Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105
During my two-week stay at a French immersion language school, I planned to visit several beautiful and ancient châteaux within a two-hour drive of the school. Although I had been anxious about renting a car in France, I had experienced supernatural peace as I started my adventure in Paris and headed south to the Loire Valley. (Please see previous blog post entitled “Faith vs. Fear” for that story.)
For the weekend, I reserved a hotel room in a small town called Amboise. That Friday, I repacked my gear and toting only my carry-on bag, I hopped into the rental car and was off! With GPS, Google maps, and a paper map (just in case), I arrived at my destination. All three châteaux I visited were magnificent castles built centuries ago overlooking gorgeous countryside traversed by flowing rivers and canals. Enjoying the beautiful scenery and capturing it with my camera, all while speaking only French (!), was a dream come true.
Everything was going according to plan until I started my drive back to the school. The danger of using both GPS and Google maps is that often they give contradictory directions. After setting both to the school’s address, I began to notice this disparity. Remembering a friend’s story about getting utterly lost using her GPS, my inclination was to follow Google maps. That is, until I reached this particular fork in the road. Interestingly, both GPS and Google maps indicated I should turn right. The appropriate sign at the intersection pointed to the left. Which should I choose? Should I believe GPS and Google maps or should I believe the sign? If I chose the sign, would there be other signs to follow and would GPS and Google maps re-route me appropriately?
Despite the myriad of fearful thoughts, the decision took only a few seconds, but my destiny, at least in the short-run, hung in the balance. Since both GPS and Google maps pointed right, I turned right, thinking I could always turn around. The countryside with green rolling hills and farmland planted with wheat and other grains was simply gorgeous. The sun was shining and I figured I had several more hours of daylight in which to get lost and find my way back to the school. Soon, however, the road severely narrowed. What was once a two-lane road diminished to become one and a half lanes, at best. White-knuckling it and slowing down to pull off onto the shoulder became my modus operandi as cars headed toward me. Passing through a dense forest, the sun was blocked and all appeared dark. My mind, went dark, too. As anxious thoughts assailed me, I began to pray.
Stopping at one intersection, I weighed the options of turning around versus continuing onward. What should I do? Believing God was still in control, despite what my circumstances were telling me, I decided to continue in the direction I was going and not turn back. Soon I was out of the dark forest and back on the sunny, albeit it, very narrow road. As I crested a hill, to my surprise, I recognized the place! Relief flooded my entire being and I knew I’d be “home” before dark. Praising God for being with me, my trust in Him was strengthened as I acknowledged He was still in control. While my navigational tools had taken me on a backwoods, circuitous route, God had used them to get me safely home.
Where do you find yourself in a dense forest, unable to find your way home? What navigational tools do you use when you feel lost? Psalm 119:105 says God’s Word is a lamp for our feet and a light on our path. God’s Word, the Bible, is true and will never lead us astray. When we spend time in His Word, we learn to trust Him more fully. When life’s road becomes narrow and dark, we can rely on the Lord to be with us and to guide us, through His Word and through prayer. God’s Word illumines the darkness of our souls as it shines His light on our path. We can journey without fear. We can trust God to guide us through the sunny landscapes and the dark forests of our lives because He alone is trustworthy. We don’t need to be afraid.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word that lights my path and guides me through life’s good times and through life’s difficult circumstances. May I let go of fear as I trust You more. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the circuitous route back to Sancerre, France.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
During my two-week stay at a French immersion language school, I planned to visit several beautiful and ancient châteaux within a two-hour drive of the school. Although I had been anxious about renting a car in France, I had experienced supernatural peace as I started my adventure in Paris and headed south to the Loire Valley. (Please see previous blog post entitled “Faith vs. Fear” for that story.)
For the weekend, I reserved a hotel room in a small town called Amboise. That Friday, I repacked my gear and toting only my carry-on bag, I hopped into the rental car and was off! With GPS, Google maps, and a paper map (just in case), I arrived at my destination. All three châteaux I visited were magnificent castles built centuries ago overlooking gorgeous countryside traversed by flowing rivers and canals. Enjoying the beautiful scenery and capturing it with my camera, all while speaking only French (!), was a dream come true.
Everything was going according to plan until I started my drive back to the school. The danger of using both GPS and Google maps is that often they give contradictory directions. After setting both to the school’s address, I began to notice this disparity. Remembering a friend’s story about getting utterly lost using her GPS, my inclination was to follow Google maps. That is, until I reached this particular fork in the road. Interestingly, both GPS and Google maps indicated I should turn right. The appropriate sign at the intersection pointed to the left. Which should I choose? Should I believe GPS and Google maps or should I believe the sign? If I chose the sign, would there be other signs to follow and would GPS and Google maps re-route me appropriately?
Despite the myriad of fearful thoughts, the decision took only a few seconds, but my destiny, at least in the short-run, hung in the balance. Since both GPS and Google maps pointed right, I turned right, thinking I could always turn around. The countryside with green rolling hills and farmland planted with wheat and other grains was simply gorgeous. The sun was shining and I figured I had several more hours of daylight in which to get lost and find my way back to the school. Soon, however, the road severely narrowed. What was once a two-lane road diminished to become one and a half lanes, at best. White-knuckling it and slowing down to pull off onto the shoulder became my modus operandi as cars headed toward me. Passing through a dense forest, the sun was blocked and all appeared dark. My mind, went dark, too. As anxious thoughts assailed me, I began to pray.
Stopping at one intersection, I weighed the options of turning around versus continuing onward. What should I do? Believing God was still in control, despite what my circumstances were telling me, I decided to continue in the direction I was going and not turn back. Soon I was out of the dark forest and back on the sunny, albeit it, very narrow road. As I crested a hill, to my surprise, I recognized the place! Relief flooded my entire being and I knew I’d be “home” before dark. Praising God for being with me, my trust in Him was strengthened as I acknowledged He was still in control. While my navigational tools had taken me on a backwoods, circuitous route, God had used them to get me safely home.
Where do you find yourself in a dense forest, unable to find your way home? What navigational tools do you use when you feel lost? Psalm 119:105 says God’s Word is a lamp for our feet and a light on our path. God’s Word, the Bible, is true and will never lead us astray. When we spend time in His Word, we learn to trust Him more fully. When life’s road becomes narrow and dark, we can rely on the Lord to be with us and to guide us, through His Word and through prayer. God’s Word illumines the darkness of our souls as it shines His light on our path. We can journey without fear. We can trust God to guide us through the sunny landscapes and the dark forests of our lives because He alone is trustworthy. We don’t need to be afraid.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word that lights my path and guides me through life’s good times and through life’s difficult circumstances. May I let go of fear as I trust You more. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Want to subscribe to future posts? Click here.
Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the circuitous route back to Sancerre, France.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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