Imagine you are walking out of Walmart and your feet hit the pavement in the parking lot. The heat is blazing down on you and suddenly you feel a cool breeze. You wonder where the breeze has come from. Then you hear a voice. It says, "Next Row!" Then you brush it off thinking you are crazy yet still head for the next row thinking somehow you've had an epiphany. You get to the next row and begin scanning for your car. You look up and down, feeling lost. And, you hear it again, "Next Row!" You laugh audibly now. If the voice knew where my car was, why wasn't it in the next row? And, you say to yourself, could it be God? But, you question yourself and say "If it was God, wouldn't He know where my car was?" So, you wander for a bit, berating yourself for forgetting where you parked. But, you pause, and listen again. And, you hear "Next Row!" So, you begin to walk to the next row, all the while questioning if it is God. You say to the Lord, "It wasn't in the next row!" And, you hear, "then I must not be God." Whoa. Pause. Say that again? As you pause, leaving your shoes to soak up the heat of the pavement, you hear it one more time. "Next Row!" Without looking to the left or right you head straight ahead, awed by this direction from within. Focused only on the next row, you then hear "Turn left, it's on the right." Your eyes scan in that direction and you finally spot your car - right where you left it!
Now, back up and examine this encounter. God tells us in His Word that we are to follow the straight and narrow path, not the broad one. He also says if we acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct our paths. And further, He promises us that as His sheep, we hear His voice. So, why didn't God say "3 Rows Over and On the Right?" Perhaps because God gives direction one row at a time. Do you doubt the voice you hear is God because you are not looking straight ahead but instead scanning the landscape for signs of your car? Since we are on the "narrow path," it would make sense that we might need to put on horse blinders and stop expecting direction to come so far in advance. While sometimes God clearly points out the direction far in advance for us to follow, He is far more likely to point you in the right direction one row at a time. Why? So, we will learn to trust Him in times of darkness when our vision is impaired. Wait on God at each row in your life. Look neither to the left, nor the right, but straight ahead. Then wait for his instruction.
This happened to me today. Only I knew it was His voice. Upon reflection, I realized He was demonstrating His ways to me. I've driven unfamiliar roads and followed the voice of God to unknown places where He has spoken to me of my future. And, found my way home to the sound of "Take the next right" or "It's on the left." Yet, when I question and pull out my navigation device, I find it was exactly where He said. Don't rely on technology to lead you to the place He has for you. Listen for His voice telling you "next row!" He wants to speak to you like a friend and He wants to direct you not just guide you. Are you listening?
