel when we can and we tend to try to see everything a person can possibly see. On our first day in Boston we walked the Freedom Trail. We could have taken a 2 hour tour (with a tour guide!), but we wanted to see it all. We wanted to do it our way. We took the better part of the morning and afternoon seeing it all. I'm not sure how far we walked, but it was miles. Near the end of the Freedom Trail you find the Bunker Hill monument. It's 294 steps up the 221 foot tall monument. That's about 22 stories after walking all day. You also have to come down the steps.
*Stair number 200 in the climb to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument.
Once we got outside, my legs were so weak that I was wobbly. I had to stop and gather myself, but it was only about 4pm and we had the USS Constitution, the Boston Public Library, and Cheers to see that day. So we kept going. In the middle of the evening tour of the Boston Library, I realized that I couldn't walk down any of the steps. I was holding onto rails and "floating down." It was the same trying to go down the stairs to the subway. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to be injured for the rest of our trip!
Many of us are striving to accomplish so many things in life. We want money, power, relationships, things for our family. We strive after it all and never slow down. I didn't want to use a tour guide because I wanted it all. To be fair, the tour guides do a shorter version, and might have left out some of the more subtle or less prominent details.
And just like our hesitance to avail ourselves of the expertise and expedience of the tour guide, we often tend to assume (wrongly) that God, as well, may give us the "less than ideal tour." Afterall, we tend to "want it all" and not necessarily want what is "best."
Psalm 46:10 says "be still" or "cease striving" and "know that I AM God."
Once you stop long enough to know God, you begin to understand that following the Holy Spirit is better than striving after all the things you think you need, and you discover what you are truly created for.
Missed It By 'That' Much
Different directional compasses bear different markings. Some compasses are marked off to display a full 360 degrees, and some are marked in gradations of 20 degrees. Some also display a "declination." The declination is a means of showing the difference between magnetic north and true north.
Have you ever been on a cruise ship out in the middle of the ocean and wondered how in the world the captain and crew knew which way to go? We know they use, among many navigational tools, a compass, but how does it work?
If you've ever looked at a compass, you know that there are hundreds of little hash marks — 360 to be exact — that mark off each separate degree of direction.
When a captain sets course, they know exactly to which little degree mark they need to set the compass. As long as they stay on that course, they will reach their destination.
But what would happen if someone moved the compass one little tiny degree to the left? At first it would look like you were still going in the same direction, on course for your destination. But in reality, as the vessel proceeded en route, the ship would be moving ever so slightly 1° away from the original course.
Before you know it, that ship would be miles away from its planned destination, all because it was one little tiny degree off course.
It is the same way in our spiritual experience ...
We set the course for our life, our day, our relationships, our work experience, etc., with the intention of focusing on Jesus, but we are fighting an enemy who wants to get us off course.
Of course our enemy — ol' Beezlebub — knows we won't likely make a 180° turn away from God, or even a 45° move away from Him. But if he can get us to compromise just one little degree, all he need do is just be patient.
While we think we are right on course, slowly but surely, we drift, until one day we wake up and wonder how in the world we got so far from the Lord's will for our lives.
We are wise to keep checking the compass. Keep charting our course in alignment with His will and His word.
Psalms 119:1-8 (MSG):
1 You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.
2 You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him.
3 That's right - you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set.
4 You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it.
5 Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set;
6 Then I'd never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel.
7 I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways.
8 I'm going to do what you tell me to do; don't ever walk off and leave me.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Backseat Driver
Have you ever had the experience of travelling to a foreign destination, only to have the locals swamp you with offers to guide you to all the best attractions. It's a fairly common occurrance. Of course, you'll want to do your homework to be sure your local guide is honest and trustworthy. If so, you invite them into the vehicle to guide and direct your journey. In most cases, it's a win-win -- the local makes a little extra money, and you end up getting the tour of a lifetime.
Because of their intimate knowledge of the locale, they are able to guide you to all the best areas to visit, as well as warn you about which areas to avoid because of the danger to tourists. It's tough, though, to follow the directions of a stranger. With a guide book in one hand, and GPS in the other, we are often confident that we could make as good or better decisions about how to proceed, especially when the local guide suggests you veer off the beaten path.
He might direct you to take an unmarked dirt road, or to push hard up the side of a steep hill. He might direct you to step out of the vehicle all together and into a dense forest or crowed plaza.
As the driver, of course, you have the last say of where to go. But if you've done your homework and have full confidence in your guide, you'll end up with some great pictures and great experiences in places you'd never find in your commercial tour book.
God is just such a trusted guide. He knows the way. When we put our trust in Him, He will take us to see things we wouldn't see otherwise. He will guide us from trouble and keep us on a path that is safe. When we choose to go our own way, who knows what trouble we could endure or what beauty we might miss along the way.
So lean into the ride. Resist the temptation to jerk the wheel in the opposite direction.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you" (Psalm 32:8, ESV).