“And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD” (Joshua 9:14).
Oklahoma winters are comparatively mild. Family and friends, who live farther north, scoff and laugh at our quandary when snow and ice hit our roads. However, when the wind chill is six degrees, or with storms like the ones we’ve experienced these past few winters, our Oklahoma winters do not seem mild—compared to anything.
After one particular storm a couple years ago, I received an early morning phone call from my husband, informing me of the hazardous road conditions. He had passed many wrecks and cars off the road. The rainy drizzle during the night and very early morning hours, had frozen on roadways, bridges and overpasses, as well as sidewalks and porches. Knowing we had many errands that day, he wanted to make sure we knew what we would be facing. I did appreciate the heads up and heeded the advice as I stepped out onto the front porch.
At first glance the porch appeared normal, as did the front sidewalk and driveway. But upon further examination, I noticed a snowflake-like pattern on the porch. As I placed one foot upon it, keeping the other foot firmly upon the welcome mat, I learned, very quickly that it was, indeed, slippery. A very thin sheet of ice covered the porch, sidewalk, and driveway. If he had not warned me, and I had not considered the information, I probably would have walked out onto the porch and met a disastrous end—literally. When the time came to leave for school and errands, we did so with a different perspective and respect for the concrete beneath us. I appreciated my husband’s morning advice.
Has anyone ever told you that you were “on thin ice” or that you were “skating on thin ice”? The phrase usually refers to the dangers of skating on a partially frozen lake or pond. In our case, the thin ice was somethingwe could not even see. If we had gone out onto the concrete boldly prancing around, it would have been because we did not know the ice was there. We were not daring the ice to break under us, but rather, we were ignorant of the circumstances.
The “thin ice” we encountered reminded me of how often we find ourselves on that thin covering of ice in our lives. We seem to just plod and plow right into circumstances without checking what is underneath us. Counsel from the Word of God and from wise Christians often times will point out those places where we might encounter some thin ice.
In Joshua 9, the people of Gibeon tricked Joshua and his leaders into a peace treaty. Joshua did not seek wisdom from God, because, after all, how could a peace treaty be bad business? Verse fourteen, confirms that the men did not seek counsel from God. Because of this, they were saddled with an embarrassing alliance and angry people. The Message says it like this: The men of Israel looked them over and accepted the evidence. However, they did not ask God about it.
The external evidence may not be the correct view. We must never assume. We must always be in communion with our Father so that faith and wisdom can take over. Only then, we can finish the tasks that God gives us. Then we will be able to live our lives, in His way, in His time, and for His purpose.
In practical terms, the new job offer may seem what we want on the surface. However, will we find ourselves on a slippery path when we step out onto a thin sheet of ice? Will we be asked to perform tasks and duties that compromise our character and conviction as a child of God? Maybe a relationship seems innocent, at first, but as we get farther into the path, we hit icy spots that might throw us into a whirl. We may lose control on thin ice. How many people who thought they could handle driving on ice, have gone too fast and experienced devastating results? When we find ourselves in a situation—dangerous from the beginning—yet plow into it full speed ahead, can we not expect the same devastation?
Wherever we find ourselves, let us always seek His voice and then heed His words. If we hear, but do not heed, we are doomed to slip and maybe even fall.
Back to my Oklahoma winter day—the sun shone that afternoon, and the temperature rose into the low 20’s. It was a beautiful day. I finished all my errands and returned safely home. I’m so glad (at least this time) I listened to my husband.
Tracy Payne
Oklahoma
PRAY TOGETHER: Select a prayer partner from your WAC group and pray together for TWG’s daily requests.
