In Safe Hands

Proverbs 3:5-6

Message No. 0522 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca

Recently I was driving on a very busy highway, and I was in a hurry. This highway is one of the world’s busiest – at 18 lanes wide, you would think that there’s enough lanes for you to maneuver and have your way, but you would be surprised how long it takes you to pass during rush hours. I had missed a professional exam in the past, because of my lack of understanding of the congestion on the highway. When you are in a hurry, you’re trying to find the fastest lane. Most days, the fastest lanes are the service lanes (the collectors), because they are the lanes that allow drivers to exit the highway into the city, so you can be sure that many vehicles ahead of you are getting out of the way. On this day, I was coming out of the city via some unfamiliar routes, so I used a GPS. When I entered the highway, I should have stopped the GPS because I was familiar with the road from that moment, but I didn’t.

From how far I could see, the service lanes were free, and I wanted to use those lanes, but the GPS told me to enter the express lanes. I could see already that the express lanes were moving slowly, and I was, of course, tempted to ignore the GPS and use the service lanes. Then, an inner voice told me, the GPS is using satellite and is seeing from above and you can only see as far as your eyes can see. Will you trust your eyes, or will you trust the device that is seeing from above? I listened, and, just a kilometer from that point, the service lanes became congested and I drove freely on the express lanes. This happened three time during my trip! At that point, I knew that God was saying something to me.

In Proverbs 3:5-6, the Bible says:

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.

There are times in our lives when we need to make certain decisions and our eyes and ears are telling us to go one way or another and we are not very sure. As God’s children, we need to take a moment to think and to pray and ask God for guidance, because we often cannot see beyond our noses and must either rely on what we know or what our family, friends and experts are saying, and there’s often nothing wrong with that. However, there is a God who sits in heaven and is seeing what we cannot see, and He, it is, who can provide accurate assessment of where we are going and what we need to do to achieve our goals. This is the reason the scripture above says we must not lean on our own understanding.

In Genesis chapter 13 when quarrels started between Abraham and Lot’s herders, Abraham took a decision to settle the quarrel and to not allow such problems between them, since they were relatives. He told Lot to choose which side he would go and he, Abraham, would go the other direction. In the culture I grew in, it would be seen as complete disregard to an elder, for a youth to choose before the elder, but that was exactly what Lot did. In verses 10 and 11, the Bible says:

Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company.

Lot chose based on what he could see. There’s nothing wrong with choosing, except that he should have allowed his uncle to choose first, perhaps the Lord would have looked on him with mercy and directed him to a different direction. We know the end of the story, Lot’s choice was a disaster, he ended up losing his possessions and his wife.

While most choices are not as dramatic as Lot’s choice and the end results of most would not be as tragic as Lot’s, we can all make meaningful progress and have abundant peace in our lives if we can trust the God that’s got us covered. I am also not naïve to think that most of us are advanced enough to hear directly from God. However, I do know that all of us are able to read the Bible and we are able to pray. Let us take some time to pray to God about our decisions and if we have peace with our choices then we must leave the rest to God, because if, on the other hand, we have troubles in our spirits or we discover that the Bible does not support what we plan to do, then we must conclude that God is telling us something and we may need to rethink our choices.

The best of man’s decisions cannot compare with the worst of God’s. Just as I thought that the GPS was leading me to the highway lanes that were already congested and later discovered that those were the lanes that I needed to arrive at my destination faster, we must know that we are in safe hands with God. He does not lead His children to wrong directions. In Isaiah 58:11, the Bible says:

And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

There is no greater peace than in trusting God. Even if the results look like the opposite of what you expected, keep trusting Him, knowing that He sits above all and sees what we do not see. In the end, you will always be glad that you followed His leading.

Thanks to those who made comments on last week’s posting. Please keep making your comments and if you would like us to join you in prayers, please use the “Get In Touch” link. Also remember to encourage your family and friends to subscribe by using the “Subscribe” link. Thank you and have a blessed week!

To leave a comment for this message, add new subscribers or share through social media, please follow these steps:

1. To leave a comment, please use the comments box below.

2. To add new readers, please use the Subscribe Form below or click on the Subscribe menu and enter your email address.

3. To share through social media, please use one of the relevant icons below.

 PLEASE ACT NOW:
 If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:
 Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
 If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!