By Jeff-July 15, 2007
In Psalm 55, David says, “But I call to God, and the LORD saves me.”
My dad used to love deer hunting. Myself – not really. I have no problem with it, it’s just that it requires standing still and being quiet for extended periods of time. Those of you who know me understand why that isn’t really my forte. In order to spend time with my dad and grandpa, I often went deer hunting with them, even though it wasn’t really my thing. I never did get a deer. I did see one once. I was leaning against a tree and woke up to see him staring at me. I made a move for my gun (like I shifted about half and inch), and – ZOOM – he was gone. Now that I think about it, I never admitted to my dad that I fell asleep – well, that was about 25 years ago, so I don’t think he’ll be disgusted any longer.
Anyway - when I was about 15, I decided one of the days that I didn’t want to be the one sitting in stand waiting for the deer to pass (and thus falling asleep), but rather I would like to do the walking, to drive them past the person in the stand. My dad decided that would be fine, so he said to me, “go up the road to where a path turns off to the right, follow it until you come to a stream and follow that until you get back to us.”
“No problem,” I said, as I took off up the road. I should’ve listened to that voice in the back of my head. I am sure that Custer heard a similar voice, just before leaving for the Little Big Horn. I walked back to the path, as instructed, and started down it, following it until I came - to a lake. “This is not right.” So, I figure I’ll just turn around and backtrack until I hit the stream. I don’t remember how or why, but somehow I got off the path and found myself in the woods, not knowing where I was.
“Not a problem.” I’ll just walk in the direction that my dad and grandpa are, and I’ll come right to them. Why are we so brave at 15? Is it because we’re not smart enough to know that we don’t know anything? I continued walking in the direction of my dad and a little more time passes – it’s not as light as it was before. I wonder if I should I fire off 3 shots, to say that I’m in trouble? “No,” my bravado tells me, “they’ll think I’m a stupid kid. Besides, I’m just sort-of lost.” I have come to find that only being sort-of lost is the same as having a sort-of broken leg, or being sort-of pregnant. To sum up for future use, if you don’t know where you are – Yoo bee lossed!
As more time passes, I can’t believe I haven’t caught up to my group yet. “Perhaps I passed them…Hmm…I’ll keep going in this direction. I’ll find something that I know.” It’s getting darker, so I decide I’d better pick up the pace a bit, and begin to jog through the woods (with a loaded gun in hand), trying to pick out trees to keep me going in a straight line. The only problem with looking straight ahead, to pick out the trees, is that you don’t see the barbed wire fence that’s about shin high. As I lay on the ground, my gun thrown from my hands, it is then that I realize that running through the dark woods with a gun is perhaps not the wisest choice one can make in this world. Lying there gives me another moment of great clarity, in that it is almost pitch black, and I am no longer sort of lost. I am really lost.
Not only was I lost, but I was very frightened. In all my life, this was the most scared I have ever been. I called out for my dad – and it wasn’t’ a nice calm, “hey dad, where you at.” I screamed, “dad!” Finally, I fired off 3 shots [bang, bang, bang] - and I hear a return shot – come from behind me. I had been walking in the WRONG direction!
I started walking toward the sound. A little bit later, I heard a [bang] again, “oh good, I’m getting closer.” As I got closer, I began to see a small orange flicker. My grandpa had started a small fire on the side of the road. I continued toward it, and in the end, it was that light that enabled me to get out of the woods.
It is somewhat embarrassing to admit that I came out of the woods less than 100 yards from where I entered. So basically, I wandered for about 2 hours in an area about the size of a football field.
There are people in this world, perhaps you, who are wandering in a spiritual forest. We’re lost, and we don’t even know it, or worse yet, are too proud to shout, “help!!”
We don’t have to grope in darkness. Much like my grandfather, God has given us a light to find our way out of the darkness. That light is Jesus. He said, “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness. (John 8:12)” He gave his life to lead you out of the darkness.
Are you in the darkness and don’t know how to find the way out? What do you do?
- Admit that you’re lost and wandering.
- Stop and call to God
- As Joel Osteen says, “Get yourself in a Bible based church” – and discover His plan for your life!
- As Peter said "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38
Psalm 55:16
But I call to God, and the LORD saves me.
Have a great day, and may God cause your cup to overflow.
Jeff
