“Driving In the Dark”
I think God often shows us exactly where He wants us to go, (our vision of a ministry or our purpose to serve Him), or His will for us, but rarely, if ever, is He going to hand us a GPS device or map. For His very specific reasons, He's going to want us to "turn on the lights"! ("Open His Word"), to get the directions we need to get to where He wants us to be. And, for our own good, He's set out, according to His will and purpose, various obstacles, roadblocks, and detours we need to avoid and overcome to get to His final destination for us. And if we're not traveling with "our lights on", (staying in His Word), we're going to get lost, or perhaps crash! (Ps. 119:105, I John l:5, John 8:12, 1:4-9, 12:35-36, Acts 26:18) Another important message here is that even with "our lights on", we can't be speeding! Some of us need to slow down and quit running stop signs! Speeding itself is dangerous enough! God gives us lots of warning signs throughout our journey, often through trials and forgiveness for our many offences. But if we're speeding, we may not recognize the warnings. Eventually, if we continue speeding through life without our lights on, and missing the warning signs, we may end up running a stop sign that could lead to a crash or worse.
Many of us are here today or reading this because we've run that stop sign. Perhaps over and over again because we've been speeding through life in the dark without the lights on. If that sounds like you, it's probably time to "come in from the dark"! (John 3:19-21, Acts 26:18)
Should we continue to travel through life in the dark, with our "Lights out", eventually we'll begin causing "traffic jams". Those following us, our family, friends, co-workers, and even brothers and sisters in the Lord, may be affected and slowed down by our recklessness along the journey, if we continue making wrong turns, speeding, and running stop signs, because we're not traveling "In The Light".(PS. 119:105) If we continue going in the wrong direction, it's inevitably going to affect everyone following us. Especially our loved ones. We need to recognize that if we travel through life living according to scripture Like John 8:12, and Ps. 119:105, life's paths will be much smoother and well illuminated for our journey, and those who might be traveling with us. It will be far more difficult to end up on a dead-end road, or run off the road.
We must realize however, that sometimes in life's journey, even traveling at the speed limit, and with our "lights on", God sometimes allows us to take a wrong turn or two. Sometimes even down dark, unmarked, dead-end roads, or allows us to make wrong turns that keep us going around in circles, sometimes allowing a "crash" or two along the way. But if we travel with our "lights on", staying close to God by staying in His Word, using it as our spiritual compass and guide, we should recognize and understand the purpose of these "road hazards and detours" along our journey. They're there to toughen us up. To build and strengthen our character, and our faith. "Life's many trials and challenges conquered, make us who we are." Ultimately, they'll make the journey smoother. The journey may be full of bumps and lumps, twists and turns, dead-end roads, trials, and failures, but "arriving' at the final destination, Home in Heaven, is the ultimate goal in the first place. And God promises us that final eternal destination, as long as we keep the "lights on" during the journey! If you’re feeling “lost,” or unsure or insecure in the purpose or direction of your journey, open Gods Word, (our map), pray for discernment and direction, and you’ll discover much smoother roads for the rest of the journey, with a lot less “potholes.” And His Word is far more reliable than man’s “GPS”!
While we’re always in a hurry to get to wherever we think we’re going, God is never in a hurry. Each of the tiniest details and segments of Gods perfect plan overall, and in our own lives individually, have already been set in motion, and are on time far more precisely then even the “nuclear clock”! If we’re truly following God, we can be assured we’re always on time, never late for any Divine appointment. Quite often when God see’s that we’re “speeding” through life He might let some air out of our tires to slow us down!
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