The Grand Plod Lesson #10: Travel Manual

The Grand Plod Lesson #10: Travel Manual My brothers and cousin and I went on our first backpack trip when I was nine years old. My cousin was six. His dad, my Uncle Bob, was our guide and he invited a friend of his from our church named John to come along, as well. It was their first backpack trip, too. Uncle Bob was a very responsible, thoughtful man. He meticulously researched and planned this wilderness adventure and we were confident that we were going to have the time of our lives. I remember the meeting we had at our house a few days before we left, in which he laid out the official forest service map and showed us the route on which we would be hiking. I was very impressed. We were going to Desolation Wilderness. We would be arriving at the trail head late Friday afternoon, hike for a few miles and then spend the night at Lake of the Woods. Of course there would be a campfire with a scrumptious dinner and endless smores. Next morning, after some fishing and a leisurely breakfast of freshly caught pan fried trout, we would hike out of the wilderness and meet up with family members at Wright s Lake. It was a total distance of 30 miles. By the time Friday afternoon rolled around, we boys were chomping at the bit. When we got to the trailhead, we put on our Army surplus backpacks, and practically ran toward Horsetail Falls. Things got really exciting about five minutes into the hike when my six year old cousin almost stepped on a rattlesnake that was sunning itself in the middle of the trail. Not to worry though; John drew his pistol and shot it in the head. I was very impressed. Pretty soon we started to climb Horsetail Falls. It was much steeper than it looked from down below, and the backpack seemed much heavier than when I had first put it on. We frequently lost our traction and slipped and slid. A couple of times we lost the trail and had to backtrack. It took much longer than we thought to get to the top. And we were exhausted and sore and hungry. But when we did and saw the lake we thought, Oh wow! This is beautiful! This is worth it! And Uncle Bob said, Boys, sorry to tell you, this is not Lake of the Woods. We ve still got a ways to go. And so we plodded on. It took another couple hours to get to our destination. By the time we got there it was dark. We were beat. We were so tired I don t think we even started a campfire. We just ate beans straight out of the can. Next morning was a beautiful day, but there was no time to fish. Uncle Bob had determined that we needed to hit the trail early to get to our destination before nightfall. We passed by Lake Aloha, right below Pyramid Peak, the tallest mountain in the county. We were hiking at a pretty fast pace, or so it seemed to us, because we were passing all kinds of people on the trail. But we could hear Uncle Bob and John ahead of us talking in low, serious voices. We were resting about three o clock that afternoon, the two men huddled over the map while we boys were skipping rocks on the lake. Then my uncle called us over and told us that he had severely miscalculated at what pace we could travel on this terrain that we were supposed to be at our destination in about an hour, and we still had fifteen or more 1

