Divine Direction, Part II

Divine Direction

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12, NIV).

Back in October, I laced up my hiking boots to venture onto a new hiking trail with a friend. We parked, took a few minutes to figure out where we needed to be, studied the map of various trail options, and then started the descent down the hill onto the path. I was designated as the lead hiker, so it was my job to use the color-coded markings on the trees to guide as.

We were moving at a comfortable clip, stopping to take a few pictures, and enjoying the beautiful day. We’d been on the trail for a little over an hour when we found ourselves at a crossroads. A large tree had two wooden signs nailed to it with arrows designating two choices: parking, or continuing on the trail. After some discussion, we made the decision to follow the sign that said “parking”.  

As we continued to hike, following the yellow markings on the trees, I heard my friend speak up from behind me: “Katie, I’m pretty sure we’re getting closer to the river on this trail. And if we’re getting closer to the river, we are NOT getting closer to the car.” I laughed because I knew she was right.

Long story short, after feeling quite unsure about where this particular path was taking us, we finally pulled up the AllTrails app. Needless to say, it provided us with a precise location, and confirmed what we had started to suspect–the wooden sign on the tree that said “parking” had misguided us. 

When we finally returned to the parking lot, two and a half hours later, my friend kissed her car and proceeded to plop down in the front seat to rest before we headed home. Though it was a beautiful day, and I do think we both still had a good time, the hike certainly did not go as planned.

Life is like that sometimes, too. We set out on a journey, feeling like we have clear markings for direction, and we still end up lost. We take a step of faith, but a wrong turn leads us right back to where we started. It can be incredibly frustrating. Yet, in the Lord’s goodness, He always redirects our paths, even if we end up taking the long way around.

Sometimes that’s part of life, but wouldn't we save ourselves a lot of frustration if we just used the tools that He makes accessible to us? We look for extraordinary signs, messages from God, “open doors”, and divine direction in all the wrong places. Instead of putting trust in our own abilities, or looking around for signs, we must lean into the greatest tool available for directing our lives. 

Hebrews 4:12 says: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

I don’t know what path you find yourself on today. Maybe you’ve walked the same loop time and time again. Maybe you’re stuck in a cycle of depression, abuse, or addiction. If you know you need to make a change, but aren’t sure where to start, I want to share with you what a friend told me recently. 

Read the Word of God. Pray about your situation. Seek wise counsel. And then go for it. There’s no guarantee you won’t end up on the wrong path, or have to walk through something on more than one occasion, but when we lean into God-breathed scriptures we can be certain we are walking in a divine direction. 

P.S. The next time we go out on a hike, we will be using the AllTrails app from the beginning!