Trusting Your Headlights

I have a cousin who always had a rather odd quirk….to start reading any book, she always turned to the last couple of pages and read those first.

It seems that she had one of those personalities that needed to know the outcome of any and all situations. Maybe you can identify with that mentality.

In fact, when I think about it, I know a lot of Christians that operate their lives and the basis of their walk with Jesus in much the same manner. They are firm believers in Romans 8:28 that tells us that everything works out for good for those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose….they are willing to follow Jesus; they just want to know what the final destination will look like before they get there.

In their head, they understand the scripture in Psalms that tells us that God’s word is a lamp unto our feet….it is a light for our way; however, their heart has a hard time letting them put into practice the trust that is involved in starting out on a journey with a limited light source.

But think for a moment about the headlights on your car. On a dark moonless night, most anyone with common sense would not start out on a journey (even on a familiar street) without turning on the car’s headlights…even if we knew exactly where we were going and how to get there. We would flick the switch and illuminate our path. An although our path might shine brightly, we would not be able to see all the way to our final destination…so we would have to trust the 150 feet or so of light that our headlights illuminate. In other words, we would trust that as far as the lights shine, we can travel unafraid and ready to deal with whatever might appear before us….we would trust our headlights and proceed to our final destination assured that if we follow the light, we will arrive safe and secure.

The same is true for us in our Christian journey of life. We know our final destination is home…our heavenly home; but unless we trust the headlights on our vehicle, we may never leave the comforts of the driveway. Maybe God is calling you to trust Him and move out in faith to lead a Bible study, to go on a summer mission trip, to comfort a co-worker and speak of your faith in Christ….you don’t have to know the outcome; you just have to trust the “lights” that God is using to illuminate your path.

My favorite Old Testament scripture in Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord; plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

God knows our future is forever with Him and our hope is our eternal home in Heaven that He has prepared….nothing else really matters….but if your are like my cousin and need to know the end of the story first, then turn to Revelation 22:20 and read,

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come Lord Jesus!”

Trusting His Word to Light My Path,

WPQ

Thought for the Day:

The Bible is God’s headlights
To light the unseen way;
We need not know the destination
But just trust Him for today.

For when we put our faith in Him
His plans for us are sure;
To live a life in Him complete….
Righteous …Holy….Pure.

WPQ January 2011