Blessed are you when you have not seen where you are going, but yet you have trusted God.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada – your friend who likes to sing – and I’ve got a beautiful story and a beautiful song today about trusting in God.
(Joni sings:)
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His word
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still
And with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
I have a story to tell you about trust, because people have often remarked that I sit awfully tall in the saddle – that is, my wheelchair. I sit so tall in my chair, in fact, that when I am on the road, I need a van with a raised roof. The trouble is, then I cannot see the road. My friend, Careen, and I once drove from Chicago to Urbana, Illinois, and I did not see a single cornfield or farmhouse for three and a half hours! She kept describing lovely country landscapes, but it only frustrated me. I wanted to see. I’m the sort of person who likes to know what lies ahead, and if I cannot see out the windows, then oh, please, at least a little more of the road?
And we are so spiritually like that, aren’t we? We say to God, “Lord, if you don’t mind, please show me where I am going. I don’t need to see the whole road, but at least just a little bit.” We think that our faith has to be supported by a bit of evidence, a hint, a signpost, a whisper, anything, something to give us a clue as to where in the world God is taking us, what he is doing. Then, we have to have a little more evidence to bolster our trust in God. But God would not have any of that. Faith that must be supported by the five senses is not only ingenuine; it is not faith! Jesus said to doubting Thomas, “You have believed me because you have seen me, but blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” Oh, friend, that’s you – that’s you when you let God be in charge of the road ahead. Jesus calls you blessed – blessed are you when you have not seen, and yet have trusted God.
The only evidence the Christian needs to bolster his trust and confidence in the Lord is the Word. Psalm 37:5-6, it says, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn.” Oh, my goodness, don’t you want to be one of those who shines like the dawn? Then quit insisting upon wanting to see his blueprint for your future.
God gives his Word as a light to your feet, it says in Psalm 119. Did you hear that? He enlightens the path at your feet, not a hundred feet in front of you, but right where you are right now. Our insistence about knowing what’s up ahead is natural, but it’s a hindrance to faith, and it’s why God always is encouraging us to trust him in the dark. Like it says in Isaiah 50, “Let him who walks in the darkness and who has not a single ray of light, let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.” Friend, God has charged himself with full responsibility for your eternal happiness, and his earthly designs for you are enlarging your soul for an eternity of joy. So trust him with what’s up ahead.
© Joni and Friends