THE KEY TO DIRECTION
By Richard Lineberry

"I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from ?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."
Psalm 121:1-2

No one in their right mind should seriously think they are not in need of help. You don't have to be very old to learn how insufficient we are. Things are hard. Learning is hard, relationships are hard (even with people who are trying to love us), work is hard. Life can be pretty sure and puzzling at the same time. About the time we think we know enough to handle things, that familiar insufficiency creeps back in. Old knowledge is not sufficient for the present. What used to work well, is obsolete.

The psalmist here is speaking something he's learned. Help of all kinds, even though he doesn't specify his present dilemma, comes from God. His phrase "I lift my eyes to the hills" belongs to primitive thinking that God is up there somewhere. Well, yes He is. He is also the God of the valleys. He's in our highs and lows, times of suffering and times of victory.

As Christian believers, God is up high, down low, in between and, above all, in our hearts and minds. We say He is personal yet we often need to be reminded how personal. He knows our thoughts before we think them and has answers ready for our future questions. Blessings are abundant with the God who controls all things and owns all of the wealth of the universe. His knowledge is inexhaustible. The directions we need to follow to experience this resurrection life, He gives out freely. Our problem is not His reluctance to give but rather our desire to receive His guidance and help.

When we think of having a "relationship" with God or anyone else, we must remember that time must be spent in the presence of the one we want to know deeply. Time spent in His Word acquaints us with Him. There we learn what God has done in the past and even what He is doing now and in the future. But to learn, we must spend the time needed to learn. But the present word of direction comes when our hearts are fully sacrificed to His will. Though our present moment my be difficult or pleasant, God always knows the best next step.

My encouragement for us today is to practice listening to the voice of the Spirit of God inside. He has more to say than we usually take time to hear. Know that He will direct us differently than the voices of this world as well as our own good ideas but always knows the best way. Our key to getting His direction is always a humble approach which recognizes His greatness, ears that are willing to hear and a heart willing to follow His lead.