Yield

This morning, in the midst of the lake effect snow we were enjoying, I had the pleasure and privilege of driving my daughter to school. The roads were terrible, and there were white-out conditions every so many feet. It was an adventure!

At one point on our route, there are two roads that merge together. From the way I was coming, the sign said, "Yield." There were several cars in front of me, many (if not most) of whom probably drive this route every day. They know there is a yield sign there. And yet, even with slick roads and low visibility, most of them just forged ahead, regardless of the fact that there were cars coming on the other road, cars they should have yielded to. The fact that there were no accidents (at least when I was there) is amazing.

As I slowed down to check the traffic and to yield to oncoming cars, I wondered how often this is the way we treat God. In our "hurry-up, get it down, do it myself" world, how often do we hurry in front of God, move on with our own agenda, when our calling is to wait upon the Lord (see Psalm 27:14, among other places). We push ahead, insist on our own agenda, and often end up in a crash. Then, when something doesn't "work," we blame God. More likely, it our own hubris, our own insistence that our way was best, that caused the crash.

Isaiah put it this way: "This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: 'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it'" (30:15). In another place, the prophet reminds the people, "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (40:31). Those who yield to the Lord...will find His plans are better than ours...will find that "crashes" happen less often when we follow His lead...will see the goodness of the Lord...and on and on the promises go. Those who wait on the Lord will find hope...salvation...strength...wholeness.

So...are you waiting on the Lord today? Or are you plowing ahead with your own plans?