I’m not a map guy, but I like to do my research.
Recently, I planned a trip with some close friends to Los Angeles. None of them had been there before and it had been nearly 7 years since I was there. I had the role of planning the trip. I’m not a map guy.
Therefore I had to do a lot of research. I recalled memories of my last trip to LA and tried to plan the ultimate trip for any first-timer. So I poured myself into all the tourist attractions, marking down the highlights. I had to rely on the input and advice of other sources. If I had just planned this trip on the basis of my past trip it would have lacked a TON of great stuff.
I think life is a little bit like this… maybe in particular hearing the call of God on our life.
We beg God for the roadmap, the turn by turn navigation so we can figure out exactly where we will end up in a few years or what may come our way. We think that will allow us to be “prepared.” And yet God knows that if we were to have the turn by turn, we would be so pre-occupied by the “next turn” rather than soaking in the surroundings and enjoying our current place.
Instead of giving us a turn by turn navigation I think God is inviting us on a personal journey… one that is filled with trust that he’s going to take us to some unbelievable sights along the way. For Him, it’s not about the final stop, but rather the quest.
I’m learning that if I want to hear the call of God on my life, I need to figure out how to turn the volume of my own voice down a bit so I am quiet enough to hear his call. It’s not that his voice is quiet due to a lack of power or lack of ability… it’s quiet because of the intimacy he’s inviting us into. He wants us to draw close to Him to hear Him.
He’s madly in love with us and if he Yelled, we would find ourselves too often sitting comfortably distant waiting for his next command.
So maybe thats a part of the journey for me… to get quiet and position myself to put my visions, dreams, desires and future at the wayside so my head is quiet enough to hear His. I think it’s part of my quest to shut up and listen to Him through His powerful narrative.
Its not easy to quiet our soul, but I’m learning it’s imperative.