The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
- Proverbs 16:9
I confess… I don’t really have a blog this week. It’s not that I didn’t write one – oh, I did! I wrote and thought and edited and wrote and thought then wrote some more. When finally completed, I reread it and wondered if there was a point to what I had written. Or, maybe I had six or seven points that didn’t connect well. It’s hard to say. What is not hard to say is that, when reading it, the voice of Charlie Brown’s mother came to mind. “Wah, wah-wah, wah-wah, wah-wahhh…”
When writing blogs, I pray for direction, much like pastors do when preparing a sermon. As I hope you do in your own life, I pray that the Spirit will guide me to where He wants me to be – in my case, guide me to that which the Lord would have me learn and address, to the subject or subjects about which He would like me to write. While that sounds devout and pious, it would be dishonest for me to claim I am always listening for the prompting of the Spirit, even when I know that any and all things good come from God.
Have you been watching and reading about the submersible that went down to view the Titanic? Indeed, how could you not with the ongoing coverage on every news outlet? What an awful tragedy! It was also an enticing distraction, and I’ll be honest about that, too. It’s the proverbial “looking at the wreck” syndrome that stops traffic on both sides of the road. How do you not look?
Perhaps because the venture was so exotic or maybe because the men involved were among the very wealthy, the story caught the attention of the world for the week. The macabre conclusion of the risky undertaking confirmed the pessimists, wounded the optimists, and unleashed the vaguely knowledgeable to offer a barrage of remotely informed commentary. Still… a magnetic distraction…
My point is that, irrespective of the topic I was planning to explore, the blog I wrote might best be described as a heap of disjointed thoughts and extravagant words that, when strung together, gave the illusion of significance while conveying little of substance. Conceivably that was the point of this week’s blog after all. We can weave together intricate strands of thought and make our plans accordingly, but thankfully, the Lord directs our path.
I am not particularly a fan of Henry Kissinger, who doesn’t know I exist and wouldn’t care about my opinion if he did, but in an article written by Douglas Murray, he quotes Kissinger as saying, “The more time one spends simply absorbing information, the less time one has to apply wisdom. And then there’s common sense. Lord Salisbury had long periods of reflection in which he applied wisdom and common sense.” (Lord Salisbury was the last member of the House of Lords to serve as Prime Minister of England.) Murray’s point, however, is that for as much information and knowledge as we’ve gained, we have become increasingly stupider. We do not take the time to be still and reflect, to allow information to make the journey to wisdom. I confess to being guilty of this charge from time to time, hopefully less time than more time.
The ideas and plans of so many today are disturbing and too often dangerous. The cacophony of important voices (self-ordained or otherwise) bounce back and forth in a broadcasted echo chamber, and we cannot escape the overwhelming noise. Yet, the Lord establishes the steps of men, meaning that the unfolding of human history belongs to our Lord and not the plans of men. I find that reassuring. The wisdom of the Lord will redirect or thwart false knowledge or even true knowledge applied without wisdom. Let this be a word of encouragement for all of us.
As for my blog, I believe I’ll leave the pile of lovely words in the electronic trash bin. Then, I will pray again, listen again, and start again for next week, asking the Lord to direct my steps.
In Christ –
Rev. Elizabeth Moreau