Trust the Right Person

"Trust the Right Person"

Pastor Jerry

Psalm 23

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Many people get excited about the idea of traveling the world. So, imagine yourself on such a trip in a jungle. Your friends convinced you it was time and here you are. And you ventured into the thick, strange world of the jungle. Sound interesting? Imagine that you are in the jungle, but lost and alone. You paused to lace your boot, and when you looked up, no one was near. And you have been alone for a long time. Your watch was attached to your pack, and your pack is on the shoulder of another traveler who volunteered to hold it. So, here you are, stuck in the middle of nowhere. You have a problem. You are out of your element. What's worse, you aren't equipped. And now you are trapped-and you haven't a clue how to get out.   Sound like fun to you? Let me ask how would you feel? Fear? Of course. Anxiety? Sure. Anger? Yes. (You'd like to get your hands on those folks who convinced you to take this trip.) But most of all –you feel hopelessness? No idea where to turn. No hunch what to do. Who could blame you for burying your face in your hands & thinking, I'll never get out of here? You have no direction, no equipment, no hope. Can you sense how it feels to be out of your element? Out of solutions? Out of ideas and energy? Can you imagine how it feels to be out of hope? If you can, you can relate to many people in this world. For many people life is—a jungle. Not a jungle of trees and beasts. But our jungles are composed of something different, that of contagious diseases, broken hearts, and empty wallets. We don't hear the screeching of birds or the roaring of lions, but we do hear the complaints of politicians and the demands of bosses. Our predators are our creditors, and the brush that surrounds us is the uncertainty that terrifies us. It's a jungle out there. And for many, hope is in short supply. Not a very pretty picture, is it? Let's see if we can brighten it up. How would it feel to be rescued? What would it take to restore your hope? Though the answers are abundant, I want to give three. (1) The first would be you need a person you can trust. Not just any person. You need someone who knows the jungle. Someone you can trust. (2) Second you need a person with some vision about what to do. You need someone to look you in the face and say, "This isn't the end. There is a better place than this waiting for you." (3) And of most importance you need a person who has direction. If you have a person who has direction—who can take you from this place to the right place—you have one who can restore your hope. Or, to use David's words, "He restores my soul" (Ps. 23:3 NKJV). Such a person is One who is able to restore hope to the soul. Everything changes when your rescuer appears.  Your loneliness diminishes because you have fellowship. Your despair decreases because you have vision. Your confusion begins to lift because you have direction. Please note: you haven't left the jungle. The jungle is still a jungle. It hasn't changed, but you have. You have changed because your hope has been restored. And you have hope because you have met someone who can lead you out. Jesus, who is a Good Shepherd, knows that you were not made for this place. So he has come to guide you out. He is the only one who can do so. He has the right vision. He reminds you that "you are like foreigners and strangers in this world" (1 Peter 2:11 NCV). And he urges you to lift your eyes from the jungle around you to see the heaven above you. "Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ .... See things from his perspective" (Col. 3:2 THE MESSAGE). David said it this way: "I lift up my eyes to the mountains-where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber.... The LORD watches over you ... the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm--he will watch over your life" (Ps. 121:1-3, 5-7). God, your rescuer, has the right vision. He also has the right direction. He made the boldest claim in the history of humanity when he declared, "I am the way" (John 14:6). People wondered if the claim was accurate. He answered their questions by cutting a path through the underbrush of sin and death ... and escaping alive. He's the only One who ever did. And he is the only One who can help you and me do the same. He has the right vision: he has seen the heavenly home. He has the right directions: he has cut the path. But most of all he is the right person, because he is our God. Who knows the jungle better than the One who made it? And who knows the pitfalls of the path better than the One who has walked it? A man on an African safari deep in the jungle asked his guide ahead of him "Where are we? Where is the path?" The stopped and looked back at the man and replied, "I am the path." We ask the same questions, don't we? We ask God, "Where are you taking me? Where is the path?" And he, like the guide, doesn't tell us. Oh, he may give us a hint or two, but that's all. If he did tell us, would we understand? Would we comprehend our location? No, like the traveler, we are unacquainted with this jungle. So rather than give us an answer, Jesus gives us a far greater gift. He gives us himself. Does he remove the jungle? No. Does he purge the predators? No. Jesus doesn't give hope by changing the jungle; he restores our hope by giving us himself And he has promised to stay until the very end. "I Am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matt. 28:20). We need that reminder. We all need that reminder. For all of us need hope. Perhaps you don't need it right now. But remember, we do not know what tomorrow holds. We do not know where this road will lead. You may be one turn from a cemetery, from a virus, from a broken house. You may be entering a jungle. And though you don't need your hope restored today, you may tomorrow. And you need to know to whom to turn. Or perhaps you do need hope today. You know you were not made for what you are going through. You want someone to lead you out. If so, put your trust in the right person. Many in the world are calling you to follow. They say they know what will make you happy! But it all leads you to a dead end. You need to put your trust in Jesus! He is the Good Shepherd! He knows the path that leads you out of your jungle. He knows what you need. You can gain the whole world, and still lose your soul. What would you give in exchange for your soul? Would you give your all to Jesus? He's waiting for you!