“There is a path no fowl knows and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen”. (Job 28:7)
A true man of faith is always humble, doesn’t boast about tomorrow but accepts the leading of Jesus into an unknown future without fear, trusting that the Captain of his soul cannot mislead him. He has surrendered his ways and will to the Lord and he has made the Lord the anchor of his hope.
He is able to do this because he is not a stranger to that divine promise which says: “ I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not a disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope”. (Jeremiah 29:11).
Therefore he is able to rest and not kick against whatever the Lord has in store for him in the future. He is unlike the child of God who has put his will ahead of the Lord’s leading, and who would throw all sorts of tantrums should the Lord have his way against him.
Though he accepts the leading of the Lord he doesn’t suspend his intellect and swing into a lazy mode, but as he exercises his intellect and plans for the future he does so with God as his partner, and willing to accept God’s ultimate directive in prayers. The man of faith knows that “a man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps”. (Proverb 16:9).
The man of faith has only one map to guide him into the future, the map of faith. He of course like a mortal knows not what tomorrow brings but he knows there is One who holds the keys to his future and who alone has traversed the path of his future. Who alone waits for him in the future?
Yes, the man of faith knows “there is a path no fowl knows and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen”, but he also knows that his Lord has walked ahead of that path and he is able to safely bring him through the future.
Having known all these, the man of faith is able to rest, unlike the troubled soul who cannot rest because his thoughts are always harried by the cares of the future. He has a guiding principle anchored in the immortal word of scripture which says, “Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done”. (Philippians 4:6).
Rather than have his eyes on the Lord who holds the future, the troubled soul always has his eyes on others while evaluating his own success. As he does this he is unable to appreciate the Lord for how far He has brought him in his life journey.
He quickly forgets the wise words of scripture on evil comparison which says: “But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise”. (2 Cor. 10:12).
Unlike the troubled soul, the man of faith knows that Jesus is ahead of him. How did he know this? Because he isn’t unfamiliar with the words of scripture that has become the anchor of his soul. If a troubling thought about his future woke him up in the middle of the night he quickly knows how to silence those thoughts.
He knows God has said: “The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deut. 32:8).
When the man of faith has reached the zenith of his calling, he is conveniently, without fear able to say with certainty as Job said: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him”. (Job 13:15).
Now let’s reason about this together: Will God indeed bring the man of faith so far to slay him in hope? Did God kill Job while he waited? Upon reflecting on his trials Job saw the light and in the next verse, he declared: “Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance” (Job 13:16), and God surely delivered and vindicated Job.
Beloved, this is the word of God to all those who have made Him the anchor for their soul in r the uncertainty of life, and it’s the word of God to you today as well:
The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. (Psalm 91:14-16).
Reading
Psalm 91
