Christian Living

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GIVE ME THE MAP!
By: Pauline Lee
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The platoon leader gathered the people and instructed them on their next mission. It was already 6pm and everyone was growing tired and hungry. They were also frustrated with the fact that they had to return to main camp after every task to get the next instruction from the leader. They felt it was time wasting. A man called out from the crowd towards the leader, "James, give us the map. That'll save you time and effort." James's purpose was to convey to the crowd that he was in charge and in control. James knew that giving the map would make the people self-reliant, forgetting the importance of leadership dependence, and isolating them from him.

Christians are not exempted from this exercise. Neither are we exempted from the fact that we are curious, hungering to know what lies ahead so that we can better prepare ourselves. With our life maps in hand, we can certainly reach our destination quicker with lesser mistakes. But God clearly reveals otherwise.

When Abraham was commanded by God to sacrifice Isaac on Mt. Moriah, he did not know God would provide a ram so that his son need not die (Genesis 22:9-11). If our lives can be foretold, true faith will not prevail. Chinese Feng Shui is a popular study of astrology among the Chinese. It claims to predict the future and offers ways to change the future. In summary, it provides people with a brief map so they can embark on alternative routes to overcome mishaps. But that is the world's way of deluding us from the true purpose of God. The journey we take is unpredictable and challenging but it transforms our character and increases our faith in God. God has purposed this in our lives just as James purposed this in his platoon.

So the next time we stretch our hands to God and ask for our life maps, finding ourselves at a stage where we're wondering when God will reveal His will to us, a point when we feel completely directionless, let us remember also that God is in control and He knows what is ahead. So the only way of getting things right is to trust God and be willing to let Him direct us (Psalms 62:8).

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