Sometimes we all find it difficult to see the way ahead. As you know, I love to walk in the mountains, and in the summer I led my first walk in the Spanish Pyrenees. We’d planned a 9 hour walk climbing a summit just under 3000m high called Pena Xuans.
The trail was easy to follow, and after a couple of hours we’d climbed steeply to 2500m. It was clear we needed to dive left off the path up a boulder field but when we reached the ridge I hesitated. The problem was the terrain around us didn’t seem to quite match that shown on the map… there was a sharp, peaked ridge in front of us that looked too steep to be the one I was expecting. As I stood and pondered the map over and over, it started to gently snow. It took me 20 minutes to be sure – well as sure as I could be – of the way ahead. I figured we should have left the well-trodden path earlier and now were the wrong side of that sharp ridge. If we traversed the boulder field and climbed to what looked like a razor sharp col between two craggy, inaccessible peaks, we should see our path below us the other side. If we didn’t, we’d have to admit we were lost and call it a day!
Thankfully, my companions kept their spirits up and we reached the col an hour later. Snow was still falling as I looked over the ridge and, not for the first time that day, I was puzzled… again it didn’t look as I’d expected. Then the cloud shifted and a distinctive lake came into view… it was the right place and with that signpost, I could now make out the route we were looking for across the boulders. Our spirits lifted, we slid down the precariously steep scree slope and re-joined our original path. We could now make out our main goal, the peak ahead, which was wreathed in cloud. I decided we’d had enough adventure so if the cloud didn’t lift by the time we got to the base, we’d continue around and not climb. As it happened, the cloud lifted as we reached the foot of the scramble to the summit so we climbed a fantastic lump of rock and slid down an even steeper scree slope the other side.
The day ended after 11 hours of walking, mostly over boulder fields, and we were exhausted but joyful. As we lay in the sun on the way down, we all agreed that it had been one of our best days in the hills! Then God spoke. He said, yes, you may not be certain of the way ahead, but you are anointed to lead the way out. If you keep your spirits up and don’t give up, you’ll reach the goals I’ve set you and you’ll have a great adventure.
When we can’t make out the route ahead, it’s good to know that God loves to guide us. Indeed, in Psalm 32, He promises to guide us. As a leadership we feel God saying three things to us in this season: 1. We have to be clear about why He’s called River, and who He wants us to be. 2. We need to work more closely together as churches, and 3. We all need to play to our strengths. One of my strengths is a deep love of the Bible and helping people see the love of God in every page. I had been wondering whether I should do an MA to build on that strength, but was not sure. A few weeks ago I went to see the Westminster Theological Centre to investigate the possibility and that morning I received a text from a friend in Bulgaria saying they had a word from the Lord for me: they saw me “going back into academia to study theology so I could better proclaim the Father’s love”. Having received such clear guidance, you won’t be surprised to hear that I’m starting an MA in January!
I hear Jesus speaking these encouragements over us all today, and pray this blessing over you: “Play to your strengths, work together and I will guide you. If you don’t give up, you will achieve the goals I’ve set for you and you’ll have a great adventure doing so!”
