Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.
Psalm 143:8 (NLT)
My family and I were watching dog agility challenges on TV the other evening. If you don’t know what an agility challenge is, it is essentially an obstacle course for dogs. The dog, at the command of their trainer, must navigate the course in the correct order, and as fast as they possibly can. It is really impressive! If you haven’t seen it before, there are lots of clips on YouTube or other Internet sites. You should check it out.
What always strikes me is how disciplined the dogs are. They obey every word, every command from their trainer. They don’t start the race until told to do so. They navigate to each obstacle as the trainer directs. They race through it with skill and grace. The trainer and dog are perfectly in-sync with each other. And, the dogs love it! (Meanwhile, my husky walked head-first into a pole this morning because he was distracted by a bird and wasn’t paying attention to my repeated warning of, “Pole, pole, POLE!” Dong!)
Of course, what the race doesn’t show is the countless hours that the trainer and dog spend together. They go over things time after time. The dog has been trained to lock in to the trainer’s voice, not getting distracted by the crowd (or birds). The race won’t go well if the dog decides that the trainer doesn’t know what’s best and does his own thing. Their teamwork didn’t develop overnight. It is something they work at for years. And, as a result, a mutual trust is built. The dog trusts the trainer to lead him perfectly, the trainer trusts the dog to fulfill the goal they’ve worked toward.
In our faith journey, we have a trainer/trainee relationship with God. No, He doesn’t consider us dogs. But, in our relationship with Him, He must be in charge. There can only be one in charge. And, much like with an agility challenge, our lives are full of twists, turns, tunnels, hills, and teeter-totters. (If you don’t know how a teeter totter comes into play, you didn’t listen when I said to search for a video.) As the psalmist states in our verse today, “I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.”
Tune in to God. Focus on His voice throughout the day. Let Him lead.
ChadReisig.org 