Do You Have a Need to Know?
My Waze and God's Ways
Every weekday, I drive into downtown Nashville using a navigation app on my phone. Mindful of the adventure of navigating through a city that is experiencing unprecedented growth, I am grateful for the heads up that it provides alerting me to delays, hazards, and even potholes along the way!
On a recent trip, while attentively monitoring the app, I noticed something. When I was far away from my destination, very few details were provided about my current location on the map. However, the closer I came to my destination, the more details I received. The app "zoomed in" on my surroundings and began to provide street names, landmarks, and even local restaurants! This influx of information offered the clarity I needed to move forward with confidence that I would not miss my destination.
As I made my final turn that morning, it occurred to me that when I know that God is leading me to a new place at some point in the future, I often want the Holy Spirit to immediately "zoom in" on the map like my app. I want Jesus to reveal the specifics of the transition and to reveal every little detail about my ultimate destination... right now.
Prayerfully pondering my "Waze" (pun intended), I sensed the Holy Spirit answer my barrage of questions with a single, non-dismissive question. "Do you have a need to know?" Embracing this opportunity for deeper conversation, I descended seven stories into the parking garage in reflective silence. Pulling into an empty spot, I turned off the car and sat for a moment. The Spirit's filtering inquiry elicited a slow, deep sigh.
Surfacing from the deep waters self-justification, I sheepishly replied, "No. I guess I don't have a need to know. I just want to know."
Though hard to acknowledge, the reality is that when I am miles and miles, months and months, or even years away from a new destination, I don't really need a myriad of details right now. I just need the assurance that I am on the right path.
How is it with your soul? Are you sensing a change ahead? Is your assignment changing? Instead of stressing about every little detail, would you receive this exhortation? "Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns" (Philippians 4:6 MSG). Right now, right where you are in your faith journey, allow the words of the Psalmist to shape your prayers. "Lord, direct me throughout my journey so I can experience your plans for my life. Reveal the life-paths that are pleasing to you. Escort me along the way; take me by the hand and teach me. For you are the God of my increasing salvation; I have wrapped my heart into yours!" (Psalm 25:4-5 TPT).
The result? "Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life" (Philippians 4:6-7 MSG).
Precious one, rest in this sweet assurance. God, the Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent One, will indeed show you, guide you, and lead you. This One who is relentlessly loving and infinitely merciful promises, "I will escort the blind down roads they do not know, guide them down paths they’ve never seen. I will smooth their passage and light their way. I will indeed do it - they are abandoned no more" (Isaiah 42:16 VOICE). As you abide in joyful intimacy with God, He will flawlessly provide clarity when you need it so that you don't have to tiptoe in timidity. You can, and you will, walk sure-footed into your destiny, secure in His steadfast love. Thanks be to God.
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