“But be very careful! You did not see the Lord’s form on the day he spoke to you from the heart of the fire at Mount Sinai. So do not corrupt yourselves by making an idol in any form—whether of a man or a woman, an animal on the ground, a bird in the sky, a small animal that scurries along the ground, or a fish in the deepest sea. And when you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the forces of heaven—don’t be seduced into worshiping them. The Lord your God gave them to all the peoples of the earth.”
Before all the cell phones and internet, we had corded telephones and paper maps. We had to look at the map and memorize the directions. Turn on County Road 265, the map says. The only thing is that you don’t know what that intersection looks like. All you know is, I need to find the sign that says “CR 265” and turn. When you cannot find that “CR 265” sign, you frantically search the map and hope you did not miss something. Sometimes you had to keep driving until you found the turnoff. Your turnoff never moved; it was you who dropped into a state of distrust and doubt.
The Bible says that the earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord (Psalm 24:1). Understanding this truth ought to put us at ease concerning our placement in life. After all, the Lord placed all the circumstances before His people even before they were led out of Egypt.
The mountaintops are high enough in our lives to often see God’s hand moving in our lives; it is when our journey goes through the valleys that we lose that perspective. It is here we start to lose touch with the Lord by becoming corrupt and looking toward idols to trust in, and we replace the Word of God with what we can see.
If you find yourself trying to look for guidance in things around you, then you are missing His guidance altogether. Moses was warning the people not to do this. Why, you might ask? Well, it is because without God in our lives, we turn to things we can touch, feel, and taste to find our way instead of trusting in the Lord. Jesus said He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one gets to the Father except through Him.
Stop reading the map of what this world says to do and start moving when God says to. His Holy Spirit is our guide; use it. The Bible is His playbook. So read it! Driving on all those backcountry roads in the middle of nowhere was a bit scary at first, but the more I drove on them, the less I used the map. I just knew where to go. The more time you spend with the Lord, the less you will rely on what you can see, and the more you will simply know that the Lord is directing you. It sheds new light on what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:7: “For we walk by faith and not by sight.”
Prayer: Father, help me to trust in You and Your guidance in my life. I promise to stay in tune with You by reading and praying daily. I promise to be aware of Your guidance while I submit all my ways to You and lean not on my own understanding. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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