The sky hid behind a haze of black. From my windshield I could see only the winding road ahead, shiny with wet or ice, I couldn’t tell. Such is a January morning in Wisconsin after snowfall.
I was on my way to a speaking event about 80 miles from home, at 6 o’clock on a Saturday when thankfully most people were asleep and not sharing the slippery highway. I drove forward like a granny, cautious and impaired, erring on the side of not spinning into a ditch.
It was just a matter of waiting, really. Daylight was bound to come—in another hour, 30 minutes, 10. Lord, I prayed, please bring the sun. I knew as soon as He illuminated the horizon, I’d be able to see the world around me, to assess the danger or lack thereof. Ice or dry? Puddles or skid traps? Could I plow ahead at 65 miles per hour or was this more like a 45 mph day?
It’s quite an unnerving sensation, driving blind, with no peripheral or long-range vision to bring context to the world. You just crawl onward, one yard at a time.
Isn’t that just like the Christian life?
This new year, new decade—what will it bring? I have hopes and plans and expectations. You too? But today we move forward still largely blind. Will God bless our endeavors? Will He bring new opportunities for growth and success? Will the journey be safe and smooth—or will we discover, as the days roll on, that dangers are lurking in the ditches, and God’s plan involves sliding off course.
Our course. Not His.
Because the true Christian life involves trusting God’s plan above our own—even if it brings trouble.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)
Once the sun came out and I reached a clear stretch of road, my nerves melted and I enjoyed the remainder of my drive in peace. Yet I thought of that first hour, staring ahead with no greater vision than my headlights could afford. And my heart recalled this verse.
“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
Often God doesn’t give us the big picture. He knows it, for sure, but what He chooses to reveal to us may be nothing more than the next step, and the next, and the next. Why? Because that’s faith. Believing in Someone beyond ourselves even when we cannot see.
“For we live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)
My prayer for all of us this year is that we would trust the Lord with an ever-increasing faith, no matter what the days and months may bring. If God allows it, it must be for our good. Because He is good (Psalm 119:68), He’s working all things out for good (Romans 8:28), and He will never let the righteous fall (Psalm 55:22).
Happy 2020, my friends. Let’s appreciate the daylight and persevere in the dark. I’ll be here with you week after week to point us all to Jesus, and I treasure the moments you choose to spend with me. Thank you from my heart for reading and believing. May God bless you and your families abundantly as you trust in Him.
Much love,
Becky
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