December 20
“Just as you don’t know the path of the wind, or how bones develop in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you don’t know the work of God who makes everything.”
Ecclesiastes 11:5
Yesterday we discussed the importance of taking time to reflect and meditate on what God is doing in our lives. We need to periodically examine where we are, what He is teaching us, and the direction that He is leading us in. We need for God to shape our perspective instead of letting our circumstances and the opinions of people around us determine it. But there is a danger in too much introspection. The verse above shows us the futility of trying to completely understand things that are beyond our comprehension. You see, God is the only one who can see the big picture. When He gives us instructions and involves us in His work, He typically doesn’t lay out the whole thing for us from beginning to end. He doesn’t tell us all the details. He doesn’t share with us the end result or the ups and downs that are inevitably going to happen along the way. He gives us the information we need when we need it. He lights the path in front of us just enough so that we can take the next step and when we take that step, we will have light for the next one.
When God told Mary that she was going to have a Son and that He would be the Messiah, He did not tell her the details about His birth, or what it would be like raising the boy who would someday be the Savior of the world. He didn’t sit her down and prepare her for the reaction of her other children to their “perfect” brother. And He definitely did not tell her that her beloved Son was going to be beaten, rejected, spit on and killed on a Roman cross. He didn’t even tell her not to worry because He would rise from the dead to conquer death and hell. He didn’t tell her those things because it would be too difficult for her to grasp. She didn’t need to see the big picture. God told her what she needed to know right then, and she trusted Him with the rest.
I’m old enough to remember when we had to use a paper map and handwritten directions to find our way to new places. Before we left, we had to get detailed turn-by-turn directions because we didn’t have GPS systems or cell phones that we could use to call someone if we got lost. Sometimes it was scary trying to find our way especially if you were travelling alone at night. Fortunately, we don’t have that issue anymore because we have Siri. She travels with us each step of the way giving us directions as we need them. And if we take a wrong turn, she recalculates and helps us get back on the right path. Please don’t think I am being irreverent, but the Holy Spirit is our built-in Siri. He is with us every step of our way. We don’t have to worry about getting detailed step-by-step directions because we have someone with us who knows the way. He has gone before us and laid out the path. We just have to listen to Him and do what He says. Trying to figure out all the details ahead of time leads to anxiety and fear. Faith in our Sovereign God who loves us and promises to take care of us allows us to step into the future with confidence and hope.
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