GOING NOT KNOWING
Mystery rides were part of growing up at our house. Usually it was a
Sunday afternoon, and I'd pile our three kids, who were little then and
never will be again, into our car for a ride. I think we explored every
corner of our area. And as we did, we discovered over the years, a lot of
great things. But I've got one son who's a lot like me. He wants to know
the plan before we leave.
"Hey, Dad, where are we going? Where are we going to eat? What are we
going to eat? What are we going to do while we're there? How long will we
be there? What time are we going to get home?" He would pump me with
questions; I felt like I was being interrogated by a police sergeant.
Sometimes I knew it was better not to explain where we were going. Oh,
we've done things that would have sounded boring if I had told about them,
but they turned out to be exciting and I knew they would. Plus surprises
are fun anyway. So, my kids got used to hearing two words when we were
about to begin a mystery trip, "Trust me." I don't think I let them down.
It was good training for journeys with their other Father.
I'm Oluwafemi Olawale and I want to have A Word With You today about "Going
Not Knowing."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the life of the Apostle
Paul; he's still Saul of Tarsus here. Acts 9 - he's on his way to wipe out
Christians. He missed some in Jerusalem. So he said, "I'll get them in
Damascus. They all went there; I'll find them in Syria." We begin in verse
3: "As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven
flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him,
'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?' 'Well, who are you, Lord?' Saul
asked. 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. 'Now, get up
and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.'"
Now, it's interesting that Saul's training for his whole life in Christ
began immediately with a mystery trip. Yeah, did you notice that? He has
just opened up to Jesus, and the Lord says, "Go into the city and you will
be told." "Lord, what do you want me to do there? Who am I going to meet
there? How am I even going to be able to see; I'm blind right now?" The
Lord says, "Go and you will be told." Well, he spent the rest of his life
living like that.
In Acts 20, when he was on his way to Jerusalem as the great Apostle Paul
and his friends were trying to discourage him, he said, "Compelled by the
Spirit, I am going not knowing." See, you have a heavenly Father who often
takes His children on mystery trips. Maybe you're on one of His mystery
trips right now. There's a good destination He's got in mind, but right
now He's telling you just the next step. In essence, He's saying to you as
He did to Saul, "Go, and you will be told as you are on the way."
It may well be that you're in the middle of one of those times right now,
and the tendency is to say, "Now, Lord, if you'll just give me all the
information, give me all the facts, I'll start going that direction." And
the Lord says, "No, you start moving in that direction I've told you to
go, and you'll get more information as you go."
Now, maybe you're waiting to have all your questions answered before you
move, and right now there are more question marks than there are periods
or exclamation points for sure. Can you almost hear your Father saying as
He bundles you into His car, "Trust Me, let's start traveling together."
Hey, He died for you. Is He ever going to do you wrong? God's mystery
trips always lead to a destination that is selected with you in mind for
your good. So, why not settle back, enjoy the trip, and let Him drive.
Trust your Father and don't be afraid of going not knowing
Sunday afternoon, and I'd pile our three kids, who were little then and
never will be again, into our car for a ride. I think we explored every
corner of our area. And as we did, we discovered over the years, a lot of
great things. But I've got one son who's a lot like me. He wants to know
the plan before we leave.
"Hey, Dad, where are we going? Where are we going to eat? What are we
going to eat? What are we going to do while we're there? How long will we
be there? What time are we going to get home?" He would pump me with
questions; I felt like I was being interrogated by a police sergeant.
Sometimes I knew it was better not to explain where we were going. Oh,
we've done things that would have sounded boring if I had told about them,
but they turned out to be exciting and I knew they would. Plus surprises
are fun anyway. So, my kids got used to hearing two words when we were
about to begin a mystery trip, "Trust me." I don't think I let them down.
It was good training for journeys with their other Father.
I'm Oluwafemi Olawale and I want to have A Word With You today about "Going
Not Knowing."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the life of the Apostle
Paul; he's still Saul of Tarsus here. Acts 9 - he's on his way to wipe out
Christians. He missed some in Jerusalem. So he said, "I'll get them in
Damascus. They all went there; I'll find them in Syria." We begin in verse
3: "As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven
flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him,
'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?' 'Well, who are you, Lord?' Saul
asked. 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. 'Now, get up
and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.'"
Now, it's interesting that Saul's training for his whole life in Christ
began immediately with a mystery trip. Yeah, did you notice that? He has
just opened up to Jesus, and the Lord says, "Go into the city and you will
be told." "Lord, what do you want me to do there? Who am I going to meet
there? How am I even going to be able to see; I'm blind right now?" The
Lord says, "Go and you will be told." Well, he spent the rest of his life
living like that.
In Acts 20, when he was on his way to Jerusalem as the great Apostle Paul
and his friends were trying to discourage him, he said, "Compelled by the
Spirit, I am going not knowing." See, you have a heavenly Father who often
takes His children on mystery trips. Maybe you're on one of His mystery
trips right now. There's a good destination He's got in mind, but right
now He's telling you just the next step. In essence, He's saying to you as
He did to Saul, "Go, and you will be told as you are on the way."
It may well be that you're in the middle of one of those times right now,
and the tendency is to say, "Now, Lord, if you'll just give me all the
information, give me all the facts, I'll start going that direction." And
the Lord says, "No, you start moving in that direction I've told you to
go, and you'll get more information as you go."
Now, maybe you're waiting to have all your questions answered before you
move, and right now there are more question marks than there are periods
or exclamation points for sure. Can you almost hear your Father saying as
He bundles you into His car, "Trust Me, let's start traveling together."
Hey, He died for you. Is He ever going to do you wrong? God's mystery
trips always lead to a destination that is selected with you in mind for
your good. So, why not settle back, enjoy the trip, and let Him drive.
Trust your Father and don't be afraid of going not knowing
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