The Designated Driver

Do you have a Designated Driver?

Traffic in a foreign country can be a challenge! Sometimes signs are printed only in the local language or there are no signs at all. Sometimes a major artery through the city can change to a "One Way" street for a short distance during construction and it becomes necessry to follow temporary signs through narrow winding detour roads to a destination. While we were serving as missionaries in Korea and Thailand, we had a part time driver. He knew the city well and the legitimate parking areas. He knew where we needed to go and he knew many short cuts that enabled us to arrive at our appointments on time. We could relax with confidence in heavy traffic because he knew the city very well. When I returned to Korea alone after my husband went on to be with the Lord, I had a driver also.We enjoyed close friendships with both of these drivers and their families. They became our designated drivers.

God knows the tomorrows of our life and knows Who can help us make the connections that will bring us to every appointment He assigned to us. He sent the Holy Spirit to guide us, teach us, warn us, keep us safe, and often to change our route in order to prevent us from missing a directional signal or experience something He saw ahead. The ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life is to guide you into all truth, and perfect all things that concern you. "When He the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth." (John 16;13). "He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6).

The Holy Spirit will even show us things to come. When we were finalizing plans to go to Korea as new missionaries, we were to travel by ship so that we could take many supplies with us. Days before we were to board the S.S.Nancy Lykes in Galveston, Texas, I felt troubled that something might happen. As usual, I spent a lot of time praying and asking the Lord to show me what this meant. Because we had last minute dental appointments, we needed to take our last shots, and had the last farewell dinners with family and friends, I felt there was not enough time to pray as we needed to.

On the day we were to board the ship, during my prayer time early in the morning, I had a vision of a great storn or typhoon on the ocean. The Holy Spirit made me to know, yes, we would go through a typhoon but "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." (Deuteronomy 33:27.) Our ship did go through that typhoon and what would have normally taken 10 days to travel to Korea, turned out to be 35 days on the water! The turbulent waves were 40 feet high! Our ship was tossed about like a tiny cork! The wind insruments blew away after registering 100 m.p.h! It was a frightening experience to say the least. Arriving in Seoul, I noticed the heavy one-inch stainless steel steps that led onto the ship had been ripped apart on one side and hung like wet spaghetti, but we arrived in Korea safely! Though I would not want to go through that typhoon again, the experience gave me a deeper appreciation and gratitude for the power and reassurance of God's Word: "Underneath are the everlasting arms!"

Though it was a painful experience while passing through it, the experience was what I needed in the years ahead to accomplish all God did in Korea and Thailand. God is faithful! I often thanked Him for showing me the typhoon to come and giving me a specific Word of reassurance that He was with us in the typhoon. I realized again and again how powerfully the Holy Spirit directed all the affairs of our lives to bring us to the land of our calling! He had shown me many things to come.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit also allows us to see how well He can protect us IN the middle of what could be a tragedy! Sometime ago, while on the expressway in Baton Rouge, a piece of 2x4 fell off a truck four vehicles ahead of us, landing in the middle of the expressway. It was during the rush hour. The driver of the car immediately behind the truck slammed on his brakes, swerved to miss the 2x4 and missed traffic in the next lane. Watching what was happening, drivers of the next three cars (and ours was the fourth) tried to avoid the 2x4 also. Everyone behind him hit his brakes suddenly , leaving a trail of black smoke and back tire marks. My daughter cried out aloud, "Jesus, Jesus!" and began to decide what she should do. To swerve to the right could have caused a possible collision with the next lane traffic. To swerve to the left, we were approaching the soft, uneven grassy shoulder that began to slope downward to traffic on a busy road under that area of the expressway. Suddenly each of the four drivers turned onto the soft shoulder hoping to miss the slope and not turn over on to the traffic below. Instantly there was a four car pile up. But as each driver got out quickly and checked on each other, only one car had touched the bumper of the car ahead of him and no one was injured! Two police cars were on the scene in minutes, followed by two ambulances. Miraculously it was uneventful! Everyone was shook up except the truck driver. He was probably lost somewhere in the traffic ahead. Driving home, I recognized the peace of God was very present in our car as if nothing had happened. Since we had prayed that morning and asked for divine protection, the Holy Spirit Himself had been our Protector, providing quick insight, directing our car supernaturally to a stop, and preventing what might have been a tragedy.

When we traveled in Korea and Thailand, we always asked the angel of the Lord to travel in front of our car, in back of our car, on both sides, over and under it and be in it with us! Our two children and their families still pray that simple prayer before taking an extended trip. In the Psalms David said, "For He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways." (Psalm 91:11) His Word proved to be true again that day!

We need a Guide everyday, one we can depend on to lead us when we are in uncharted areas of life, in decision making, in choices and to guide us back into the Way with Christ if we begin to falter or take a detour away from Him. We need a Guide who knows the unmarked paths in the new areas we are moving into. Jesus said He would send One who could fill all those needs. His name is the Holy Spirit! (John 15). He will become all you need for all the happenings in your life! He will be like a Designated Driver because He knows the way Home! Let Him be yours!