DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- WHAT'S AROUND THE CORNER?

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – WHAT'S AROUND THE CORNER?

"But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, 'Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.' " (Acts 23:11)

Sometimes the road that Jesus leads us on has crooks and turns and we do not know what is around the bend. That may have been the way Paul felt. He was convinced in his spirit that he must go to Jerusalem. Paul many not have understood the reason he needed to go to Jerusalem. He just knew that he needed to be in Jerusalem by the Day of Pentecost (Acts 20:16). But now Jesus says that he must go to Rome. God chose the road through Jerusalem to get him to Rome.

I am reminded of the story of Elijah and Elisha recorded in II Kings, chapter 2. Elisha was called to be an apprentice to Elijah, so that when the time came for Elijah to depart from this world, Elisha would pick up the mantle. But the road to that place took many turns and side-roads. They went first from Gilgal to Bethel, then to Jericho, then to the Jordan River, and then across the river to the eastern side. But this did not deter Elisha from following Elisha because he knew God's calling on his life.

There have been many jogs in my life when I wondered why God put me in a certain place and what His purposes for me were for the future. It wasn't until I looked back that I could see the reason.

An example is our coming to New Hope Fellowship. When we began attending New Hope, I had no idea why. I just had that deep-seated assurance that this was where God wanted us to be. Now as I look back, I can see how God has opened opportunities to minister that I could not have imagined.

I appreciate even more the Scripture that says, "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps" (Proverbs 16:9 NLT). He knows the paths that we should take and He knows what is around the next corner, even if we don't. As the song says, "Many things about tomorrow I don't seem to understand. But I know who hold tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand."

Love, Dad