miles to go. (This was 1969 and we didn t have cell phones.) Our family was already at Wright s Lake and if we didn t show up soon they were going to be worried sick. He said he and John had decided the best option was to get off the trail and take a shortcut, and he asked us if we would be up for it. Sure, we re up for anything! What kind of shortcut is it? He pointed to what we later found out was called The Gray Wall, a portion of the spine of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. If we took this route, they figured, we could cut off maybe ten miles. So we started climbing. By the way, in 1969 backpack equipment wasn t what you would call state of the art. I weighed less than 60 pounds and I ll bet my frameless pack weighed 25. Think about my poor six-year-old cousin! We scrambled up the shale and the granite for what seemed like forever, and when we finally made it to the top it was late in the afternoon. We could see our destination. But on this side of the range there were a lot more trees and brush, and there was no trail to follow. I have no memory of what happened from the time we started down the Gray Wall to the time we arrived at Wright s Lake about 10:00 that night. I don t remember being scared, I don t remember being tired, I don t remember being hungry. I don t remember how we were able to manage after it got dark. My uncle told us later that it was almost like we were in shock. We didn t talk, we didn t cry, we didn t ask how much further we had to go; we just kept plodding. What I do remember was walking into the campsite where our families were waiting for us and seeing my mother and running into her arms and bursting into tears. (My brothers did, too.) Incidentally, we went backpacking most often with my uncle and aunt at least once a year for the next ten years after that. But we learned something on that first trip that we never forgot. Hiking on a trail in the wilderness is not the same as a walk in the park back home. My uncle figured that we could easily walk 3 miles an hour that s 30 miles in ten hours. But he learned very quickly that you cannot navigate wilderness trails in the same way that you navigate paved roads. We re in a series called The Grand Plod, and the purpose of this series is to encourage sure and steady progress in our Christian lives. We ve looked at a number of things, including how we get on the path and begin this journey, how God enables us to walk, what the journey is all about, what we do on this journey, and how we make daily progress. A couple of weeks ago I talked about our travel Guide, the Holy Spirit, and how essential it is that we walk in step with Him. Last week I talked about our travel companions brothers and sisters in Christ and how we need authentic, consistent interaction with each other in order to keep pressing on and moving forward. This morning I want to talk about our travel manual. Our map. Of course, I am referring to the Word of God. And I know of no more appropriate verse for our consideration than Psalm 119:105. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (ESV). This verse comes out of the psalm that is perhaps best known for being the longest psalm in the Bible, by far 176 verses. More importantly, it is what scholars call a wisdom psalm. Wisdom psalms give practical instruction on how to live as God intended and, therefore, how to live life to the full. And this particular psalm focuses on the blessings and benefits of God s Word. 2

So throughout the psalm there are statements about the positive effects the Word of God has on lives of those who take it to heart those who apply it. Using a multitude of metaphors and similes the psalmist portrays the Word as God s provision for almost everything we need to thrive in our spiritual lives. For example, the Word has a powerful role in our sanctification. The psalmist asks, How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to your Word (v. 9). Then he asserts, I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You (v. 11). We are also told that God s Word has a sort of medicinal affect on the souls of God s people. The psalmist says, My soul clings to the dust, revive me according to your word (v. 25). And, My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word (v. 28). But in verse 105 the psalmist uses a simple metaphor in which he compares the Word of God to a lamp that lights the path of a traveler on a journey. A lamp in ancient Palestine was a simple clay pot in which oil was poured in one end and a flame burned on a wick protruding through a small hole in the other. It was carried by hand much like a candle, but it was much more reliable than a candle since it could not be extinguished as easily. These lamps were the primary instruments in the ancient world used for navigating one s way in the dark. But please notice something about verse 105 that is implicit in the metaphor. Not only is the traveler walking in the dark, which is why there is a need for a lamp, but the traveler is on a path, so presumably he s going somewhere. Furthermore, we can assume that the traveler wants to stay on the path because that is the reason he is using the lamp. The lamp is being used to keep him from stumbling or losing his way. But there is something else that I think is implicit in this metaphor. The path is not familiar to the traveler. You don t need a lamp to go down a familiar path. This is no walk in the park; this is not a neighborhood stroll on a paved sidewalk. It s more like a trail in the wilderness. And as with most wilderness trails there are smooth, level, relaxing stretches of breathtaking beauty. But there are stretches where the path may be uneven, rocky, steep, slippery, and perilous. There are times when the traveler will be walking on that path in the dark, and it is likely that on that path the traveler will encounter unexpected twists and turns and fallen trees and rockslides and sharp stones and poisonous snakes and precipices and other things which may cause bodily harm or cause one to lose one s way. Therefore, a lamp is absolutely essential for the journey. It is not optional. So, that s the metaphor in Psalm 119:105. What does it mean for us and how do we apply it? We used to have a collection of children s songs and lullabies produced by Disney on which there was a song called So Glad You re a Child of Mine. It had a line in it that goes like this: You don t need direction, you know which way to go... That is about the dumbest statement I ve ever heard. First of all, it s not true, especially for children, for which the song was written. But we all need direction. And God, in His grace, has given us direction, and it s found in His Word. But let me remind you: We need to know where we are going; otherwise His Word will mean very little to us, and by that I mean it will not be used in the manner that God intended it to be used in our lives. 3

