Driving in the Blizzard
Have you ever driven in a blizzard?
If you’re from the south, you might need help picturing it….
You’re on the highway but you can’t see a highway. Occasionally you can see the red brake lights of the car in front of you… Occasionally. The next exit is two miles away and pulling over seems to guarantee you’ll take an icy slide into a ditch. You squeeze the steering wheel and quietly pretend all is fine, but the vehicle feels like it bounces between ice skating and driving… a razors edge from crashing without any real clarity on what is in front.
What do you do?
You fix your focus a road line just out in front of your car and follow the dash or stripe.
Don’t turn on your brights. Don’t try to peer through the blizzard ahead.
Put your attention just in front of you where you can see the line and catch the first sign of taillights.
I’ll tell you from experience driving across the UP, it is not fun. But I’m alive to write about it!
When Jesus teaches us to pray in Luke 11, He finishes with, “And lead us not into temptation.”
As we try to navigate the world in light of God’s Word, we will be aware of how slippery and dangerous the journey seems.
In prayer we strengthen the habit of driving along the line of the Spirit. We keep our eyes fixed on the Word and allow the Spirit to flash break lights as we go.
When the Bible says, “pray without ceasing” (1 These 5:17) I believe we need to imagine “walk in step with the Spirit” (Gal 5:25).
The world is full of temptation and the spiritual journey can feel like white-knuckle driving if we try to navigate in our own strength.
By prayerfully fixing our attention on the leading of the Spirit through the lines of the Word of God I believe we can learn to take the journey with greater wisdom, peace, and strength.
In prayer, I imagine my discipleship as staying one step behind the Spirit of God.
When I kneel in prayer, I fix my eyes carefully on the lines of the Word.
When I go throughout my daily life, my walking prayer, I try to keep those lines in view and respond to the Spirit’s leadership in real time.
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25