January 25, 2011 @ 9:16 pm | Filed under: Soul Food,The Solid Rock
I drove along the unfamiliar road, going maybe 50 mph at best. The sun was quickly setting in the west, much faster than I had hoped. I had left my house forty minutes earlier for the hour and a half road trip, equipped with nothing more than anxiety over navigating country roads by myself and – of course – my trusty GPS.
His name is Walter. You know, the faceless guy who gives you minute-by-minute driving directions. The same one that announces, “You missed your exit. One moment. Redirecting.” Walter and I had made several trips together before this night, and he’d not given me any reason to doubt him before now.
Yet—as darkness settled down amongst the trees on either side of this narrow county road—heaviness settled on my shoulders. The beauty from the sunset quickly lost its glow for me as I realized I was alone on back roads that were strange to me. And growing stranger by the minute.
Walter broke into my thoughts, causing me to jump at the sound of his voice. “Turn left in 800 yards.”
I swallowed hard, glancing around me. I wasn’t at all sure that Walter was right this time.
Trees—tall and close together—were all I could see on either side of me. There were none of the telltale markers I’d been assured I would see.
I fought against the pounding in my heart and the uncertainty that taunted my mind.
At 800 yards…I turned. Walter had told me too, after all…
I drove on—in blind faith—for another three or four miles. Just as I was about to succumb to the fear and the anxiety, I began to catch glimpses of those markers. And then I heard Walter’s voice again.
“You have reached your destination.”
This jaunt down an unfamiliar country road so closely parallels my journey through life at times. Just when I feel surrounded by unsurmountable obstacles, just when I feel isolated and alone, just when I feel I have lost my way…
I hear His voice.
Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. – Psalm 37:3
I may not always see the way clearly. I may not always maintain confidence in my path. I may not even make the trip without doubt or without fear.
My job is to continue the journey.
His voice has never given me any reason to doubt His direction before.
Blind faith tells me I will one day hear these sweet words…
“You have reached your destination.”
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