Hey, Look Where You’re Going!

I remember sitting down one night several years back.  I was on the floor beside my bed, facing the window, and came before God in prayer.  The tone was completely serious as I asked Him for the answer to two questions.  I wanted to know if I should go forward with an accountability partnership with Susie, and if I should go out on a date with Ralph.

With all the humility that I could muster (not much), I pleaded for an answer to my question while reminding God that I was on a very specific time line.  In fact, I told Him that I needed to act as soon as we were finished talking and, on that note, I appreciated His full attention and participation.

By the end of that three minute conversation, I felt God telling me that Susie was a no, and Ralph was a yes.  Two months later, I found out that I had my signals crossed.  Susie was a yes for many years, and Ralph should have been a no from the get-go.

Looking back I can say that I did not obey God’s voice.  I did not walk in the way that He was commanding.  I did not incline my ear to Him, but wanted to obey my will, instead.  I walked in my own counsel because I was stubborn and I had a habit of looking back and not forward.

I had a habit of looking back and not forward.

When seeking my own welfare, I dare to look back and not forward.  There are only two things that can happen when I look back: I can think of my life from a first person vantage point, and I can think of a God that was.  This God, who was, is my snapshot of the infinite resource of heaven.  I have an interpretation of the Creator, the Redeemer, the Healer, the Restorer, the Covenant Keeper, and the Savior locked in my memory.

This memory of God tells me how He moves and works.  It dictates where He shows up and replies.  Looking back causes me to expect Him.  When I can expect Him, I can tell you how I should respond in kind.  Then it all happens just like Jeremiah said it would.  My ear moves away, my will recalls its delights, I remember the stride of my past and I hear my own words of reassurance.  I have looked back, again.

This is not the end, however.  There is one more direction to look. Forward points directly to the indescribable joy of what could happen in a moment.  God is completely present with us right now.  I don’t have to live from the memory of God.  I can watch Him act in new ways and embrace His sovereignty, in this moment.  I can let the winds of change sweep through my life with a steadfast heart.  I can trust that I do not have to seek my own welfare, but I can depend on God to make it well with me.  He alone can make it well with me, with us.

To us He says, “I will be your God and you will be my people”.  It is this call to relationship that draws us into the present with Him. I have never been able to rely on my history with God for my present with God.  With His infinite resources, He crafts His present moments with me in a way that is new.  I cannot tell you what part of Him I will meet tomorrow.  I only know that I don’t want to look back to meet God.  I want to look where I am going so I don’t miss a thing.

Are you looking where you are going?