Where Are You Going? By Larry W Peebles February 23, 2018 18.06
People were going and coming everywhere. It appeared to be mass confusion. My wife and I were with a dear pastor friend and some members from his church at a transfer station in Karatina, Kenya. A transfer station is an outdoor terminal where 16-passenger vans (or taxis–locally called a “matatu”) stop to pick up and drop off passengers. These matatus are a vital part of the transportation system in Kenya, as private auto ownership is significantly less than the United States. Most people walk, but for longer distances, this network of matatus is the most affordable way to get to work, school, or visit family.
This transfer station must have had twenty or so parking spots for these vans. They would pull in from one town, unload passengers, and load again for the next stop. Passengers who had just unloaded were either at their destination, or they scrambled to get to the van waiting to carry them on to the next town, where the process might repeat itself. In addition to maneuvering around all the people coming and going, a passenger had to also dodge the vans hustling to and from the highway.
The volume of people around the nearby shops, and street vendors who worked the transfer station added to the melee. Snacks, food, drinks and bottled water were sold by the locals, as well as shoes, belts and items of clothing, to name just a few. These shops drew a crowd not only from the passengers moving through, but from the town as well. We were there to preach the Gospel of the Good News of Jesus Christ in the open air. A shop owner had given permission to set up in front of their shop very near where the matatus parked and loaded, and let us plug in a sound system to their electricity.
Two things impressed me that day. First, I was amazed at the number of people who stopped in the middle of all that busyness and listened to our message. If they were waiting for their next van, or if they were home and had ridden their last van of the day, they stood on the curb and participated. They sang and danced to our worship music, and listened to the word of God being preached. If they were there to shop in the local market, they stopped and gathered around our sound system. If they were shop owners, they came out from behind the counter and joined in.
The second thing that impressed me that day was that in order to use the matatus to get anywhere, one had to know where they were going. There were no electronic information boards posting the vehicle number or identifying the parking place of the vans coming and going. There was no information on the expected arrival or departure time of any one van. There was not even a manually kept chalk board with this information. To get somewhere, it was up to the passenger to know where they were going. One had to prepare and arrive early, find their van, and move quickly to board after it stopped and unloaded. If they were not sure, passengers could always ask the driver where he was going, but it was imperative to ask before taking off. So it is in life—we must know where we are going.
David knew from a young age where he was going. Bible scholars estimate David was in his early teens (old enough to tend sheep, but too young to serve in King Saul’s army) when the prophet Samuel was called to anoint him King over Israel (1 Samuel Chapter 16). Yet he faced a giant in battle and won. He served the present King although his life was threatened. He hid in caves and slept on the ground. He paid a dear price while waiting for his prophesy to manifest. He had the opportunity to kill Saul, but he chose not to because he knew where he was going. That focus helped him to wait and avoid the temptation to take the matter into his own hands. He had a promise that one day he would be King.
Moses knew where he was going when God called him to lead the children of Israel out of Egyptian captivity (Exodus Chapter 3). God had promised that He would not only lead them out of Egypt, but that He would lead them into the land He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (the “promised land”). They would cross the Red Sea with the Egyptian army in hot pursuit, and wander in the desert for forty years. They would face shortages of water and food. They fought fierce battles although they had been slaves, not trained warriors. They grumbled, complained, and tested God’s patience. But Moses never failed to intervene with God on their behalf, and he never lost sight of where they were going. He had a promise that one day these people would enter the Promised Land.
Abram (later Abraham) knew where he was going when God called him. In Genesis 12:1-2 God said to Abram- “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” He may not have known specifically where he was going, but he knew God would show him where he was to go. The rest, as they say, is history. The land that God showed him is the land occupied by the nation of Israel today. It was the land occupied by Abraham and his descendants until hard times drove them into Egypt. It is the same land where Moses led the children of Israel when they were freed from Egyptian slavery. It is the land where Jesus walked when He came to the earth, and it is the land where He will walk when He comes again. Abraham had a promise, and he knew where he was going when he left home.
Jesus knew where He was going when He came to the earth as a man. He was going to the cross to die for the sins of the world. His death was not because of the Jewish leaders, the Roman army, or the work of the devil. He volunteered to die. He knew the purpose for which He came. He came to save all people from the consequences of their sin. He knew all who called on His name as Lord and Savior could be forgiven, and could have eternal life with Him. He was mocked, plotted against, beaten and tortured, but He willingly remained focused upon dying on the cross. He had a promise, and He knew where He was going.
You and I cannot get anywhere unless we know where we are going. Lewis Carroll said “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” God promises in His word that He has a plan for each of us just as He had for David, Moses, Abraham, and Jesus. Jeremiah 29:11 says- “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” He also promises we can know these plans. One of my favorite verses to verify this truth is found in Isaiah 30:21- “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying ‘This is the way; walk in it.” This is my favorite because it actually happened to me as the verse described. I can say that incident was the first and only time I heard the audible voice of the Lord. His voice came over my left shoulder as I was driving a car. He warned me to “Look left,” as danger was approaching in the form of a car that would run a red light and hit me if I did not stop. I did stop (at a green light), yielding to the approaching car (that had a red light). I was spared being hit broad-side on the driver’s side of my car. His plan is not to harm us, rather it is to prosper us, and we can hear His voice of guidance and protection.
If we don’t know where we are going, we are caught up in the melee and confusion of that transfer station. To avoid the confusion and frustration, we must know God’s purpose and plan for our lives, and where God wants us to go. When we have His plan, we will find our “prosperity”—our identity, peace, and destiny. To know His plan, there are three things we must do. First, we must ask. God’s word says we do not have because we do not ask (James 4:2-3). His word also says if we lack wisdom, we are to ask and He will give it (James 1:5).
Second, we must focus-fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2), the author and perfecter of our faith. When driving a car, riding a bicycle, or driving a tractor to plow a field, we tend to go where we are looking. To plow a straight furrow, we must keep our eye on where we want to be, not where we have been or on some distraction off to the side. To follow a road, one cannot look at their cell phone. Where one came from does not determine where one is going. Preparation and focus was the key to getting through that transfer station, and it is a key to learning where we are to go to follow God’s plan for our lives.
Third, we must listen. God has built the spiritual man inside us to hear His voice. John 10:27 says- “My sheep know my voice.” Matthew 13:13 says- “You have ears, but you cannot hear.” His voice is rarely an audible voice such as the warning I heard in the car that day. More often it is an inner voice or “knowing” that I have learned to recognize. The more I listen and respond, the clearer it becomes. Sometimes it is a quick picture that appears in my mind’s eye. Not too long ago in Sunday worship, I “saw” a picture of a man I met in El Salvador last year, a grandpa like myself who was caring for two granddaughters. I wasn’t thinking of him or El Salvador when his face suddenly appeared in my mind. I knew God was speaking. I was able to check on him through a local source, and as it turns out, he was in need of some help which my wife and I were able to give. God speaks, but we must listen. If we drown out His voice with busyness, or do not respond, He becomes harder to hear. If I did not respond to the man in El Salvador, God would find someone who would, but how much more satisfying to know when we heard from God and did what He wanted us to do.
To know where we are going, we must know God’s plan for our lives. To know that plan, we must ask, focus, and listen. God will make His plan known, but He wants us to actively seek. Jeremiah 29:13 says- “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” My prayer is we will find our way through the transfer stations of life by knowing and following God’s plan.
