How Do I Get There, Daddy?

M

y dad has one of the best senses of direction of anyone I know.  No matter the destination, no matter if he’s been there or not, he isn’t at all intimidated by driving across unfamiliar territory or blazing a path into the unknown.  This is one aspect of his character that drives my mom crazy!  Daddy never returns by the same route that he took to arrive at a destination.  So, as you can imagine, this has led to some very interesting trips in the family car.

Several years ago, I flew to Detroit, Michigan to purchase a car from a friend I met at seminary here, in Fort Worth.  Getting to Detroit was not at all difficult; the pilot did all the work.  I wasn’t concerned about which direction the plane needed to take to arrive in Michigan.  Once on the ground, however, it was a completely different story.

Fortunately for me, daddy was on the job. In fact, he had been on it for several days, studying maps, plotting out the most direct and the safest route for me to take. All I had to do was ask a simple question, “How do I get there daddy?’ and he did the rest.  I have a good sense of direction and I know how to read a map.  What I lack, however, is the years of driving experience my dad possess and whenever I travel, especially to unfamiliar places, I defer to a higher level of expertise.  Daddy possesses that expertise and he has never steered me wrong yet. 

From Detroit, he laid out a way home that was both enjoyable and low key.  He knew that driving a different car would be stressful and driving a manual transmission after having been accustomed to an automatic one, would require a greater level of concentration and attention.  He plotted a way home whereby I made good time but covered roads that were not heavily traveled.

The writer of the book of Proverbs understood what it was like to defer to a higher authority for directions.  Instead of a road across the country, he needed directions for his life.  In lieu of asking his earthly father for these instructions, he took his request directly to God, himself.  The writer preserved this wonderful piece of advice for us in Proverbs 16:9, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” 

Please take a very close look at this passage.  In the first half of the verse, we are reminded that we can, and do, make decisions in life.  The writer says that in our hearts, which is in our inmost being, we determine what path we want to take.  We submit our plans to God and then allow him to work out the details of that plan.  The Scriptures are filled with examples of this.   Consider Abraham who wanted a son and God worked out the miraculous birth of Isaac. And how about Solomon who asked for wisdom and received much more because he submitted his life to God’s plan?

God cares very much about us and about the choices we make.  He alone knows what path we must take to fulfill the purpose he has for us.  God directs our steps and we must follow. Sometimes these paths take us into places we have never been before, but God goes on ahead of us.  At other times, the path grows steep and hard to travel, but God gives us the strength to persevere.  God knows what is best for us.  He will not make our path more difficult or more challenging than is necessary to ensure our safe arrival at the place he has for us.

The trip from Detroit was pleasant.  Taking the road my dad picked wasn’t always understandable.  At times, other roads seemed to be more direct and much easier to travel.  But daddy knew what I needed.  He understood my situation and he took it upon himself to make my travel the best it could be so I would arrive home safe, sound, in one piece, and more confident than I was when I left.  If this is how our earthly fathers lead us, how much more will our Heavenly Father direct the paths we walk every day?  Are you submitting your life and your way to him today?  Is he giving you traveling instructions and are you traveling by them today?