It was a dark and stormy night. No, really, it was! This past Wednesday was very dark and stormy. It started just as choir rehearsal ended. As my fellow choir members and I walked out of the choir room, down the hallway, and neared the door, it started raining harder. The thunder got louder. The wind picked up tremendously. The lightening started. We were all stopped in our tracks.
As we individually paused to determine our next move, I noticed 16 year old Logan standing next to me. Her eyes were growing wider with each second. For a moment, I was transported back to my own experience as a 16 year old girl, realizing the fear of having to drive home in the middle of a storm. She was frozen. I could tell she didn't want to be there. I could tell she just wished she was already at home. Her dad happened to be standing there as well. She turned to him, and in a frantic voice stated, "Daddy, you're going to have to drive us home!" I empathized with her at that moment. I knew exactly how she felt, but I didn't realize the importance of her statement until about 10 minutes later in the middle of my own drive home in the pouring rain!
It was like i had a "Kramer" moment. As I thought about her statement, the Holy Spirit hit me over the head with some truth. Okay, I don't know if that's really an appropriate descriptor for how the Holy Spirit works, so maybe I should say He opened my eyes.
Logan's response is the one God wants us to have when we face rainy days and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. "Daddy, Abba, you're going to have to drive me home!" And it was truly a statement. It wasn't a question. It wasn't a request. It was a statement of trust and a cry for help to one she knew would not fail her. Too often, I trust my own abilities more than I trust God. Many times, this leads me to more rain, bigger storms, and darker skies. Instead of letting "Jesus take the wheel," I convince myself that I can do it. I try everything I can to fix it on my own. I try to use logic. I try to use common sense or past experience. I try to use my own intelligence. But those things will always fail me. God, on the other hand, never will! If we come to Him, seeking Him, our Savior will NEVER forsake us. He will always drive us home. He will always bring us safely through the storm, even if He chooses not to calm the storm around us.
The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done. Psalm 9:9-11I really think this is what God is trying to teach me right now. I'm learning each day what true obedience really is. I'm learning what it means to trust God for the next step. Not in a survival type of situation, but in they way that I am trying to live my life according to God's standard. My basic needs have been provided. Okay...most of my wants have been provided, too. This is not about human survival, but it is about spiritual endurance. I want more than anything to learn about obedience, to live obediently, to trust God completely.
I am so thankful I have a refuge, a stronghold, a Lord that will not forsake. May He alone receive the glory. May my cry, my earnest plea in times of trouble always be, "Daddy, you have to drive me home!"