“This road God, really?”
I have woken up many nights to this thought rolling around my mind. This was not the road that I had expected to take, but never the less it is the road God is taking me down. As a mighty believer in God I still have many moments where I question why and what God is doing. I try to barter or manipulate His plan so that it looks more like what I want it to look like, and that is where it can become dangerous. I came across an analogy recently that really illustrated what I believe God does with us.
Before you can take a horse out of a burning building, you need to cover the horse’s eyes and then lead him out. Many times God does not explain what is happening to us in the moment or where He is leading us, but we trust Him and know He has our ultimate good in mind. If you were not to blindfold the horse before leading it out of the burning building, it would get scared, not move, and most likely burn with the building. This can certainly apply to us. If we were able to see everything that God was doing, it would most likely scare and paralyze us and leave us with far more questions as a result.
I watch my five year old daughter continually test the boundaries with me and there are many times where her not listening to my instruction could lead to her harm. She is still so young and does not fully understand the implications of what not listening, and instead doing what she wants to can create.
So that raises the question, "How do I know I am on the right road that God wants me to travel?"
- Opposition. Many of us have been taught that when opposition comes against us in life, it means we are doing something wrong and are on the wrong path. This could not be further from the truth. Shannon L. Alder quoted, “You will face your greatest opposition when you are closest to your biggest miracle." Opposition comes because it knows you are on the right path and wants to deter you. You would be invisible to most opposition walking on the wrong path because it knows that path is leading to nowhere.
- Remain prayerful. “Pray continually.” (1 Thessalonians 5 NLT) The Bible makes it very clear that we are to pray and keep praying. Prayer is not a one-time thing. Prayer is a physical practice of faith. Prayer is a weapon, a lamp and medicine.
- You are being obedient to His promptings. Listen to that still small voice. We tend to look for huge signs and grand gestures when we are trying to figure out if we are going down the right path. However, God is usually heard in a continual whisper inside us. Why? Because it forces us to listen for His voice, not ours or someone else’s. It forces us to cut out all other distractions and quiet ourselves before God.
- God's path is far different than the world's. The world will tell you that you should always find a shortcut. The world will tell you that if the road you are on is not paved with glitter and gold then you are on the wrong path. God made it clear that His road is not fancy, just a little gateway entry and a narrow road to travel on. If you are not looking for this road, you will surely miss it. But this narrow road leads to life, so we need to take it no matter what.
"But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."(Matthew 7:14 NIV)
Perhaps you have been walking down a road that you never would have chosen for yourself. Maybe on this road you have lost those closest to you, become sick, lost a job or maybe even everything. Even the best path can have thorns, twists, turns, valleys, and hills. There will be days of fog on your path It does not matter if you are the best planner in the world, because even the best planning does not necessarily keep us from having to go down a different path. Remember these key things: God is always in control and is sovereign. God loves you no matter what and has your ultimate good in mind, always. Stay the course and know it will be worth it.
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