“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.’”—Jeremiah 29:11ESV
Years ago, long before GPS, we primitive people relied on maps and gas station attendants for directions. On one particular day, I was visiting a friend in Atlanta whose house I had been to many times. I could remember what the house looked like, but I couldn’t remember where it was. Still, I started out with a foolish confidence that as I began driving it would all come back to me. Well, that might work in Mayberry, where the one road leads into the town, but for a large city with many exits, twists, and turns, my strategy was an utter failure.
I must have driven around highway 285 several times, hoping that the exit would call out to me, “This way! It’s this way!” Finally, I got off the exit to find a pay phone (remember, this was a long time ago), where I called my friend to get his address and some street names that would let me know I was on the right track.
That day, I spent several hours lost and frustrated because I knew where I wanted to go, but I didn’t know how to get there. How often do we go in circles because we really don’t know the way? We search with a few notes scribbled on a piece of paper, but without having put a real plan in place, thus guaranteeing that we’ll spend a great deal of time wandering.
There is a God in heaven who knows the way, and if we are willing to listen to His directions, we’ll find that our journey, while filled with unexpected things, will also be filled with hope, as we are assured that we’ll reach our destination. May you have the courage to let Jesus take the wheel.
