28
Walk With Me
Jon Burgess“Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” Amos 3:3
In this passage God asked his people Israel a number of questions in this chapter all leading to a painful reality: He didn't leave us. We left Him. He didn't walk away from us. We walked away from Him. He revealed His plan through His prophets to His people. We agreed on a destination and a direction and then broke that agreement along the way. This journey that started in unity has revealed the disparity between our hearts and His. Paul, in his final chapter of his final letter reveals the opposite outcome. Here is someone that found Jesus later in life, but never left His side no matter how hard life became. "The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death." (2 Timothy 4:16-17).
Paul was able to experience the joy of walking with God because he trusted His direction even in the mdist of persecution. Even when that direction was leading him to what looked like certain death he did not deviate. They had an agreement. God was in charge. Paul was not. They would walk this out together because the bottom line was, whether he lived or died, Paul wanted to be with Jesus. When Jesus asks me to walk with Him I'm agreeing that His path is best no matter what my senses, emotions, or even logic tell me. So, why is that I cut and run so easily? I'm not facing certain death. At most I'm facing certain discomfort and massive inconvenience. I don't want to wind up like Israel half down the road wondering where God went while wandering through a mess of my own making. I want to be at the end of my days like Paul, confident that even when everybody else abandoned me my God never did! If God feels far away He is not the one who moved. I agreed to walk this out with God no matter what! So no matter how much I protest or my expectations are unmet it's not my direction we agreed upon- it's His! What's truly amazing in all of this is that the God of the Universe actually wants to walk with me every day of my life! What can compare with that?
Whether in the heat of the day or the cool of the night I will walk with You. Whether I can see it all clearly or I have lost my sight I will walk with You. Whether it works to my advantage or I lose all I owned I will walk with You. Whether I'm surrounded by my friends or abandoned and alone I will walk with You!
