The Way

 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6 "What does it matter if we travel uncharted country if we're with the Way?" Vance Havner

Vance Havner tells the story of an African explorer who, in the midst of his journey, lost his maps and compass. He exclaimed to his native guide that they had lost their way, to which the guide replied, "I am the way,." For we who say we follow the risen Christ, we must have this truth embedded into our hearts and minds. Through every aspect of life, spiritually, emotionally, physically, and materially, we must know that He is the Way. In all the unknown, and most of our lives will involve a great deal of that, He is and will remain our Way. We may feel lost, but He is not lost. We may not have the sense of His Presence, but He is with us. The murkiness of the way may obscure all our vision, but He will still go before us. His Light may seem to be nothing more than a flicker at times, but the darkness, no matter how intense and deep, will not be able to extinguish it, and He will lead us on through it. Like the explorer, we may have lost every outward means of guidance, but we have no need of panic if we will listen to His voice whispering to us, "I Am the Way."

The darkest time of my life was in the early days of losing both my marriage and ministry. All my outward means of guidance had been lost. I literally didn't know what was going to happen to me. What would I do for a living? Where and how would I live? Would my life ever have meaning and purpose again, and.....where was my Lord in all of it? Had He left me to make my way alone? I was terrified, and in my terror, I could actually hear the laughter of hell. "Where is your Jesus now?" the enemy seemed to mockingly ask. I would learn in the coming days, and in all the days leading to this day, that He was right there with me. He'd never left my side. He would never leave my side. In that time, I would remember the simple exhortation that my first pastor would so often proclaim, "Trust God." As frightening as that seemed and was, I resolved to do so. I still resolve to do so.

I would also come to know the deep truth of the lyric of that chorus, "God will make a way where there seems to be no way."

He would make a way because He was and is the Way. In the depths of that African jungle, the explorer likely could see nothing but the great unknown all about him. His reassurance was that it was not unknown to his guide. Neither is it unknown to the Guide, the Captain of our souls, Jesus Christ. I journey through that unknown with Him, and He has led me into many more unknowns in the following years. In all of them, I would hear the whisper of His grace; "I Am the Way. Trust Me." Now, as I face the remaining years of my life, I know completely that He remains the Way. The Way into the eternity He has been preparing me for all of my life in Him. He has been my way not only through the uncharted country of this world, but into the vast realm of eternity that I was created for to begin with. His way has always led me to the Father, and if we trust Him, if you trust Him, it will lead you to Him as well.

I have heard many speak of what comes after death. Mostly they say that they don't know. Without one bit of arrogance I tell you that I do know. I know because I know the One who is the Way. I know the One who promised that "eye has not seen and ear has not heard all that the Father has prepared for them that love Him." I don't know all that the wonder of eternity and heaven will hold, but I know the One who holds eternity. That is enough for me. Is it enough for you? Do you know the One who is the Way? May it be that you do, for until you do, you have lost your way.

Blessings,

Pastor O