Full faith and trust!

On a trip yesterday, my Tom-Tom®, a GPS unit, indicated that I should turn left off of the highway onto a side road. I did. Soon the side road turned into a gravel road, then a one lane road through the northern Pennsylvania woods. 4 miles later I came onto a main highway again, on the way to Montrose, PA. The ‘brain’ in that little unit had used the satellite signals and the maps stored in memory to take me on a 10 minute mini-adventure along a road I am unlikely to travel again. What fun!

An unpredictable series of events led me to Montrose Bible Conference center yesterday. It started with an email to the editor of a magazine for pastors offering a critique of an article. It continued with an unexpected reply from one of the author’s of the article who responded to me with gentle grace! He invited me to meet him at a Christian writer’s gathering. I thought about it and set it aside because I was ‘too busy.’ Then, last Friday, a member of the congregation ‘just happened’ to let me know she would be attending a conference with that same author. When she greeted Torry on Sunday and mentioned me, he wrote me again and renewed his invitation for me to drive up for an afternoon. Wasn’t the Lord persistent in getting me to take His lead? I am convinced that yesterday’s afternoon of networking with new acquaintances and planting seeds of a new friendship was all in the plan of God. To what ultimate purpose is yet to be revealed.

God, my fail-safe Guide, sometimes prompts me to leave the main road of life, just like my GPS did yesterday. Usually, His leading is not so dramatic, just a tug of the Spirit to make a call, to pick up a book, to change up the routine of the day. Other times He uses people or situations to re-direct my way. I’d love to tell you that I always respond readily, joyfully; I don’t! Sometimes I resist His leading. Sometimes I am so committed to my agenda I ignore Him. But, when I say ‘yes, Lord,’ I discover His faithfulness again and later on (days, weeks, years!) I can see more clearly why He changed my course.

Remember Israel’s journey from Egypt to the Promised Land? God gave them His Presence to lead them – a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day. He led them and He fed them. We would think that their faith would have become so strong that they would have followed Him without question. They didn’t! When they came to Canaan and sent in the scouts, the report of the obstacles facing them caused great fear. Full of doubt, they "grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The entire community was in on it: “Why didn’t we die in Egypt? Or in this wilderness? Why has God brought us to this country to kill us? Our wives and children are about to become plunder. Why don’t we just head back to Egypt? And right now!” (Numbers 14:2-3, The Message) They missed an opportunity and that entire generation died during the next 40 years of living as nomads in the wilderness!

Let’s commit ourselves to full faith and trust! When the Holy Spirit nudges us, whispers to us, speaks to us with the Word; may we be quick to say – “Yes, Lord! Let’s go!” My experience parallels what I find in the Word about the way He generally leads. He does not usually show us more than this day! He unfolds His plan only as we are obedient to walk in it day by day.

It’s a faith adventure, so "Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives." (Galatians 5:25, NLT)
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Sweet are the promises,
Kind is the word,
Dearer far than any message
Man ever heard;
Pure was the mind of Christ,
Sinless, I see;
He the great example is,
And pattern for me.

Sweet is the tender love
Jesus hath shown,
Sweeter far than any love
That mortals have known;
Kind to the erring one,
Faithful is He;
He the great example is,
And pattern for me.

Where He leads I'll follow,
Follow all the way;
Where He leads I'll follow,
Follow Jesus ev'ry day.

Where He Leads I'll Follow

Ogden, William A.© Public Domain