Road

I'm driving to school at 6 in the morning, its dark and the memories of skidding my way to church yesterday are fresh in my mind. The roads scare me with their black ice coverings and snow remains swirling atop them. I drive carefully, praying to God no one gets in an accident, including me! I make it onto the freeway safely, where the frightening parts of the road are no longer quite as pertinent, the black ice is no where to be seen or felt and the swirling snow is dissipated, yet I still am unnerved. A big truck pulls in front of me as I'm driving nervously down the road. He seems sure of himself, he would never crash, he's strong and stable. So I think to myself, let's follow him, he looks safe. Forgetting that I had just asked God to keep me safe but a minute ago, I look to the big truck ahead of me for safety! I stay behind the truck, feeling secure, following him. And then he gets off. I whimper aloud, "my truck left me", and immediately I see what I was doing. I was putting my trust in someone/something other than God.

This might seem extremely silly, but it made me think of all the times that I do this in my everyday life. I look to other people to keep me safe, to guide me. The thing is, eventually they'll all leave. They look, and they might be strong, stable, safe and secure, but they're no God. God is always with me and will never get off the freeway of my life. Not to say that we can't follow people, God puts people in our lives to guide us, but ultimately, God is who we are to follow.

So, this is one of the many lessons God is teaching me right now: Look to Him.

Just as God guided the Israelites through thick and thin, through battle and desert, He will guide us and keep us safe. He is a good God who will not let His people down.

Nehemiah 9:17-19

"But You are a God of forgiveness,
Gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness;
And You did not forsake them.
Even when they made for themselves
A calf of molten metal
And said, 'This is your God
Who brought you up from Egypt,'
And committed great blasphemies,
You, in Your great compassion,
Did not forsake them in the wilderness;
The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day,
To guide them on their way,
Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go.
You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
Your manna You did not withhold from their mouth,
And You gave them water for their thirst."