Trust in the Lord with all your heart; don’t depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
David Kuhn runs marathons.
David Kuhn is blind.
In 1981, David was in a car accident. A drunk driver collided with his vehicle, forever changing his life and causing his eyesight to slowly slip away.
Eighteen years later, David began completing marathons.
Despite his inability to see, David's able to run the long races because guides remain side-by-side with him, giving him continual instructions. “If we’re turning left or turning right,” he says, “I’ll put my hand up against their shoulder to follow them around. They’ll tell me when we’re running straight, or they’ll give me cues about rough pavement...”
It's not just that the guides stay with him, though. It's that David trusts his guides.
That trust allows him to remain steady on the path, move with confidence, and finish the race set before him.
Our journey through this world is like a marathon. We can expect steep hills, sharp turns, and unsteady terrains. After all, Jesus said, “In this world, you will have many trials and sorrows” (John 16:33).
What makes this journey even more difficult is that we can’t see. We’re blind to what's before us. When will the course change from wide to narrow, level to steep, or smooth to bumpy? We don't know.
Such a reality can quickly produce fear and doubt in our souls. And, if overcome by fear and doubt, we'll often find ourselves leaving our guide and wandering off the path. Once on the unmarked trail, without our guide and blind to what's ahead, we can only guess what pitfalls, obstacles, or dangers await us.
Thus, we have only one choice.
Regardless of our fears and doubts, if we’re to remain steady on the path, move with confidence, and finish the journey set before us, then we must choose to trust the guide.
His name is Jesus.
A famous scene occurs in Matthew 14 between Peter and Jesus. They were on the water. It was the middle of the night. Darkness impacted Peter’s vision, waves beat against his legs, and the wind slapped his face. Despite the unfavorable elements, Peter was doing an impossible thing one can only do when they hear, respond to, and obey the call of Jesus: he was walking on water!
Yet, something was lurking beneath the surface. Fear and doubt had punctured Peter’s soul, as a result of the dark choas encircling him. It was this fear and doubt that drove Peter to take his eyes off the guide and leave the path.
Consequently, Peter began to sink.
From his dire situation, Peter cried out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!”
Jesus saved Peter. They climbed into the boat, and all turned calm and quiet. Around this time, Jesus asked Peter, “Why did you doubt?”
As in, why didn’t you trust me? Why did you take your eyes off me? Why did you let fear and doubt determine your steps and lead you off the path?
Why didn’t you trust the guide?
Many of us are like Peter. Circumstances on our journeys have caused fear and doubt to determine our steps. So many of us have taken our eyes off the guide and have left the path.
Consequently, we’re in danger. We're sinking.
Thankfully, Jesus knows our situation, he's near, and he's put a choice before us.
Let us choose trust over doubt, faith over fear, the guide over ourselves. Let us cry out to Jesus, for he's faithful and just to save us.
That is, let us trust Jesus, the guide, with our lives.
That trust will allow us to remain steady on the path, move with confidence, and finish the journey set before us.
JDG
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