Mercies For the Journey

Have you ever wrestled with God over some instructions He has given you, and then reasoned your way into doing things your way, only to find out further down the line that you were wrong and God knows what He’s doing?

If you did, you’re not alone. The Bible records that Abraham took Lot with him, although God had clearly instructed him to leave his ‘family and his father’s house’, as well as his country (Genesis 12:1&4).

It wasn’t long before Lot’s herdsmen and Abraham’s herdsmen began to argue because the land wasn’t big enough to sustain all of their livestock, so Lot and Abraham had to part company eventually anyway. Then Lot got into trouble and Abraham had to go and rescue him (Genesis 14:12-14).

Had Abraham done things God’s way in the first place he would have saved himself a lot of trouble further down the line in his journeying with God, and the same applies to us. God is merciful but He will have His way in the end, no matter what mortal man thinks.

God has implanted destinies in each of our lives, which, with our cooperation, He wants to fulfil.  ‘He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ’ (Philippians 1:6).

In today’s text the Bible implores us to ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your path.’ God knows our understanding is flawed and unreliable, which is one of the reasons why He wants us to rely on Him. More importantly, He also knows there are eternal destinies at stake.

Life’s journey is perilous even at the best of times, and with God’s arch-enemy, and ours, prowling around and desiring to disqualify us from entering into our destiny, God is keen for us to learn the all-important disciplines of implicit trust in Him and obedience to His Word.   They are lifesaving, as well as keeping us from the dangers and pitfalls that lie ahead.  Thankfully, the Bible records the mistakes of great men and women so that we can learn from them.

God never wastes His words and He grants us mercy for our mistakes. He fulfilled His promises to Abraham, and has promised to do the same for us. But it’s important that we understand that there is so much more at stake than we realise. ‘Eye hath not seen, neither ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that love Him’ (1 Corinthians 2:9).