God Knows the Way
by Malcolm Wood
On our recent journey up to Scotland, we stayed overnight, just outside Glasgow. The following morning, when it came time to continue northwards, having previously stopped at that location, we felt confident that we knew the way back on to the motorway. All we had to do was to find the small access road that led to it. After a few minutes, it was clear that we’d missed the road we needed and that we were on the motorway, but we were heading south! After a short distance, we were able to take an exit off the motorway in an attempt to retrace our steps. There didn’t seem any convenient way of doing that, however, so we resorted to the Sat Nav, which proceeded to direct us on a completely different route to our destination.
We later heard from others who’d also been on the same journey, that there had been several delays, one of which involved a serious accident, on the section of road we were directed from. God certainly moves in mysterious ways, and we believe that, somehow, He caused us to miss the turning we were looking for and caused us to follow the alternative route provided by the Sat Nav. That route was a few miles longer, but it had no traffic delays, and it enabled us to arrive in good time for the meeting my wife needed to attend.
This may be a simple and yet practical illustration of the truth contained in the verse above. God does guide and lead us when we commit our way to Him. It may not always be as straightforward as we would like, and there may be challenges on the way, but, as a loving father, He always has our best interests at heart. All He requires of us is to humbly submit to Him, and, in obedience, follow Him. The warning in the following verse for us not to be like a ‘senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control’ (verse 9) also is worth taking note of!
The exciting thing is that, on our journey of life with the Lord, there’s always more to learn of Him and His ways. Whether it’s in the delays or diversions, there are always lessons to be learned.
‘My Lord knows the way through the wilderness, all I have to do is follow. Strength for today is mine all the way and all I need for tomorrow’. (From a chorus by Sidney E Cox)
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for being my guide. I’m sorry for so often wanting to go my own way. Help me to learn to trust You more and to follow You, because You know the best path for me to travel along. Amen.
Malcolm Wood and his wife Anna became part of the Ellel family as House Managers at Ellel Grange in 1990. Since then they have been involved with many aspects of the developing Ministry. From 2001 until 2015 they were Directors of Ellel Scotland where they hosted several International Schools and Operation Blairmore and helped pioneer the exciting Creative Inspiration Weeks. They have three sons.
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