I have a vivid memory of being a young boy, riding in the back seat of my parent’s car, traveling through one of the Dakota states, on our way to somewhere… for vacation. My walkman was the only thing I had to pass the time, other than looking out the window. Someone (likely my older sister) had given me a cassette tape of Amy Grant. I think Amy Grant was one of a half dozen Christian artists at that time… Christian music really wasn’t a thing yet… for anybody… but I had nothing better to do.
Looking back, I don’t remember that vacation… But I do remember listening to the lyrics of Amy Grant on the way to it. One song really caught my attention. It was titled “Thy Word”…
The Lyrics
I played that track over and over. I think I began to sing it out loud… until I realized my parents were in the car too, and that wasn’t cool. But the lyrics went like this…
Our Questions
Often we argue that God’s word doesn’t give specific direction to our life’s questions. Where should I live? Should I stay at my current job or not? Is this hobby ok? Should I buy this? Am I supposed to pursue this relationship? How should I deal with my family? Who should I confide in? Where should I go to church? How much should I be a part of it?
And God’s word doesn’t answer those questions… if we are only looking to it for specific names and places (i.e., Jane in Menomonie). At this point, many of us neglect God’s word, assuming it doesn’t have all the answers we need (2 Peter 1:3). We decide on a way that seems to be right for us, only to discover its bitter end later on (Proverbs 14:12).
His Answers
But if we pay close attention, God’s words warn us of a path we are not to take… and reveal a direction we are to take…
Consider any of your life’s questions in the light of His words below. In what way do these words lead you?
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 2:15
You shall have no other gods before me.
Deuteronomy 5:7
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
Mark 12:30
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away… And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away…
Matthew 5:29-30
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.
Mark 8:35
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:33
These words don’t give us any specific names or places… But they guide us in the path we are to walk.,. and what ways to avoid. And if we follow the right path, we will eventually discover the specific names and places we were looking for (Psalm 16:11).
The Impact
I have no idea of the cumulative impact those words in the car that day had upon my life, but they certainly weren’t lost on me. They would take me somewhere… I just didn’t know where.
Would those words prompt me to seek a Christian campus organization? Did they help me find Believers Church? Would they lead me to step into ministry? Did they bring me to a godly spouse, to my life’s soul-mate? Would they guide me into my life’s calling? Will they end in the fulfillment of my life’s purpose? I believe they have… and they will…
What about you? What path are you on? Where is it taking you?
We cannot overestimate the impact of God’s Word upon our life’s direction. May we carefully examine it before taking our next step. May it provide the light we need for our path ahead. And may it lead us into all that God has destined for our life here and forever after.