The Drive


Mic 3:7  Visionaries will be confused, experts will be all mixed up. They'll hide behind their 

	reputations and make lame excuses to cover up their God-ignorance." 

Mic 3:8  But me--I'm filled with GOD's power, filled with GOD's Spirit of justice and strength, 

	Ready to confront Jacob's crime and Israel's sin. 


	For most young people in their early teens, especially boys, there is this 

growing vision of "themselves behind the wheel". They begin to watch more closely 

what is actually going on in the driving process as they are riding along with a 

licensed driver. There is this recurring dream of them in the driver's seat of their car 

of choice waving at their friends as they pass by. Again, probably more so in the case 

of the young males, they have this exhilarating thought of pushing the pedal to the 

metal and finding out what it's like to beat their friend in a drag race. 

	If they happen to be the more studious type, to this vision of them driving 

could be added the knowledge of how to actually perform all the movements 

necessary to do so. From library books, web info, and instructional videos (Too Fast, 

Too Furious?) they could begin to feel very confident that they really know all there is 

to know about driving. They could even learn about the art of driving a big semi-

truck and heavy equipment. Their vision of driving could even take them beyond the 

restraints of gravity to experience the thrill of lifting off of the earth in control of 

their own plane. In their acquisition of all this knowledge they could really become 

quite the expert at all of this driving stuff. Asked a question about what a driver 

should do in any given situation, there might be an immediate correct answer of 

exactly what should be done. They could even begin to conduct classes on how to 

drive and instill this wonderful knowledge in other would-be drivers. Over a period 

of time they could even develop a large following of "experts" and "visionaries" 

possessing all the essential knowledge of what it takes to drive. Never having touched 

a steering wheel they could yet be the masters of driving skills. 

	I happened to grow up in a community that really existed to support the 

farms of the surrounding countryside. Most of my friends lived on a farm and grew 

up doing their chores and helping with the actual farming. The neat thing about 

farms where I grew up was that they were really pretty far away from anything else, 

and you could sit on the front porch of a farmhouse sometimes for hours before a car 

would pass by. So, there was much less potential for having an altercation with 

another operator of a moving vehicle. Also, because it was so far between fields and 

different locations where work was being done, it was very helpful to be able to drive 

at the earliest possible age and be able to "go fetch this" or "take this over there". 

Most of my friends were turning the wheel from their dad's lap as a child and actually 

operating a car as soon as they could barely touch the pedals and see through the 

steering wheel. The pickups (which were the normal work vehicle) often had manual 

transmissions and would require, not only the manipulation of the steering wheel, 

accelerator and brake, but also the clutch and gear shift. These skills were all learned 

from the personal instruction of their fathers with a ready hand to demonstrate an 

action or correct a potentially dangerous decision or movement. As a result most of 

the young people were driving way before the legal age and were really very skilled at 

the actual movements of driving. When they actually got their license there was no 

difficulty whatsoever with safely maneuvering the vehicle, they just needed to know 

when to do what according to the laws. 

	Most of these friends of mine never read one word about how to drive and 

could have been considered from that standpoint completely ignorant about what it 

takes to drive, especially next to our previously considered "expert" (the recently 

decorated Doctor of Driving Skills). But, given the choice of which one I would have 

occupy the driver's seat to take me across town, it would be a no-brainer - my friend 

from the countryside. Given no other choice but the good Doctor himself, I might 

even choose to go for a walk. There is knowledge gained from the lap of a father and 

his gentle instruction that will never be replaced by volumes of head knowledge, and 

the hand guided by practice and experience is much more sure than the hand guided 

by a thought. 

	There is a wealth of knowledge available to us in the Word, on tapes, and on 

video about how to drive through life, established in righteousness. It is possible to 

actually become an expert on every aspect of this skill, having observed it in others 

and been given an inspired vision of what it takes to do so. The actual safe passage 

across this life, though, will only be possible with a knowledge that comes from 

crawling up in the lap of our Father and allowing His touch to guide our movements 

as we learn skills that come from the experience of His presence. Each passage from 

His Word will become His voice of personal instruction as it becomes something that 

moves past the limits of the mind to the potential of the heart. The "experts" and 

high-minded philosophers will be confounded at the actual functioning of "righteous 

driving" in the life of one who has found their source of knowledge to be in the 

personal instruction of their Father rather than the scholastic accolades of mental 

ascension. 

	 

Let there be a movement gained 

Of holy skilled progression 

Towards a life in Him complete 

And found in His direction	

More than letters on a page 

Of lofty thoughts and visions

Let the voice of His Word be

His hand on mine instruction


3/27/04