One morning recently I was thinking back over some of the lessons I learned through Henry Blackaby's wonderful study called "Experiencing God." In particular, I had school teachers, students (along with their parents), and administrators on my heart as they have waded into a new academic year full of uncertainties and the possibility of frightening consequences if they "don't get it right." Like never before, they NEED to know God cares and He has them in the palm of His hand.
The very first point in "Experiencing God" is this: GOD IS ALWAYS AT WORK AROUND YOU. And, a call to action within that point is the instruction to "find out where God is working and join Him there." I fully believe that God is working in the lives of people inside all of our schools -- homeschool or traditional brick and mortar. He doesn't let us know all He's doing at one time. He just wants us to listen for His voice and follow Him day by day, step by step. Unlike the crisscrossing lines of a giant atlas where we can trace a route from Miami to Seattle, God instead shows us the way to go AS we take each step. He wants us to come to the place where we trust Him to reveal each step when it is time to take it.
John 5:17, 19-20 -- (Jesus said) "My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I, too, am working. I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. Yes, to your amazement He will show Him even greater things than these."
Henry Blackaby provided a great illustration:
For 12 years, I pastored in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. One day a farmer said to me, "Henry, come out and visit with me at my farm." His directions went something like this: "Go a quarter mile past the edge of the city and you will see a big red barn on your left. Go to the next road and turn to your left. Take that road for three-quarters of a mile. You'll see a tree. Go right for about four miles, and then you will see a big rock . . ." I wrote all of this down, and one day I got there!
The next time I went to the farmer's house, the farmer was with me. Since there was more than one way to get to his house, he could have taken me any way he wanted to. You see, he was my "map." What did I have to do? I simply had to listen to him and obey him. Every time he said, "turn" I did just what he said. He took me a way I had never been. I could never retrace that route on my own. The farmer was my "map;" he knew the way.
My friends (and I'm talking to myself here, too), God is our map, our navigator, our always-trustworthy, never-steer-you-wrong GPS. He WANTS us to arrive at the destination He has planned for us. He gives us words of direction for every turn and twist and detour. He knows all of the bumps and pitfalls along the way. He's got us. He's at work all around us. I believe we'll see where He's working if our eyes are open to it. Let's stop being afraid and join Him. Amen?