Have you ever been lost? You know where you want to end up, but you don’t know where you are, and you’re not sure how to get where you want to go?
I’ve been that lost. Just a few years ago, before cars with GPS, I was driving to meet a co-worker early in the morning. The sun was up, but the fog was so thick it was nearly dark. I lost my sense of direction and got completely turned around. Instead of driving north to the meeting place, I had turned south. I didn’t realize my error until I saw the Pacific Ocean in front of me!
When I was a young lad in Boy Scouts, I learned to hike a specific route through the woods out and back using a compass. I plotted a course out to the destination and followed the compass. After arriving at my destination, I plotted a course using the compass back to camp. With my compass, I never got lost. Without it, I would probably still be wandering around in the Idaho woods.
Life is like that. We make our plans. But then, like when I was lost in the fog, we get turned around and head off in the wrong direction. We plot our course. But without a compass (or a GPS), we get lost and wander about, never reaching our destination.
There is good news. As pastor Kurt Johnston said in a sermon recently, “When you don’t know where you’re headed, God knows where He is taking you.” We do not have to get lost on our journey through life. God has given us the ultimate compass, the Holy Spirit to guide our lives, and His Word to direct our path.
We Don’t Know Where God is Taking Us
The challenge for us is we often don’t know where God is taking us. That makes us nervous and sometimes scared to death. Humanity has always been like that.
Remember the story of Esther? God placed her in a position to become queen and save the people of Israel from extermination. She had no idea where her life was headed or where she would end up, but God knew exactly where He was taking her.
Gideon was the least of his tribe, and his tribe was the smallest of all the Israelite tribes. Yet God called Gideon to lead their army to victory over their enemies (Judges 6-8). Gideon was so skeptical God was calling him; he asked God for proof—twice!
David was the youngest of his family when God called him to be king. Do you think David had any idea what lay ahead in his life? Fighting Goliath. Being befriended by King Saul then hunted by him? Traitors and insurrection arose from within his own family. Yet David was the king who united the tribes of Israel. David, the young shepherd boy, had no idea where the Lord was taking him.
We see this and similar scenarios repeated throughout the pages of scripture. Sometimes people question where they are going. Sometimes they head off in the wrong direction (Jonah). Sometimes they doubt God is calling them.
Through it all, God knows exactly where He is taking us.
How to Get to Where God Wants Us to Go
Pastor Kurt offered three tips for getting to where God wants us to go.
1) Embrace the ambiguity of life. We want to have all the answers. We crave the certainty of knowing what comes next. But God is perfectly comfortable leading us one step at a time because He knows that’s all we can handle.
Jesus told the disciples not to worry but to seek God, saying, “…do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:31-34).
2) Persevere through adversity. Everyone faces adversity in their lives. However, successful people persevere through adversity to achieve God’s best.
Paul exhorted the Corinthians to persevere, saying, “We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
3) Rest in His authority. There is no circumstance in this life that can derail God’s plan.
When he finally recognized God’s sovereignty, “…Job replied to the LORD: I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:1-2).
Our Journey as Leaders
Make no mistake. God has a plan for every one of us. We may not know where God is taking us, but He does.
As leaders, we must set an example for those who follow. We must embrace life’s uncertainties knowing that God cares for us. We must persevere through any and all adversity, knowing that God will never abandon us. And we must accept and rest in God’s sovereign authority.
Remember, you and I are on a journey to God knows where! But, even when we don’t know where we’re headed, God knows where He is taking us.
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Have you ever questioned where God was leading you? How did you feel at the time? Did you face adversity? Did you rest in the assurance of God’s plan?
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Category: Personal Development | Purpose/Passion
There’s peace in letting go. Allowing a higher authority to guide us. This music video, “Jesus Take The Wheel” echoes what you’ve written, Ron. Enjoy the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lydBPm2KRaU
John, This is one of my very favorite Carrie Underwood songs. Not just because she sings it beautifully but because of the message in the lyrics. Thanks for sharing this video!
I really connected with the three step program to get to where God wants us to go. I am reminded of the story of a man who become a Christian and wanted to plan out his new life with Christ. He heard about Mother Teresa and decided that he would seek her out to receive advice about his spiritual journey. He traveled halfway around the world and finally came to where she was living. Before he could ask her the questions he wanted to ask she said ‘what can I pray about for you’ and he told her that he wanted prayer for clarity, and she responded that she wouldn’t. She then went on to explain that she never prayed for clarity, she prayed for trust. Getting to where God wants us to go is a journey, and the most important things you can have are faith and trust.
Ben – Thanks for sharing the Mother Teresa story. I had never heard this one. She is right of course – trust in God throughout this journey of life!
I really connect with this post. With graduation coming up in December for me, I am frequently reminded that I have no idea what is going to happen, and it terrifies me. It gives me great peace to know that God already knows what is going to happen. I constantly want to know so many things that are going to happen in my life, but as you quoted Pastor Kurt, He only lets us know as much as we can handle. Just looking back on my life and how I got to APU by transferring and just things before that, I can see how God was working then, and I know He is going to keep working in my life.
Megan, So right – It’s never a good time to stop trusting God! I am confident in a few years you will look back at this time and see God’s hand in your life guiding you to where He wants you to be.
Resting in His authority! Amen!
RJ, I think resting in His authority is the most difficult of the three steps for me. It’s all about faith and trust!
This is so true! I can definitely relate to feeling lost, especially being a senior in college with no set-in-stone plan for me after graduation… It is very important to remember, like you said, to embrace the ambiguity of life. I may not realize it now, but I am in the right place now, even if it feels like I am lost with no direction to go. This post inspired me not to worry or stress about finding the “perfect job” after graduation, but to stay confident in the Lord and He will lead me to the right career at the right time.
-Kaki Hall
Kaki,
I often describe life’s journey as running a cross country race. There are hills and valleys, and corners where you can’t see what’s next but we trust that God knows the path we are to take.
Professor Kelleher, I really enjoyed this weeks post and felt it really spoke to me. I make plans for everything and sometimes forget that God ultimately has bigger plans for me and I need to trust in His path for my life instead of constantly creating my own. God always knows what is best for me and the path my life will take, I just need to remember to always be trusting in Him that everything will be alright, because it is going as He planned
Amen Allison! Trust in His plan and His path for your life.
Just as a few others have said, this post was really helpful in reminding me that God has a plan for my life especially as graduation approaches. I often don’t understand why things happen the way they do but whenever I look back I am able to identify the lessons and blessings that God gave to me in those situations. Time and time again I am learning to trust God with my life. I believe that as long as you are active in pursuing something and trying to find the right path, God will direct you rightly. Sometimes the path He wants you to take is difficult and confusing and many times this can make you second-guess if it is the right path because “why would God want to make your journey difficult?” But, perhaps it is the best/quickest way to get you to where you need to be.
Great point Kelsey – sometimes the path God has us on is difficult but it ends up being the best and quickest way to where He wants us to be. Like you I can look back over my life and see many, many times where God has taught me important lessons when I trusted in His path.