Changing Course
"One night an Admiral on a US Navy Battleship ordered a certain course. The navigation officer, seeing a light in the distance, reported that the battleship now seemed to be on a collision course with another ship. So the Admiral ordered his radio officer to send a message to the on-coming ship that it should change its course 10 degrees to the south. The reply came simply, 'No. You change YOUR course 10 degrees to the south.' After two more unsuccessful exchanges, the Admiral, now quite furious, came thundering into the radio control room, grabbed the microphone, and bellowed into it, 'Do you know that you are talking to an ADMIRAL in the UNITED STATES NAVY!' After a brief moment of silence, the even tempered reply came back, 'Sir, do you know that YOU are talking to the lighthouse?'"
It’s a great illustration of how I handle so many situations in my own life. I confess I like things to be in order and I like having a plan—I also like plans that are well thought out, orderly and dependable with minimal risk or calculation for error—did I mention, that’s what I LIKE!
Since early in life I learned I don’t always get what I like. I’ve had to adapt to expecting more flexible results (mind you, that doesn’t change the first part of my equation). God made me in the part of His image that means to be more organized, professionally planned and reasonable, BUT when he tells me to change direction I believe he’s telling me to do so for my benefit! As in the case of the Admiral’s Battleship, the lighthouse feedback was not merely meant to disrupt or even tick off the Admiral. The warning was to change course so that devastation could be avoided.
Now don’t read too much into all this, it’s just what the Lord put on my heart today. Sometimes we think that changes course means total annihilation of the previous plan. It seems awkward and strange and scary and so our gut reaction is to stay on the course we planned for ourselves to be on. I know many of you can testify to this very idea – you thought it was going to go one way, and low and behold it wound up taking you down a path you never imagined. I think this is why David wrote so many verses and passages underlined with repeated surrender to God’s way, his truth and his sovereignty. God can be very much like the lighthouse for us—he sees exactly where we are and fortunately, if we will listen, he knows exactly what feedback to give us to correct our course and keep us from otherwise certain troubles. He cares for us, loves us, wants to see us succeed in the deepest way. It is worth it to put our hope in him, as David wrote, “All day long”, because he is our God and He is good!
Whether it’s a 10 degree correction or just a simple nudge, keep an open ear to how the Lord might want to change your course.
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