It’s in the Person, Not in the Plan
Dramatically rising nearly 1,300 feet above the Belle Fourche River in the Black Hills of northeastern Wyoming is the massive volcanic intrusion of sedimentary rock called Devil’s Tower. Forty years ago I climbed it for the first time. I’m not sure why I climbed it…perhaps, because “it was there”. Next to teaching preschoolers, it was one of the most strenuous and challenging experiences of my life.
During my initial encounter with Mato Tipila, as the Lakota Tribe calls it, I was struggling with a particular pitch. I couldn’t see where to move next and the blood was rushing from my fingers and feet causing me to have the shakes; not a good thing when you’re dangling 500 feet above the ground. Above me with my belay rope was my buddy, John. He told me that he would be my eyes and then instructed me how to position my feet and where I should place my hands. In spite of my pain, fear, and inability to see where to go I moved as he prescribed and, wouldn’t you know it, his directives were right on. My confidence to make the move, though, was not in John’s plan but rather in John’s person. Because of our close relationship I trusted him. That’s the kind of faith God requires of us; one that puts absolute trust in him in spite of our pain, fear, and inability to know what to do next or what he might do next. It’s all about the relationship. He promises to be our eyes. When you trust the person of God you’ll discover that his plans are right on.
“…We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12b)
“We live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)