From Max Lucado’s book ‘Traveling Light’:
David said it this way. “I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber. . . . The Lord watches over you . . . the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life” (Psalm 121:1-7 NIV).
God, your rescuer, has the right vision. He also has the right direction. He made the boldest claim in the history of man when he declared. “I am the way” (John 14:6). People wondered if the claim was accurate. He answered their questions by cutting a path through the underbrush of sin and death . . . and escaping alive. He’s the only One who ever did. And he is the only One who can help you and me do the same.
He has the right vision? he has seen the homeland. He has the right directions: he has cut the path. But most of all, he is the right person, for he is our God. Who knows the jungle better than the One who made it? And who knows the pitfalls of the path better than the One who has walked it?
The story is told of a man on an African safari deep in the jungle. The guide before him had a machete and was whacking away the tall weeds and thick underbrush. The traveler, wearied and hot, asked in frustration, “Where are we? Do you know where you are taking me? Where is the path?!” The seasoned guide stopped and looked back at the man and replied, “I am the path.”
We ask the same questions, don’t we? We ask God, “Where are you taking me? Where is the path?” And he, like the guide, doesn’t tell us. Oh, he may give us a hint or two, but that’s all. If he did, would we understand? Would we comprehend our location? No, like the traveler, we are unacquainted with this jungle. So rather than give us an answer, Jesus gives us a far greater gift. He gives us himself.
Does he remove the jungle? No, the vegetation is still thick. Does he purge the predators? No, danger still lurks.
Jesus doesn’t give us hope by changing the jungle; he restores hope by giving us himself. And has promised to stay until the very end. “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20 NIV). We all need that reminder. For all of us need hope.
Some of you don’t need it right now. Your jungle has become a meadow and your journey a delight. If such is the case, congratulations. But remember—we do not know what tomorrow holds. We do not know where this road will lead. You may be one turn from a cemetery, from a hospital bed, from an empty house. You may be a bend in the road from a jungle.
And although you don’t need your hope restored today, you may tomorrow. And you need to know to whom to turn.
Or perhaps you do need hope today. You know you were not made for this place. You know you are not equipped, you want someone to lead you out.
If so, call out for your Shepherd. He knows your voice. And he’s just waiting for your request.
Max Lucado, Traveling Light (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 2001) 58-59
