God Is Up to Something

While we like to be in control, Proverbs 16:9 reminds us that God directs our steps. This message explores how we justify our choices and challenge God's guidance, urging us to trust Him even when we can't see the bigger picture. Learning to flow with God's plan brings real peace. --- Hey, good morning, everyone, and welcome to today's Camino Chronicle. As we... You know, as, as we look at the path of life we're all on, huh, it's pretty cool. I mean, there's just no getting around it. God is in control, and we often don't get it. Hmm. Proverbs 16:9 says so clearly, "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." Now, you and I are expert planners, especially for what we want. (laughs) We spend lots of time on researching how to get what we want. We can too easily get frustrated or, or even angry, hmm, when we don't get our own way. Now, th- this business of God being in control, I mean, it makes for nice theological discussions. But when it comes down to us, individually, well, we like to be in control. And, and we act like we know best. And we even challenge the Lord by questioning how things are going, hmm. We're quick to point out to God Almighty that this or that isn't right according to how we see it. We are quick to, to somehow put ourselves in the position of knowing what is right, even if we can't see the whole picture. Hmm. And then, when we do see the bigger picture and realize that there's more to it than we thought, well, we're not so quick to repent, or to apologize, or even to admit that we were wrong. What we're really good at is justifying our position, acting as our own defense attorney before the court of the Lord. Ha ha. Now, as a parent, do you remember when one of your kids would ask, and, and ask in an honest way, not fighting you, but would ask about why something was the way it was? A- and there was no way you could actually tell them, b- because they didn't have the maturity, they didn't have the frame of reference, they didn't have the experience. So you would say something like, "It's okay, honey. You'll understand someday." Hmm. Well, Father God is often saying that to us, "Someday, you'll understand. But for now, just trust me." Along the Camino, I've often gotten great peace just seeing a yellow arrow, because it shows me the way to go, especially at an intersection. And I've learned to trust the yellow arrows and just go that way. Now, I will admit that sometimes I wanna argue with it, pointing out that I think it may be wrong. Hmm. And then, of course, I have to choose to follow or not, and reap the consequences of that choice. For today's Camino Chronicle, the lesson is simply God is in control, of everything, all the time. Hmm. And he's given us lots of yellow arrows to follow, such as his Spirit and his Word, you know, the Bible, e- and even those remarkable times when he seems to speak to our inner man. And let's not forget the folks that he's put into our lives to also speak to us and help us make decisions. Yes, you will plan. And yes, God will direct. So, best to get the two in sync, so that his direction is a flow of life, not a correction of a path chosen. On a recent trip to Alaska, we walked to a glacier with a forest ranger lady, who was giving one of those great ranger talks, you know, and she gave us this quote. And, and, and I share it with you. I quote her. "Learn from the land, flow with the water, and respect all living things." Unquote. You see, our God, the Almighty One, made all the land. He placed all the water, and He spoke into being all living things. We would do well to learn to flow and to respect His creation, don't you think? A fellow by the name of Robert Lee Scott Jr. was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force, and he was a flying ace of World War II, credited with shooting down 13 aircraft. He's best known for his memoir, God is My Co-Pilot, from 1943. It was about his exploits in World War II with the Flying Tigers and with the United States Army Air Force in China and Burma. The book was adapted as a film by the same name, released in 1945. It's kind of cool to think of the Lord God being that close to you, to being your co-pilot. But a few years ago, I heard a guy say, "If God is your co-pilot, change seats." Yes, we want to be in control, but it just seems to work better when the Lord is in control, e- even if we don't understand what He's up to. Th- that's why at, at DaySpring, our church in Banks, we've adopted the saying, "God is up to something." Because, well, we have tried being the pilot of our lives, and we've discovered that He's better at it than we are. Yes, God is up to something. So, let Him have His way. It just works better. Buen Camino, everyone. Have a great day. Pastor Skip out.