Our Faithful Guide

"Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,
or showed him the path of understanding?"
Isaiah 40:14

Too many of us live our lives here in a relentless tug of war to seize control and lead the way.
Through the years, I've ministered to my fair share of stubborn mules teens.  I've counseled parents in my office at their wit's end, because their son or daughter is so "strong-willed" they can't see eye to eye. 

Among my favorite weeks in ministry have been the ten wilderness trek experiences I've shared with teens and their parents.  On one of those great adventures, we were set to hike to the summit of Mount Hope in Colorado, a peak that rises to around 13,960'.  I had with me a motley crew from Montgomery, low-land city dwellers accustomed to life at around 300' above sea level.  The week was a struggle.  I'll never forget how things began, at the precipice of a mountain, rappelling.  Taylor was paralyzed by fear.  As she stood there harnessed, her heart racing, she could not bring herself to back down the cliff.  A storm rolled in rescuing her, putting an end to the rappel that day, but the storm did not rescue her from the mountain and the grueling hike that waited for us the next day.  The storm didn't rescue her from the steep approach to the summit three days later.  Along the way, God taught Taylor to trust Him.  At the end of the week, she walked down that mountain with a different perspective entirely.  She was no longer barking demands for the Divine.  She had learned to trust the Lord, even in hard times through the peaks and valleys, knowing that God's counsel is sure. 

Teens and parents need someone wiser for the way, but first, the hearing-impaired must humble themselves.  We have to know the answer to these questions Isaiah offers up, and we must meet our Savior with ears eager to listen.  May God continually grow in us at Broadway a desire to listen to Him, our Faithful Guide.