Do you remember in Alice in Wonderland when Alice was hopelessly lost and anxious and she came to a fork in the road, and there sat the Cheshire cat with his fiendish grin? She said, Please Mr. Cat, tell me which way I should go! That depends, said the cat, Where are you going? I don t know, replied Alice. Then it really doesn t matter, does it? said the cat. I admire Alice for asking the question, and for answering honesty when the cat asked her where she was going. She admitted she didn t know. A lot of people look and act like they know where they are going. And they are going at breakneck speed. But if you were to pin them down, they don t have the foggiest idea where they are really headed. I saw a television commercial a few years ago that left a lasting impression on me. The scene was a desolate wilderness with rock outcroppings protruding from low lying fog. Winding through this wilderness was an endless line of white collar workers each of them smartly dressed in expensive business attire; each of them carrying brief cases. They appeared to be important; they appeared to be successful. But the most conspicuous thing about their appearance was that all of them were blindfolded. It is the quintessential picture of the blind leading the blind. For they were marching, silently, in single file. They were holding their heads high, but there were no expressions on their faces. They were confidently ignorant, for it was obvious they did not really know where they were going, yet they seemed determined. They were moving toward some destination, and it seemed nothing would deter them. Little did they realize that the trail upon which they were walking abruptly ended on the edge of a huge precipice. And yet, because they could not see where they were going, no one stopped. One by one each person plunged over the cliff to the huge chasm below. And what was especially haunting was that, as they fell, they remained silent, expressionless. No one cried out; no one attempted to warn the others. It was as though they were completely unaware, even while they were falling, of the terrible fate that awaited them when they reached the bottom. I can t for the life of me remember what that commercial was advertising, but I m struck by how profoundly it illustrates what it s like to live and die without Jesus Christ. I asked you a few minutes ago, do you know where you re going? Those of us who have put our faith in Jesus, who have been born again, have been given a real purpose for living a purpose that transcends this temporal life and this earthly realm. We are living for Jesus. The climax of our existence is to see His face, to join that throng that is already assembled around His throne and can t take their eyes off of Him on account of His beauty and glory and majesty. So when you read the Word you ought to read it in the light of your relationship to Jesus and your ultimate destination. How does what I am reading help me to know Him better? What does it show me about how I can please Him, serve Him, obey Him, and honor Him? What does it teach me about how I can prepare for that day when I will be in His presence? It s not that the Word is a benign trail map. It s more like a treasure map. It reveals the riches of God s grace expressed in Jesus Christ. Do you remember when Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they searched the Scriptures thinking that in them in the Scriptures they could find eternal life. But He 4

