Journey, an update 9-30-07 and 9-17-07

(Sorry I forgot to post 9/17 after I e-mailed it)

For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost. Luke 19:10

Lost – an object lesson:

You know, object lessons are all well and good, until they happen to you. Yet, this week the Lord used a situation that I found myself in to teach me.

Friday night I got lost. Not just slightly lost, but honestly and truly “How in the world did I end up here” lost. I had met with a friend and I was leaving a parking garage when there was a problem with the ticket to get out of the garage. They had me pull over on this side ramp while they went to the office to check the ticket and then when they cleared up the problem I had to keep going up the ramp onto a one way street. No problem, I’ll flip around and be back on my way in no time. Right? Wrong! Every time I tried to go back the way I wanted to go I hit one way streets or construction. I kept pulling over to look at the map, finding a street I could turn on and then either it turned out I couldn’t turn there or there were no street signs and I missed the street altogether. Forty minutes later I was in an area of Budapest that I had never been to, on dark unlit side streets with no street signs, wondering how in the world I could find my way home. I petitioned the Lord and God was gracious. He sent a taxi down the road. I followed him onto the road that I thought would go through (based on the map) when I hit a T intersection. I was so confused I had no idea which way went toward the main road, but I followed the taxi hoping he was heading back toward the center of the city. He was and after a 40 minute detour I was back where I started but this time heading in the right direction.

The object lesson: The more I tried to follow the map and figure out the way on my own, the more lost I became. I’m normally a pretty good map reader but I couldn’t figure it out on my own. The map wasn’t much help because of all the new construction changing the path of roads, closed roads, one way streets and lack of street signs. I could guess right or left, but it was only a guess because my perception was skewed and I had lost track of north, south, east and west. I needed someone to follow, someone who knew the way, before I got back on the right track.

The thing is that our perception in life is also skewed. We judge by the standards and intellect of a fallen world, a fallen mind. We can’t save ourselves no matter how hard we try. We can’t do enough good to outweigh the bad. We can’t wash away our own sin or make ourselves righteous. We are lost with a map that we no longer know how to read and we need someone to guide us to the truth. That is exactly what Jesus came to do. He came to seek us when we were wandering aimlessly getting more and more lost by the minute. He came to save us, to show us the way to God, to give His own blood to open up the road to heaven.

I meet so many people who think they are just fine. They are figuring out life on their own. Just like I thought I could figure out my direction they think that they can figure out life and eternity. But the reality is that we are all lost, getting farther away from the truth by the minute until we let Jesus lead. I praise God that He did come to seek and to save the lost. And this experience reminded me once again of how much I need to petition the Lord to open eyes and guide the lost to His truth. Because the only thing worse than being lost – is being lost but never finding the way home.

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Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend your money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. Isaiah 55:1-3a

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. John 7:37b

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. Rev. 22:17

Over the past few weeks I have been busier than I can remember being in a very long time. I have found myself calling on God constantly for details that have needed to come together. And I know that God cares about the details. But last week I got a prayer and praise update from another missionary that mentioned needing to seek God’s face more than His hand. (Thanks Charles). I’ve been thinking about that all week. In the busyness of the last couple of weeks I have been concentrating more on God’s hand than on His face or His presence. And as I started thinking about it I realized that I was thirsting and my thirst was being hidden by all the activity. In fact, I found that I was not just a little thirsty but desperately thirsty.

The beautiful thing about realizing my thirst is that the solution is so simple. “Come!” Over and over in Scripture we are told to simply come and drink. The living water is free and abundantly available. As I carved out time this weekend to truly worship I found a funny thing occurring. I found myself satisfied and all the more thirsty at the same time. Thankfully this living water, the presence of God that I craved isn’t just a glass or a pitcher of water, but a living, flowing, continuous stream that I can immerse myself in. What a wonderful thing. If you find yourself thirsty, come, come and drink of the water that satisfies.