How often is it that we stop and ask for directions? I’m not talking about while we’re driving but in life. So often we are taking advice and directions from the people around us and people we follow and listen to online. There is nothing wrong with listening to others. Some of the best advice and truths have come from the people around me.
I want to take some time to share what God has been revealing to me lately. The other morning while praying God showed me a canoe sitting in the water and asked me,” Would you rather go alone or with someone?”. I started thinking about the question and didn’t want to give the first knee jerk answer that came to mind. Off and on throughout that day I thought about this question and honestly by the end of the day I was worse off than when I started. I couldn’t get past why I was getting into the canoe in the first place. Was I going fishing? Was there a destination I was trying to get to? What was the purpose of getting in the canoe?
The next morning I asked God these questions and He simply put,” To get across the lake.”. So the pondering started again. If I was alone I could easily control the boat and get to the other side of the lake but if I went with someone we could get there even faster. After going back and forth about the pros and cons of each answer I decided that going with someone was better than going alone.
Again, the next morning I brought my answer to God and as we see Jesus do many times in scripture He answers with another question,” What if that person was an enemy?”. That thought never even crossed my mind. Why would I get into a canoe with my enemy? None the least, I went back to the drawing board.
The next couple of days I was still wrestling with this, and I ended up landing in the book of John. As I read chapters 14-16 God was revealing new truths to me all over. These chapters are probably my most read chapters in the bible. I don’t know why but everytime I read these chapters everything speaks to me.
As I’m reading I come to a simple verse, John 15:15,”Now you are my friends…”. Boom! What? I don’t know why but as time has gone on I have forgotten that Jesus is my friend. Sure I do my best to serve Him as Lord but I forgot that he is my friend. Not only is he my friend but he is the best of friends. All of the wonderful characteristics of a friend and so much more. This verse lifted my spirits and I burned with joy at this treasure I had found. Now I know that if I got into that canoe I wanted to go with a friend and not an enemy.
The next day i am still reading and re-reading these chapters and another verse jumped off the pages, John 16:13,” When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truths”. Jesus not only wants to be our friend but he wants to guide us too. You see that lake wasn’t easy to cross. There is a dense fog that causes us to only see a few feet in front of the boat and water is littered with hidden obstacles along the way. Jesus is our guide across the lake because he knows every hidden obstacle and keeps us on the narrow path that gets us to the other side.
Jesus wants to be our friend in the boat, he wants to be our guide. When we don’t bring him along we are inviting the enemy to have a seat in our canoe and following his blind advice. Whether you are in business or just trying to navigate life just invite Jesus to be in your canoe and listen and watch for his guidance.