said, they had completely missed Him (Jesus) toward whom all the Scriptures pointed. And because they had missed Him, their obsession with the Scriptures was futile. For the follower of Jesus, God s word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path as it moves us closer and closer to Jesus. And as I said before, it is essential for our progress, for the Word provides guidance and direction so we can navigate a path that is sometimes dark, sometimes perilous, sometimes unpredictable, sometimes frustrating, sometimes monotonous. The spiritual life is no walk in the park, and, just like our first backpack trip, we don t progress in the manner or at the pace we typically think we will. It can be slow going. It can feel, at times, like we re not making progress, or that we re going in circles. But that s where the Word can be a tremendous source of strength and comfort. Because it is in the Word that we find the stories of pilgrims who plodded victoriously all the way to the finish line. We also find in the Word wisdom for every circumstance and every problem and every situation. That s the teaching of Psalm 119. And so as a traveler on this journey you ought to get to know the travel manual and get to know it well. And please don t just wait to read it when you find yourself in trouble when you get stuck, when you get lost, when you trip and fall, when you are deceived by some smooth talking traveling companions who get you way off course. You ll certainly find help and comfort and answers if you do. But I want to encourage you to be proactive. Read the travel manual before you face hard times. Become so familiar with it, that what it says comes to your mind when you are confronted with a situation. That s what the psalmist was talking about when he said, I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You (119:11). As pilgrims on the Grand Plod, we have the Holy Spirit living in us empowering us for the journey; we have the companionship of brothers and sisters whose encouragement is indispensible to our progress; and we have the Word of God that guides us. None of these three ought to ever contradict one another. But if they seem to, the most reliable witness is the Word of God. Let me be clear about this. The Holy Spirit will never, ever contradict His Word. After all, He wrote it; He inspired it. But someone might say, The Holy Spirit told me this, or He is leading me to do this, and if it contradicts the Word don t believe it. Likewise, Christian friends may say, God told me that He wants you to do such and such, but if it contradicts the Word don t do it. A final word for pilgrims as it relates to the Bible. As I said, the Word of God is more than a benign travel manual. It is living and active. It is dynamic. It is inherently powerful, and therefore it has a very profound effect on those who take it to heart and apply it. Turn to Psalm 1. 1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers (NIV). The word blessed in verse 1 refers to a flourishing life, a fruitful life, a life lived with purpose and significance. Blessedness is often translated happiness, for implicit in the meaning of the word is inner jubilation, a deep, abiding contentment and peace, and a 5

joyful satisfaction that comes from living as you re supposed to live, living as you ve been designed to live. Psalm 1 tells us that this kind of blessing is determined, in large measure, by who you are listening to and whose advice you are following. If we listen to God, if we take to heart and apply what He says, we will experience true and lasting blessing, verses 2 and 3. If, on the other hand, we follow the advice of the ungodly or embrace their views and ideas and conclusions, verse, 1, we will not only forfeit the opportunity for blessing, we will experience dire consequences, verse 4-6. In other words, real happiness comes from fulfilling the purpose for which we were created. We were created for God. Just as a bird was designed to fly, just as a fish was designed to swim, so we were designed to be in relationship with Him. We were wired to be on His frequency, to be in sync with Him. And we live life to the full, and, as a result, experience real and lasting happiness when we get to know Him and have fellowship with Him and are aligned with His will. You say, Okay, but what does that have to do with the law of the Lord? The law reveals the Lord. It reveals His glory, His holiness, His majesty, His love, and His grace. It reveals countless demonstrations of His power beginning from the creation of the world to the miraculous deliverances of His people. It reveals His promises to His people His promise to be their God, their Protector, and their Provider. It reveals His Son, the Messiah and Savior of the world, who is the image of the invisible God and the exact representation of His being. And it reveals how one is able to have a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. The blessed man delights in the law of God because being in relationship with God a personal, intimate relationship is the most precious thing to him. The blessed man spends a lot of time in the law of the Lord because that law not only reveals who God is, how God thinks, and what God wants, it is a means by which he can directly and personally encounter God, and having a direct, personal encounter with God is what he delights in more than anything else. I delight in my wife and children, which compels me to want to spend as much time with them as I possibly can. Since some of my children now live far away, I have some dates marked on my calendar when I will get to see them face to face and hold them in my arms. For Carly Blue, it s two weeks from tomorrow. For Lucas and Grace and True it s exactly 36 days from today. A blessed man doesn t delight in the law of the Lord merely because he wants to be a good theologian or because he wants to be the Bible answer man or even because he wants to find comfort and direction when he s going through tough times. He delights in it because the law of the Lord reveals God and enables him to know Him better and connect with Him more intimately. And that s what makes the Grand Plod grand. 6

The Grand Plod Lesson #10: Travel Manual Main Idea: God s word is a lamp to our feet and light to our path (Psalm 119:105) Vulnerable to miscalculation Traveling in the dark (Psa. 119:105) The implication about the path It s where the traveler wants and needs to be It s unfamiliar The purpose of a lamp The need for a lamp How God s Word lights our path For daily direction For the big decisions of life The Pilgrim s relationship to the Word 7