As I start to write about my thoughts about seeing God this week, the TV news is on in the background, and I can hear a discussion by our local weather person talking about wind driven rain and storms and tornados. The area under discussion has very familiar names being mentioned. They are towns and highways that we were driving on less than 5 days ago. And today’s discussion could be a repeat of what we experienced 5 days ago. I have to admit, we didn’t exactly take time to see God during our experience. It wasn’t until afterward that we realized that God had been there all along, even when we didn’t see or notice. Our day started good, continued good and then it wasn’t so good. We had a good week at camp meeting, working with the smallest of camp meeting goers, hearing messages from God delivered through His servants, finding family and visiting, greeting friends we haven’t seen in a long time, hearing wonderful music presentations, and enjoying not having to cook a meal for us. Knowing that food would be available three times a day already prepared is always fun and I enjoy that—a lot! Maybe too much!
On Sunday, we packed up our things and prepared to check out of our room. I am so thankful for the help we had carrying our things to the car. It was a great blessing. When everything was in the car, only then did I remember that I had left my cell phone on the bed. I was told that one helper person put it in a black bag! But which bag? We had several. I started to search and repeated my searches—several times. At least 3 trips were made back to our room for more searching! And no phone! I was certain that I had shut the sound down because we had been in meetings and I don’t like to be embarrassed with a ringing phone when we are being given words from God! Shhhh! is what I want. So, of course it wouldn’t help to call from another phone. Finally, in desperation, a call was placed to my phone in hopes that we might hear it vibrate! It reminded me that God calls us every day. We can answer or maybe we choose to not answer. We sometimes hear Him calling us, but sometimes we have turned off our ability to hear God’s call. Perhaps we routinely don’t answer and become deaf when God’s call is for us! We even ignore that funny little vibrating feeling that we get when we suspect something is happening we should have been paying attention to! Like a vibration that can be felt or even sometimes heard.
Not only did the desperation call vibrate, but we could also hear the ringing tone—on my phone! But I had searched multiple times!!! Only then did I realize that I COULD feel the vibrating and I COULD hear it ringing and it was ringing and vibrating—ON ME! I had
tucked it away where it would always be with me!
Apparently I really did tuck it away, not concentrating on what I was doing! I do not remember doing anything but leaving it on the striped down bed so I and anyone else would see it! And it wouldn’t be forgotten! This whole scenario because clothing manufacturers sometimes don’t think women need pants pockets for their cell phones!! I am glad I don’t need a pocket or a secret hiding place in order to always receive my calls from God! I just need to pay attention and listen and have a talk with Him—about His care and love for me and now for His help in finding my missing phone!
Our trip home was uneventful!! Until we got to Iowa City. At that point we knew it was going to rain on our trip and rain soon! We had been seeing rain showers all around us and then it was our turn. Our trip home follows a road called the Avenue of the Saints— a path that takes drivers to and from St. Louis to St. Paul. Traveling the Saints highway is kind of like God leading His saints along the way that will take them home to Heaven. But He has not promised an easy uneventful trip. Like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress, there will be hazards and temptations. The pilgrim’s way was treacherous, narrow, with temptations, false information, despair and doubt, guilt, fear, steepness, hopelessness, and deep depression. Our way on the Highway of the Saints was good, until it wasn’t! Beyond Iowa City the rain became increasingly hard, and the amount of road construction was too much! And not just one section, but multiple areas being worked on. Soon we found ourselves in perhaps the worse rainstorm we have ever driven in, and we have had some memorable ones. The traffic was thick too! Thick traffic, hard heavy rain that makes seeing difficult, and cement barriers that make you drive under tension. Tension because you can’t see, the lanes are narrow, and everyone is forced to drive bumper to bumper and if you are unlucky enough to be behind a semi-truck that is blowing even more water back on you, then you have no idea where the lanes are! We had thought we would leave this saintly road at Exit 4 and wait out the storm. Exit 4 is familiar to us and we have used it before. This time Exit 4 was closed because of the construction! We could see nothing that was ID-ing other landmarks for us and the only thing to do was to try to keep going, through the traffic and through the storm and the wind-driven rain that was blinding us! Near the end of this stressful driving experience ahead we could see that there were multiple vehicles, most with many flashing lights. Flashing lights is a strong indication of trouble ahead of some kind. And sure enough, several people were involved with trouble. One U-Haul truck was on its side in the median, driver door side up. Another car was down an embankment sitting in a wet drainage area with the passengers still in it. If we get distracted and don’t keep focused, tragedy can happen. If we don’t keep focused on Christ, bad things happen. It kind of reminded of Christian in the Slough of Despond! The Slough of Despond is a deep, muddy bog in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. It represents the spiritual despair, guilt, and doubts that overwhelm a sinner when they first become conscious of their sins. The muddy swamp is fed by the fears, doubts, and discouraging apprehensions that arise when a person realizes their lost condition—when you realize I’M IN THE DITCH. Christian journeys on toward the Celestial City (home), and the heavy burden of his sin causes him to sink deep into the mire. When Christian asks why the bog hasn’t been fixed so travelers can pass safely, he is told it cannot be mended. The “scum and filth” of conviction continually drains into this exact spot and he is stuck. Eventually a heavenly figure comes along and pulls Christian out of the deep mud, setting his feet on solid ground so he can continue his journey. Or in this case, probably a tow truck pulls you from the mud.
