No Map, Just Compass
One reason I enjoy reading the Bible lies in its honesty. People are described as they lived, warts and all. Wander into most any church and the sermons you hear can too often sound triumphalistic, simplistic, or just a glazed-donut version of life, but the pages of scripture are filled with real people facing real problems and looking to God for a way through them all. That makes the whole thing carry the ring of truth when liars, prostitutes, murderers, deniers, weaklings, tax-men, persecutors, and many more are held up as models of what can be when a person follows God, in the midst of their junk.
Psalm 77 is one of those sections that at first you might wonder why this is included. The writer, Asaph, is struggling. God, who once seemed close, is lost in the fog. His prayers seem like he is throwing BBs into a brass heaven. Take a listen to the first bit of the song, here translated by Eugene Peterson.
I yell out to my God, I yell with all my might, I yell at the top of my lungs. He listens.
I found myself in trouble and went looking for the Lord; my life was an open wound that wouldn't heal.
When my friends said, "Everything will turn out all right," I didn't believe a word they said.
I remember God—and shake my head. I bow my head—then wring my hands.
I'm awake all night—not a wink of sleep; I can't even say what's bothering me....
Will the Lord walk off and leave us for good?
Will he never smile again?
Is his love worn threadbare?
Has his salvation promise burned out?....
"Just my luck," I said, "the High God goes out of business just the moment I need him."
Spiritual aloneness. Wondering if he even remembers I'm here. Questioning if faith-life living makes any difference. These ideas are not uncommon to any believer. We long for a map that will show us the most direct, pain free path from here to there. Like Asaph in the song, there is no map for us to use.
But instead of a map, God hands us a compass, and an empty journal to fill with memories.
The compass gives us headings to follow into our unknown, just like Abraham when he left his homeland to follow God. Our compass points to Jesus and we head out in his direction, with hope in the midst of uncertainty. It takes faith to follow without a map. It takes courage to endure dark nights and hard days, but our compass leads through all of life's events.
The memory book reminds us that even without a map, God has always been with us. Listen to Asaph read from his book,
Once again I'll go over what God has done, and lay out on the table the ancient wonders;
I'll ponder all the things you've accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts.
O God! Your way is holy! No god is great like God!
You're the one who makes things happen; you showed everyone what you can do.
You pulled your people out of the worst kind of trouble, rescued the children of Jacob and Joseph....
The Book and your growing journal of God-memories serve as reminders of true truths: We are not forgotten, God is still at work when he seems silent, this is the life he will use to create his image in you. Keep your memory book close by so you can flip through its pages and "ponder all the things you've accomplished, and give long, loving looks at your acts," and add to it as you go.
Just like for Asaph, we can turn pages in our book and see the Father, Son, and Spirit's fingerprints all over our past. Times of aloneness can cause a kind of memory loss given the pain of the present. For years I had a sign in my classroom that read,
The past is prologue to the future.
Your reliance on the Jesus-compass in your pocket and moving forward without a map, puts you in league with all the faithful who have gone before you. So, trust in the darkness what you sang of in the light. The one who has been faithful hasn't fallen asleep nor is on vacation. He is Emmanuel, God with us.
As hard as it is to believe, our days of despair will be used as building blocks for your future.
Music for the week
And couple of bad jokes...
A kindergarten teacher gave her class a "show and tell" assignment.
Each student was instructed to bring in an object to share with the class that represented their religion.
The first student got up in front of the class and said, "My name is Benjamin and I am Jewish and this is a Star of David."
The second student got up in front of the class and said, "My name is Mary. I'm a Catholic and this is a Rosary."
The third student got up in front of the class and said, "My name is Tommy. I am a Baptist and this is a casserole."
__________
One day Sven & Ole, local pastors in rural Minnesota, were seen outside Sven's church pounding a sign into the ground that said:
"DA END ISS NEAR! TURN YERSELF AROUND NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE"
As a car sped past them, the driver leaned out his window and yelled, "Leave us alone, you religious nuts!"
From the curve they heard screeching tires and a big splash...
Rev. Ole turns to Pastor Sven and asks, "Do ya tink maybe da sign should yust say 'Bridge Out'?"