Seeing Is Not Believing
Welcome to October’s blog post. Since my last post a lot has changed in the world; particularly in the UK! Thank God, that He is a constant in these ever-changing times!
I am sure we have all heard of the familiar saying, “Seeing is believing” which means, in order to trust that what you have heard about is actually factual, one must see it first with their own eyes. Verify it, thus making what a person has only been told; valid.
Recently, I had an experience which made me question that old saying and I now think that the opposite can be true.
On my way to work one morning, I was just about to join the 70 mph A road when I had to brake and come to an almost halt. The built-up traffic was moving slower than molasses on a cold wintry day. Quickly, I reached for my phone (making sure I was safe to use it, of course).
First, I called my workplace to advise them that I would be late judging by the crawling line of cars ahead. Second, I tapped on ‘maps’ punched in the appropriate postcode and pensively waited for an updated route to be shown. To my surprise, I heard the clipped and confident voice inform me that I was on the fastest route and that my ETA would be 27 minutes. If that really was the case, then I would only be a few minutes late! I looked at the bumper to bumper bunched together vehicles and said out loud, “ No way, can I be on the fastest route!”
Again, I scrutinised the small screen to see if I had missed something when I had first glanced at it. I was fully expecting it to send me in the opposite direction; but no, it still adamantly stated that I was on the ‘fastest route.’ Looking in front of me, seeing what I was seeing, I did not believe my eyes. Seeing was not believing.
Obediently however, I followed the Sat Nav and as it took me past a point of no return, I breathed a prayer and asked God to not only guide me to work safely, but also, to get me there in a reasonable time. One mile later, the Sat Nav told me to leave the 70 mph A road and for the rest of the journey, it guided me through terrain that I had not traversed before, but I was able to travel through it in a timely fashion.
Before I knew it, I was parking my car at my workplace and walked into the premises only four minutes late. This experience led me to think - what lesson can be learnt from this?
Just as the Sat Nav gave me information based on the technology afforded it by the satellites way up high, so it is with God on high. In my finite mind, reasoning and vantage point, I could only see what was ahead of me and it looked dismal. However, God sits up high and His vantage point is beyond what we can see. In Isaiah 46:9-10, God declares, “For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done….” God knew the end of my commute that morning from the beginning - what I could see. The lesson: just as I had to rely on the Sat Nav to guide me safely and quickly to work that morning, so God, wants us to place Him as Lord over our lives so that we can rely on Him to guide us through life safely. God has His own Sat Nav: the Scriptures, our conversations we have with Him prayer, amongst other ways to commune and communicate with us. Ultimately, God wants the best for us and He wants us to trust His voice when He tells us, ‘Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.”’Isaiah 30:21 Let us be guided by God.
With so much going on around us, uncertainty without and within, my prayer is that we will each tune in to that voice, trust, listen and obey it even when we are tempted to see, to hear, but not believe!
Until next time.
Love & Blessings
xx
