Trusting the Master Builder

The Path Around the Bend

Last week, we talked about the necessity of Taking Action. We established that while God reveals the path, we are the ones who must take the initiative to put one foot in front of the other. But what happens when we can't see around a bend in the road?  Do I trust the Creator of the path or do I stop and look for another route?

I am currently walking the path He created for me. My feet are moving, and I am committed to the journey. However, there is a reality we all face: I cannot see what is around the next turn!  We want a straight, well-lit highway. Instead, we frequently find ourselves facing a blind curve. 

A few years ago a friend of mine and I went on a motorcycle trip.  As we headed down the road, we came upon a "Road Closed" barricade in our path.  We pulled over to decide what we were going to do.  The barricade was blocking the path to our destination.  My friend said, "Let's find out why the road is closed!"  So, we motored around the sign and headed down the "closed" road.  It wasn't but a few yards and around a bend, we discovered that a bridge repair was underway and there was no way around it.  From the barricade we couldn't see the danger around the bend...... but the sign was there to warn us!

While the "next turn" is hidden, the final destination is not. As believers, we have a glorious certainty: eternity with Jesus. This is the "completion" Paul speaks of in Philippians 1:6. We aren't wandering aimlessly; we are moving toward a specific, guaranteed conclusion. The end of the story is written, and it is beautiful. But it’s the space between our current step and that final horizon where the real work happens.

In the NIV, Philippians 1:6 tells us:

"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

When we take action and walk the path, we aren't just moving through space; we are being moved through a process. Every blind turn, every uphill climb, and every season of waiting is a tool in the Master Builder's hand.

• Sometimes, around a blind turn, God reveals a habit or a mindset that needs to be torn down before something new can be built.

• He uses the uncertainty of the road to build the "infrastructure" of trust and dependence within us.

• The most encouraging part of this verse is that the project’s success doesn't depend on our ability to see the future. It depends on His faithfulness to keep working on us until the job is done.

The transition we must make is moving from merely doing the walk to being the work.

If you find yourself at a turn in the road today where you can’t see what’s next, don't mistake your lack of vision for a dead end.  You are an "unfinished project," and the Builder has never once walked off the job.

Keep walking. The destination is sure, and the One who started this work in you is far too faithful to leave it incomplete.