Our Waymaker

“God will make a way, where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see, He will make a way for me.”

We might be familiar with the verse from Don Moen’s “God Will Make A Way”. Yet, when we are right in the middle of being stuck or in the ditches of life, these words seem to feel limp and lifeless. “God will make a way? Okay, I know that but how is He doing that? Why do I not see that “way” right now when I need it most?” That skeptical side of us, especially when we are in the rough times, will act up with doubts, unbelief and lament. When my mother suddenly pass away a few years back, I was that doubter of our Waymaker. “Why did He not make a way for her? Why did He not save me from the immense grief if He loves me?” Now, even though I was a great doubter, God has shown me what a Waymaker really means. And if we are unable to see the way God is making for us today as well, I hope this message finds you well.

The “Way”, as I see it.

The “way” we often see is one that gets us our heart’s desires. A status, response, result or change we deem as good. This “good” is mostly based from our understanding, experiences, societal standards or principles. And there are many ways that we come up with the “best way” in our own terms. Like weighing Pros and Cons, past mistakes, least risk, easiest to execute, most acceptable by others and many more. But even the best decision makers may fail and miscalculate. No matter how much we analyse and improve on our judgment, human standards are always shifting and indefinite. There is no ultimate assurance in any decision we make because things can always change: people’s mind, situations, perspectives, principles, interests. That is why Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” We can have all sorts of ideas, possible scenarios and outcomes played out in our minds, but nothing is as steadfast and sure as the Lord’s way.

The way that God sees: Roadway in the Wilderness, River in the Desert

And the “way” that God sees is the way to purify and deepen our faith. That is the ultimate way and the way that truly matters in our hearts because as Proverbs 4:23 says, “Our hearts are the wellspring of life, everything we do flows from it.” He knows the depths of our hearts, our every inclination and concerns. He knows the way we are heading and in order to protect and grow our “wellspring of life”, God maps out a plan that draws us back to him as the source of direction and counsel. Surely at times, we may be in the wilderness or desert of uncertainties, new environment, being misunderstood, angered or hurt. We may be parched from love, from approval, from certain results we want or progress in life. But instead of focusing on “the ideals” of our own ways, we may be missing the point of a new way that God is paving for us. A way that is not what we expected, but ends at a more beneficial and faith-deepening destination. There were many times that I used to complain and was even unhappy with God’s leading. Why did I not get the dream job I want? Why did I not get that same level of approval as someone else? As we rationalise and weigh things out with our own “scale”, we start to justify all the ways that it is better off like this or like that.  But Psalm 139:22-23 says it well about God knowing us best, “You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all.” So instead of comparing and questioning why are things not going in this direction, we should instead ask: “What is God’s purpose in bringing me to this route instead? What does God want to reveal to me? What does God want to do in me for this season of my life?” When we slow down, test and approve, we will be able to seek out God’s purpose and grace for bringing us to a certain roadblock, detour or reorientation of pathways. Then, instead of doubting or lamenting, we would be brought to a state of spiritual maturity and thanksgiving. Instead of easily being wavered and unsettled within us, we become more level-headed with God’s truth and more discerning when a “path” in life changes as well.

“He will make a way for me.” 

So now, we know that God is always making a way for us, even in ways we cannot see. But what do we do as we continue to seek, await or confirm the path our Waymaker has set for us?

Test our hearts
Firstly, we need to continue testing our hearts. Know our tendencies and inclinations of “ideals” and examine our hearts. Why am I so worked up when certain things do not go my way? Where does my heart really lie or what are my motives? Does it mean anything for God’s calling on me? Or is it merely for my self-glorification? It is always good to grow in honesty with ourselves and with the Lord. As we are more self aware of the thoughts and emotions that clings to us, it is easier to loosen their grip as we expose them and keep offering up ourselves before the Lord.

Recount the good paths God has led us before
Now, we are also very easily forgetful beings when it comes to matters of the spirit. So we really need to continually recount the blessings that God has led us through in our lives. There could be moments in our own lives or those around us that we were also in a state of the down side, but later on, God prevailed by bringing us to a way that led us out of certain bondages, struggles and into a more blessed living. Hold onto those testimonies and grow in affirmation that God is always in the process of refining us. He is definitely “bringing to completion that good work He began in you”, even in this season of seeming wilderness.

Refer to the right Map
Next, we can never miss out this part of the equation and that is to always refer to the right “Map” when we are walking through our life journey. Make sure our Map is not based from our external influences, our personal nature, or our society’s standpoint, but from the Word of God only. 2 Timothy 3:16 says “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” This Map has the most extensive routes and guide for our spirit, from stories of how our Waymaker works in different ways, in different people and different times. How He move mountains, conquer giants, shut the mouth of “lions”, unlock prison doors, protect those He loves through the flames and carry them through the storm. In the big things or little ways, God provides and He proves Himself faithful over and over. Yes, it is true that we have our own trials and hard times as we live in this world. That is why God has given us these scriptures of His love, protection and mission so that we will not get stuck in a loop of dreading the path we are at now. Philippians 2:16 says “Hold fast the Word of Life, so that in the day of Christ, I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.”

Trek with Blessed Companions

Finally, it is never easy to go through life’s many winding roads alone. That is why, we need to get a camaraderie of God-driven, God-loving and Christ-centered “trekkers” to give us a push from the back, walk alongside us with spiritual encouragements or even become lessons for us to be refined by being ahead of us. Our environment, frequency and depth of what we are exposed to influences us a great deal and we have to really sift out and cling onto what is right and good for our spirits. When I was at a wild-hearted stage of my faith journey, being with blessed companions and church community really helped me discern a lot and filtered out many of my wrong thoughts and temptations. There will always be blindspots and lopsided judgements on our part, so it is always wise to share, to reflect and even be challenged by some advices or discussion with our brethren so that we open up certain “doors” we would not have otherwise realised on our own and become more spiritually critical thinkers.

Brothers and sisters, the Lord truly provides “love and strength for us in each new day.” So if we are unsure or still seeking out God’s way in our lives now, know that we are already on His path and there is surely goodness in His leading as we test and affirm His purposes and our spiritual needs over our worldly needs. God bless.