Thomas said, “Lord, we don’t even know where you are going! How can we know the way?”
“I am the way, the truth, and the life!” Jesus answered. “Without me, no one can go to the Father. If you had known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him.”
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
This week, 78-year-old Christian author Henry Blackaby was reported missing in Atlanta, Georgia. Blackaby is the author of Experiencing God, a best-selling workbook for Christian discipleship that was published in the 1990s. The author’s family reported that he was a diabetic, and he did not have his medication with him. Volunteers combed the Atlanta area in an attempt to assist police in locating Blackaby. Some 29 hours later, he was found.
This updated information was posted on the website for Blackaby Ministries International (www.henryblackaby.com)...
On Thursday, September 19, Henry Blackaby drove his car to pick up his wife Marilynn from an appointment. Henry apparently suffered a heart attack while driving. He became disoriented and unable to find his way back home. He drove for the next 29 hours until finally being found in a small town south of Atlanta. He did not have his cell phone with him nor insulin for his diabetes. As a result, his blood sugar rose and his kidneys began to struggle as well. The family was able to track his movements as he used a credit card to make occasional purchases. He is currently in a hospital undergoing extensive tests. He seems to be in good spirits and lucid. We appreciate your prayers. With Henry disoriented, suffering from a heart attack, and driving for 29 hours throughout the night all over Atlanta, it is clear that GOD HEARD AND ANSWERED THE PRAYERS OF HIS PEOPLE! Thank you to everyone who prayed and helped in the search.Any time someone is missing, there is confusion and uncertainty. Where do you begin the search for them? How do you make sure that someone will recognize them? There are choices to make… when to truly declare a person missing… who are the proper authorities are to which this should be reported… how the search should be handled – and who should be involved. In this case, it all came down to a credit card. By tracing Henry Blackaby’s credit card transactions, searchers could figure out where he was and follow him. You may not find it a stretch that someone thought to check his credit card activity… but that a man in his physical and mental condition actually used said card in his condition is nothing short of miraculous in my mind!
I saw several e-mail reports about this situation throughout the day. While we live over 500 miles from the Atlanta area, we were asked to pray for this family and those who were searching for Henry. Information was given in each update, including a description of his car and the license plate number and the fact that he was a diabetic without his medication - indicating that he might need immediate medical attention, if found. I can’t help but believe that God answered the prayers of many by providing clues such as the credit card purchases, so that Henry could be found.
I know you are wondering… has she lost her mind? What does this have to do with John 14? More than you might think! See, Jesus’ disciples were questioning Him. They wanted physical proof of His true identity… that what He told them was true. It wasn’t enough that He said, “If you have seen me, you have seen my Father!” They wanted Him to show them. Moreover, they seemed clueless about how to follow Him… how to get to Heaven. He kept telling them, “I am the way”… but they wanted a map – or at least some pretty good directions…and maybe more than a few clues and hints.
And here’s the thing… God’s “clues” are all around us. Some are subtle and easily missed… that “still, small voice” you sometimes get…a scripture verse that keeps popping up and you wonder, “Why do I keep seeing this?”…a passing comment from a friend that keeps running through your head. Others are smack-you-in-the-face obvious, like when an elderly friend of mine said that three times in one morning she had an encounter with another driver who pulled in front of her. She told me, “I think God’s trying to get my attention and telling me I need to stop driving!”
The trouble with us is that we’re stubborn! We don’t pay attention. We walk right past God’s equivalent of flashing neon signs and choose to look the other direction. Now maybe we don’t do this deliberately, but in essence, we make choices every day with regard to whether we will pay attention to what God is telling and showing us… or not. God shows us how to follow Him… the direct path to true discipleship and an eternity spent with Him in Heaven… and we are so busy doing what we choose that it often doesn’t even register. I’m not saying that we necessarily make a conscious effort to ignore God. But by choosing to allow ourselves to be preoccupied with other things… or to serve our own interests… we essentially do exactly that!
I don’t know what clues and signals God is sending you today. But I know that we can either choose to pay attention – to look and listen for God’s messages and guidance… or we can choose to ignore the signs and “wing it.” If you ask me, the latter choice is the surest way to end up in your own equivalent of driving aimlessly around Atlanta for twenty-nine hours. Mr. Blackaby’s outcome could have been far more serious… and so could ours, if we don’t figure out who God really is and start following Him. Is this a chance you are willing to take?
What choices have you made that need rethinking? The “search party” is out on your behalf. God wants you found and returned to Him… restored and placed back on the right path. Won’t you recognize His presence and choose to follow His lead?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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