Into The Unknown

This is an old post that I never published. It was from when I first came to college, just for a time reference.

There is a beautiful scene in Prince Caspian where Lucy is talking with Aslan after having just found him after returning to Narnia. Unfortunately I can't quote it from memory, but I can tell the basics of it. Aslan tells Lucy to wake her sleeping brothers and sister and follow him. None of the others are able to see him yet, but she is supposed to just tell them to follow her. She has no assurance that her siblings will listen to her, the youngest of four. All she is told is to follow Aslan.

God doesn't always give me the answers to the questions I ask Him. ie: who should I date? what should I be involved in? I thought if I came to Harding and got into college, God would show me the person I am supposed to date and stuff. I thought if I tried out for Theatron (a skit group here at Harding), God would put me in that ministry. Instead He says, "I am not going to tell you where you are going or who you will meet. All I will say is follow me." So that's what I am going to do, as best as I can.

Sometimes, I wish God would tell me about my future. Just show me where I am going and what my goal is here on earth. Not the churchy, idealistic, "Go and make disciples all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." I mean I want to know things like, "This is the girl you are going to marry, or this is what she is like." or "This is what you should do while you are in such and such place." But I don't know if God micromanages my life like that. I wonder if He leaves certain things up to me that could still be a part of His plan. Maybe it is just a matter of following where He leads, and keeping my eyes focused on Him, and then everything else will just fall into place.

Thank goodness that God gives us examples to follow after. The author of Hebrews talks about all kinds of situations in which people followed God's leading, even though the destinaiton was not known.

11:32(ff) And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.

People in the book of Hebrews who followed God and never saw their goal. God said go and do this, and they responded. I find that it's easy to follow God when you like where He is leading you, but what if it seems like He is leading you by hand into the dark, into caves and holes in the ground, and He just says trust me and hold tight? What does that look like? It's Indiana Jones stepping off a ledge to save his father. It's Eustace and Jill cutting the cords off a stark raving madman, who is their prince. It's the Nait Saint, Jim Elliot and the other missionaries who took the Gospel to savages in Ecuador; it's their wives returning to the savages after they speared and hacked their husbands. It's Naomi saying wherever you go I will follow. It's Abraham going up the mountain to sacrifice Isaac.

I find that it is not so important that I know where I am going, or what I need to be doing in life. What is truly important is that I am following God as he leads me through. I have to trust that if I keep my eyes on him, all these other things will fall into place. As frightening as it might be, sometimes seeking after God is following him into the dark, into the unknown where you have only your faith in him. God doesn't always tell what will happen in life if we do what he wants. He just asks us to follow him.

Me: "Where are we going God?"
God: "Just wait a while, you will see in time."
Me: "But I need to know."
God: "Why? You don't have to know the destination if you just follow the road."

"O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you."

Third Day - "Mountain of God"
Thought that I was all alone
Broken and afraid
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

And I didn't even know
That I had lost my way
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

'Til You opened up my eyes
I never knew
That I couldn't ever make it
Without You

Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God

As I travel on the road
That You have lead me down
You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me
I have need for nothing more
Oh, now that I have found
That You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me

I confess from time to time
I lose my way
But You are always there
To bring me back again

Sometimes I think of where it is I've come from
And the things I've left behind
But of all I've had, what I possessed
Nothing can quite compare
With what's in front of me
With what's in front of me

(After final Chorus)
I thought that I was all alone
Broken and afraid
But, You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me.