Most everyone of us has felt lost at one time or another – physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually. It’s a sinking feeling!
I live with a man who loves maps. In fact for many years of our marriage a map would be the perfect gift for him for Father’s Day, birthday and even Christmas. He will sit for hours, it seems, with a map before him as he plans our next trip. He wants to know where we are going and which roads are the best for our journey.
Isn’t that just like the Lord?
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” Psalm 23:1-2
Dave and I have some big decisions to make over the next few weeks and months. We need to know that we are taking the right path; that we are following what the Lord has for us. In our younger years if we followed our own thinking and made a mistake we had years ahead of us to recover. But now, in our late 60’s and early 70’s we want to be sure that we are following the Lord’s leading. No time for mistakes.
“But now you will again see the Lord, your teacher, and he will guide you. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice saying, “This is the road! Now follow it.” Isaiah 30:20b-21 CEV
The compass rose is the center of the compass. “A compass rose, sometimes called a wind rose or rose of the winds, is a figure on a compass, map, nautical chart, or monument used to display the orientation of the cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west) and their intermediate points.”
When I searched for images of compasses this morning I chose this one because the compass rose is brilliant, bold and quite frankly it reminded me of the strength and wisdom that we find in Christ.
We once had a cowboy preacher friend of ours give us this advice, “If God says go North, He will provide. If you go South, you’ll think you died”. That has stuck with us for 40 years now. No more going South – we want to follow God’s leading. The Lord’s compass rose always points to true North.
“Shout praises to the Lord!
He is good to us,
and his love never fails.
2 Everyone the Lord has rescued
from trouble
should praise him,
3 everyone he has brought
from the east and the west,
the north and the south.
4 Some of you were lost
in the scorching desert,
far from a town.
5 You were hungry and thirsty
and about to give up.
6 You were in serious trouble,
but you prayed to the Lord,
and he rescued you.
7 Right away he brought you
to a town.
8 You should praise the Lord
for his love
and for the wonderful things
he does for all of us…
19You were in serious trouble,
but you prayed to the Lord,
and he rescued you.
20 By the power of his own word,
he healed you
and saved you
from destruction.
21 You should praise the Lord
for his love
and for the wonderful things
he does for all of us.” Psalm 107:1-8, 19-21 CEV
I would encourage you to take time to read the whole chapter of Psalm 107. Then “Praise the Lord for his love and for the wonderful things he does for all of us”.
The Lord is our rescuer, our deliverer. He is our Compass Rose and He will always lead us on the right path!