Tuesday, December 14, 2021
Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah Psalm 62:8
When All You Have Is A Star...
So much of this life on earth is uncertain, but God’s word is true and our eternal life in Him is certain. We spend so much time searching for clarity and waiting for crystal clear answers but crystal clear answers are not what we need. Clarity is not what we always need. What we need is to have trust in a God who knows all things.
Clarity can actually get us in trouble if we are not careful. It can replace an authentic trust in God when we would rather understand the details and clearly see the path ahead than rest in the arms of our God who has promised to show us the steps we need to take – when we need to take them.
Trusting in God when we don’t have the answers keeps us tethered to Him in prayer and dependence on Him. When we are certain of what is coming, we can become complacent in our relationship and pursuit of God.
The wisemen had a star and the knowledge God had given them from prophecy and study and that is all they had. They did not have GPS. They didn’t even meet other people who knew what they were talking about as they passed through the towns. Even when they had journeyed hundreds of miles to Jerusalem without any further confirmation, they could not find even one person who knew about their mission. They hit a dead end because they thought the newborn King in Jerusalem would be there, but they soon received the more precise revelation of Scripture and immediately departed for Bethlehem.
They didn’t quit. They didn’t turn around and go home, which would have been so sad since they were literally about seven miles from where Jesus was – after travelling about 800 to 900 miles to get there. The faith that had sent them on their journey, with nothing more than the "message" of the star, sustained them until the object of their faith was realized. When we quit on the path to our vision, we miss out on the promise at the end. It is only when we get to the end that we see the vision realized.
When we don’t have clarity, our trust is the strongest, or perhaps the most desperate. We want all the answers and Jesus just wants us to trust and follow Him. In every uncertainty, we know He is certain, and His word is true. He never changes, His character always remains the same. It is because we know these things about Him to be true that we can rest in our faith in Him. We can trust Him at all times, pouring out our heart to Him when we don’t understand. He is a refuge for us and will provide the exact place our next step should be. We just have to watch, listen, and pray.
