God's Way

August 6, 2023

And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. (Deuteronomy 8:2-3).

Which Way Now?

This past week I was driving for about four hours, all of it back country roads. Surrounded by corn fields, turn after turn. At times there were corn fields on my right and left; too tall to see around and I was following GPS blindly. Usually in the past, I have always looked at a map before I start driving to pick which direction was best to go; not this time. One wouldn't think GPS would take you on a four hour drive through corn fields, turn left at this field, turn right, cross this one-lane country bridge, and through this gravel road. Somehow it did, and on the way back as well. At one point I started to think, if I lose my phone signal, I would be in for a much longer drive, as I had already lost track of all the small turns I had made . I had been thinking about life, meditating, and not really paying too much attention to where I was going.

Where is Your Map?

I thought about it, maybe I should have downloaded an offline phone map. I use to travel with a big Road Atlas on longer trips I wasn't familiar with before, but now I had started trusting my phone's GPS. It is funny how we get use to things and start trusting them too easily. As I drove, I distinctly remember corn fields on either side and thinking about God's Word. Is the Bible our downloaded "offline" map? God has left us all directions on which way we should turn in Life. I thought about the journey I have been on; the struggles, the decisions, the spiritual battles when I had to choose a "road" to take, to choose a way to go. When I had been fervently praying for directions; when I pleaded for directions. When I didn't want to choose a direction for myself, fearful it would be the wrong way. I had waited for God to choose, but there was no signal. I think I must have thought somehow I could suffer through it, that was my direction. Just put my life in Park, choose no direction. I was left with my understanding of God's Word. My free will to make choices.

On my drive, I heard GPS say to turn right, and I thought this is too small a road, and I quickly passed the correct way to go. I had to come to a stop almost immediately after passing it. I glanced at the GPS map on my phone and realized I had to go back. I turned and came back around, crossed the small country bridge, turned on a gravel road for less than a mile, turned a few more times, and was back on track. When we make mistakes in following God in our Life, sometimes we may go down a country road for quite a while before we realize we need to turn around. We sin and it may take us a while to repent (turn around) and not go down that road. When we get back on the right path, we may be worried at first that we are not seeing any signs of a regular road, an easier way to follow God's Way. We are content when the roads are easy, the roads are familiar. The gravel roads and bumpy roads worry us like hard times worry us. We seek to hear direction again, we don't like being lost.

Will You Still Follow Me?

As I was following these roads, God started showing me the choices I had made in my life. He started bringing to remembrance the turns I had made. He showed me what was in my heart when I started this Psalm 100:4 journey. The directions I chose when my heart was failing. How I thought I had chose this verse to Praise Him, but somehow this verse was given to me. I figured I was in for a physical struggle like I never had in my life. This verse had brought me through these trials. At times, the spiritual struggles were so great, I didn't even have time to think about the physical struggles. I was up through endless nights for months, completely exhausted; but this verse stayed with me. I was defeated. I couldn't change anything. I couldn't help anyone.

As I continued driving, God reminded me of my just wanting to reach one person, share my faith in what I believed. One person to really know that I believe in what Christ did for me on the cross. I was content to share even if no one really heard. I didn't know who this person would be, but it was my heart to be able to share the most important thing in my life, Christ is my savior. He showed me that one person by reminding me of that moment. God showed me, the turns I had made, turns he let me make following his Word that He has written in my heart. He let me drive down those roads to see what was really in my heart, would I follow His way even when he was silent? When I didn't know if he was there.

What Do We Want To Hear?

As I was driving home a few days later, near the same area in corn fields no music playing, no GPS directions, I heard five words of assurance come out of no where. Words we hope to hear someday. I thought for a moment, what was that, where did that come from? No songs playing on the radio; I wasn't even thinking about it, it just came to me. Strange words to hear. Then things were being brought to my remembrance. There wasn't just one person that I had shared my faith with; he showed me others in my life. Those I have taken in that didn't respond. People that I have loved when I shouldn't have. People that were just moments of sharing my faith with. But those words, make me think why are you saying this to me? I failed, I didn't reach anyone. God doesn't promise the whole world will be saved, but he wants the whole world to hear and know. He wants the people in my life to know who I turn to. It is not our acts of kindness or our love that is going to save people; it is God's. There will be those that you can not reach, but we shouldn't stop trying.

I write this story to share what God has done in my life. I give praise to God for all that He does for me. These past years were struggles I would never want, but seeing God's sovereignty, and how he was there through it all and always will be, amazes me. I don't know what the next struggle brings, but I pray that God will give me the wisdom to keep following His directions and to hear his voice all the time. That I will hear "every" word of God, and make the right turns.

If you have read my other posts, you have seen me wonder if God calls himself ME in the bible. The answer was YES. One of those five words I felt said to me was "My". My thoughts now went to does God say My? I didn't need to look it up this time. I felt these words are from God to me in the way he guides me in my life. Not words I fabricate to make myself feel good, But the way God reassures me of my faith in Him. Now I have to admit, I also started to think is there a deer going to run out of these fields, and I run into it and then I really know why I heard these words. As I thought this, I realized I am at peace with God, my walk, there is nothing left undone anymore. When I was on that operating table, God knew that one thing on my heart. He knew that one thing I was most worried about. He has shown me how HE will provide for that. It may not be the way I had wanted, but it is God's Way. I pray that everyone downloads God's GPS signal (Word) into their heart, that it may guide them through the fields in their life, their life turns, and their wilderness when God wants to see if they will follow His Word even when they may not feel His Presence. I remember when I needed to hear God's Word, and I heard one of the only tapes of my dad preaching that was still around. Those words "... it's not the ink on the paper" read from scripture to me. It is not the map we need to keep in our hearts, it is God dwelling in us. We need the signal (spirit) to dwell in us.

I feel there is another turn coming soon, and I trust God has given me his signal to make the right turn. The road may be bumpy, not look right but we know now how that turns out.

Thank you, God, for all the blessings in my life.