This week I was heading to a church to join with some other pastors in prayer. I had only been there once before but I was fairly certain that I knew the way.
However when construction prevented me from going the way I had remembered I was forced to find an alternative route. It was still dark outside and the road I had chosen brought me out to a place I didn’t recognize. By this time the prayer meeting had already started so I knew that I would have to pull over and search for directions on my phone. Fortunately I was only a few minutes from my destination.
The one leading the study read from Matthew 28—The Great Commission—and we began to pray for a renewed passion for the lost. And as I prayed I wondered how many people are just like me; fairly certain they know the way only to discover that they are lost and in need of direction.
Some may call out to God or read the Bible or seek out a church in an effort to find the way. But others will not. Some might even choose to drive around in circles rather than to stop and ask for directions. That’s what we used to do before the days of Google maps.
Years ago Barb and I had the privilege of visiting New York City. Our hotel was only a few blocks from the subway so we were fairly confident that we could get around the city with ease. What we didn’t realize was that there are twenty eight different routes those trains would go. So there we were standing off to the side in a busy corridor trying to figure out which train we needed to catch in order to get us to the next train that we needed to catch.
People rushed by us as we stood looking at our little subway map when a kind gentleman recognized that we needed some help. He stopped and asked us where we were heading and showed us which train to catch and where to get off to catch the next one. Out of all those passengers who passed us by he alone seemed to notice our plight and then take the time to point us in the direction we should go.
I wonder how many people are looking for the way to the Heavenly Father but are not sure exactly where to find the right ’Way’. Like us they are not flagging people down nor do they want to stand out a helpless stranger who is unsure of the way. Maybe they just need someone like us who is familiar with ’the way’ to take the time to listen to determine what the need is and then to explain that Jesus is ’the way the truth and the life’ and that He is the one who can meet our greatest needs.
We asked the man who helped us how he knew we needed help. He replied that everyday he meets a tourist like us who could use a little direction. He said that when he first moved to New York someone helped him and so he understands how important it is to be willing to stop and help someone else.
I wonder who helped you find Jesus? Could it be that there might just be someone around us who would like to find Him as well but are not quite sure how? Maybe we will have the privilege of showing them!