Sometimes in life, we can’t see very far ahead (us in the heavy rain) but we must trust God’s guidance to know how to go forward. Navigating blinding rain, heavy traffic so congested and very busy all around us, and narrow construction lanes is a striking illustration for life’s overwhelming times and periods. It teaches us the importance of releasing our anxieties and focus entirely on the immediate taillights ahead, and trusting that an unseen Guide is navigating our journey through the storm. When we get stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, we get anxious and worried and very tense, but the Bible tells me not to worry! Trust God and He will see us through.
Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
- Peter 5:6-7: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
John 14:27: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
- Timothy 1:7: For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and selfcontrol.
Psalm 55:22: Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Much like sudden trials, hard blinding wind-driven rain obscured our vision. It represents moments when we cannot see the future or what lies ahead. It reminds us to stop relying solely on our own limited sight and to walk by faith rather than fear. The orange barrels, cones and cement barricades forced us to stay in a strict, confined path with no room for error. This is sort of like the seasons of discipline, where God narrows our focus, strips away distractions, and guides us carefully down life’s roadway. Being surrounded by countless other rushing, stressed drivers is like the chaos of the world. It is an invitation to practice patience, grant grace to others, and refuse to let the frustration of our surroundings dictate our inner peace. Throughout the whole time of stressed driving, one driver seemed to be so frustrated by everything and had no patience—none with the traffic, the rain, the slowness, etc. We watched as he changed lanes as often as others would let him in, back and forth and back again all to try to get ahead of “the traffic!” We had to keep our focus on the taillights. In blinding rain, trying to see the road far ahead was impossible for us or for the impatient driver. Instead, you focus on the red lights of the car directly in front of you. Spiritually, this is like fixing your eyes on the immediate, tangible truths and grace God has given you for the present moment, rather than worrying about the miles down the road ahead. The narrow, walled-in construction lanes feel restrictive, but those concrete barriers are there as a gift to protect you from crossing into oncoming danger. In life, God’s boundaries and “no” answers often feel confining, but they are His protective shields keeping me from spiritual harm. When the storm comes, you are forced to slow down, to disregard the speed you originally desired to have. Hard circumstances force us to drop our frantic pace, surrender our rigid timelines, and focus purely on arriving safely at the end of life’s road.
“Lord, when the storm clouds gather and the road narrows, still my anxious heart. Grant me the wisdom to focus on the step directly in front of me and the patience to navigate the heavy traffic with grace. Be my eyes in the blinding rain, and remind me that You are in the driver’s seat, guiding me safely to my destination.”
The realization came to me that although both my destination and my route were set, individual details regarding my driving were left up to me. God had chosen this particular road in life for me to follow to my destination, but any number of different scenarios could occur involving different lanes, different rates of speed, etc. This short drive compares to how God leads and guides us. He may give us a destination or a mission, but the individual moves (think game board) to get there are ours to make. We determine which lane/game board path) to drive in and when we need to change lanes; how fast to drive; and even which sights along the road to pay attention to like the troubles that Christian had on his Pilgrim Journey. And God is OK with us making these kinds of decisions along the way. He doesn’t care what lane we’re in, or if we drive with one hand or two. We can follow the car in front of us closely, or fall back a little. He gives us this kind of leeway. And, if we’re living (driving) in accordance with God’s purpose for our life, then He will aid us along the way, often smoothing out traffic, opening up lanes, giving us good weather and scenic views. Of course, the way won’t always be smooth and without potholes, but He often does supernaturally work things out behind the scenes to help advance our course. What I think this means for us is that we have a substantial amount of say in how our lives live out, even living within God’s will.
I believe that God is OK with me making choices along the way as to what lane I will stay in. All this is fine so long as I remain in prayer and humility before God, putting Him first in my life. This realization is very freeing, but also a little scary. I like the idea of freedom of choice in what I do, but this freedom can also intimidate me with the many, many options available to pursue each day or month or year or decades. Trusting in God is critical. By remaining tight with Him, we don’t need to fear, but instead, can relax and enjoy our journey along the way.
“Whether your platform is huge, or you’re working in obscurity, you need to ask yourself, ‘Am I fulfilling my assignment?’” Unknown
Have you ever had to drive through heavy rain or thick fog? You had to press through until you reached your destination. The rain and fog hindered your vision to see where you were going. Sometimes, you stop until the storm or fog subsides.
In seeking God, we will have to press through mental barriers and sometimes physical obstacles. Seeking God is a pattern that must be formed and built. We must continue to press through. Trauma has a way of blinding us from seeking God because all we usually see is our pain. We feel the outside demands from family and friends. We feel our internal being crashing under the pressure of our responsibilities and our realities. In life, we need to stay on the path that God has chosen for us, keep aware of the dangers on all sides, in front and behind us. Keep ready to put on the brakes when danger threatens so we can arrive home safely.
It was a relief to get to our home! It will be an even bigger relief when we get to our Heavenly Home!
I am getting tired of the stress of traveling to my Home.