It was a dark and stormy night, and I was driving my kids to Awana. By night, I mean 6:30pm, but this took place before daylight savings time struck again, so it was quite dark. The journey from our driveway to the church parking lot takes about 10 minutes. But it was dark and stormy, and my four year old was nervous about the weather. Of course, being all male, he couldn’t possibly admit that, so he began questioning me.
“How much longer until we get there?”
“Are we going to be in a flood?”
“Are we lost?”
“I don’t think you know where we are going.”
“Should we call Daddy?”
“Can we use the GPS?”
If these questions hadn’t been asked in the frightened, trembly voice of a little boy trying to make sense of his fear in the moment, I would have been irate. Of course I know where we are going! I could get us there blindfolded. Why on earth would you assume I, the parent who has been driving this route every week for three years, would not know how to get you there?
But I knew what was up.
“I promise you I know where we are going. I can get you there and we will not get lost. I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”
“Yes…….. But-”
“No buts. Just trust me.”
Then they started laughing because I said “buts” and I nearly forgot about the incident.
And then I read this from a man asking Jesus for a miracle:
“If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us” (Mark 9:22).
If you can do anything. Beth Moore says, “Few of us would be so bold as to ask Christ to his face ‘if’ He was able to do something. But how often do we say the same thing to him with our actions and attitudes?”
My son knows in his head that I will take care of him. And on an average day, he has no worries on that front. But fear twisted his perspective. Fear made him question my competence.
And we do that with God. On bright sunshiny days, we love him. We fling ourselves at him in thanksgiving for grace. But on those dark and stormy nights when things don’t look quite the same, we start to ask very silly (to him) questions.
Questions he answers with Jeremiah 29:11. “I know the plans I have for you…” Trust me, he says. I will get you there. We will not get lost because I know the way.
Written by Andrea L.
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