John 14 – New Directions
Not only will I note the roads I need to turn at but I'll also jot down the main intersections that I will drive through before I need to turn.
John 14:1-31
Reference: v.5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (NIV Bible)
Explore: I'm not a huge fan of driving anywhere new. If I do find myself in the situation where I need to drive somewhere for the first time on my own, I take the time to do a lot of preparation. I'll look up the address on Google Maps, I'll study the directions closely and then I'll write them all out on post-it notes, which I stick to the dashboard of my car. Not only will I note the roads I need to turn at but I'll also jot down the main intersections that I will drive through before I need to turn. That way I am more confident that I am heading in the correct direction. The reason I am so thorough about these new journeys is because I don't like to turn up late and to be totally honest, I like to be in absolute control at all times!
Application: When it comes to knowing my life's direction I would much rather do the same kind of preparation as when I take a new journey in the car… but it doesn't always work out that way. The journey through life brings up so many unknowns that it doesn't matter how much research I do or how many post-it notes I fill out, things still change and I can't control it all.
When Jesus told His disciples that He would leave them, they wanted to be able to follow Him, however they didn't know where to go. Jesus cryptically told them that they just needed to believe in Jesus and follow His way and they would know the way. Sometimes that can be tricky to do. We can believe in Jesus and do our best to follow in His footsteps but there are many times when I have come to a crossroad and not known which way to turn. The comfort we can take from Jesus' words is that He promised to send us the Holy Spirit so that we always had a connection with God. No matter which direction we turn, if we believe in God and follow His ways then we know that He will always be near to us.
Prayer: Lord there are times in our lives when we really don't know which direction to turn. Help us to trust in You and continue to commit to following in Your ways. Amen.
Do you feel you are following the right directions?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.