Below is a blog post recently written by my friend Justin Rabbach. He and I have grown closer through our shared experiences throughout the past two years. To give you an idea of where he’s coming from, Justin travels a lot for our church. Since he graduated from UW-Madison last year, the amount of travel itineraries he has printed is mind-boggling. I don’t even think I could list all the places he’s flown or driven to in that span. So naturally the topic of “direction” has been on his mind ever since God first started him on this crazy path just a few years ago.
After reading this on a blog, I felt it was a message that was applicable to all people, especially to college students. I know I struggle with this all the time, but hearing Bible verses like Psalms 32:8 and John 16:13 really inspires me to hold on to whatever God has put on my heart and know that whatever he sends me out to do is something that He knows I can accomplish. I hope you can find meaning in Justin’s words as much as I did and I pray and hope that all of you reading this can ask for and possess the courage and strength to act on whatever God has placed on your heart.
I own a GPS for my car, and it has come in very handy. It has taken me to places near my apartment in Madison that I probably could have found without it, but it has also taken me places I would surely have never found in the Great States of Florida and North Carolina.
I have become so used to having this technology, and knowing the directions (and the time of arrival down to a minute!) that I almost become nervous or anxious when I head out without a clear picture of where I'm going and how I will get there.
In our faith, I think it is this exact nervousness or anxiousness that God is asking us to overcome through trust in him. I mean, in order for it to be faith, we cannot know the means and the destination at outset. If that was the case, it would be extremely easy to follow God's plan for our lives. So easy, that we wouldn't need God at all!
Think about how God has called you. Is it with an email that has the full itinerary and directions of the who / what / when / where why?
For me, this has not been the case. I often feel a little pull, a little push to get up and get moving in some direction. Some faint idea that I need to act, and then a small, but building sense of peace that I am doing what is right, and what God wants me to do.
It is usually after the fact that I am able to see the powerful way in which God has worked.
God promises to be our "tour guide"
Psalm 32: 8
The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you."
John 16:13
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.
Will you truly let God be your guide? Will you hit the road without know exactly where you are going and how you will get there?
Questions to think about:
1. What is a time where God has led you without giving you the full picture?
2. Was it hard to do this?
3. Have you ever said no to God because you were nervous about the direction in might take you?
I know that some of my best experiences have been ones that are unplanned. If I only went by the GPS, I would plug in that I want Taco Bell, and I would get the Steak Supreme Chalupa with no tomatoes. If I go off the map and just experience what is around me, I end up "accidentally" at Joe's Crab shack on Daytona Beach with shrimp and crab cakes, and a man who is successfully evangelizing to our waitress (True Story).
Maybe the best time to ask these "5 W's" (What happened? Who was there? Why did it happen? When did it happen? Where did it happen?) is after we have experienced God. I bet the answers to those questions will no longer fill you with nerves, but with excitement over what you just experienced.
God is Good! Trust Him! Let Him be good to you!
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