Icy Road
One was very deep in the midst of a hard winter, the long and protracted heavy snow storm had chilled deeply and dumped deep snowdrifts everywhere, so now as all the supplies were getting pretty low, fuel was well due for replacement, but civilization was some many miles away, and way down at a much lower altitude, but the twisty narrow mountain pass, with its steep drop off to the one side, where the chilly waters tumbled, roared and swirled over the smooth boulders, making their way far down to the placid lake in the valley far below, and where the high cliffs loomed high up above, and the roadway just snaked and wound its way through the steep mountain pass, and down to the lowlands below, not the task you would relish at this time of the year, but as the cool sun came out, things had to happen, and they had to happen right now. The old trusty pickup truck was dug out of the snow drift, dusted off with shovel and broom, the engine finally and reluctantly burst into life, the heater got going on full to try to clear the windscreen of ice, the last of the snow drifts were shoveled away to free it from the mound of snow that the wind had piled on and almost totally over it, warm cloths and mittens, a quick hug, and the two intrepid travelers set out, a smooth snow scape in front, and two trenches where the wheels had packed down the fresh powder snow, snaked out in a long pair of parallel lines behind them.
They carefully negotiated their side road, but when they turned the corner, and looked down the hill onto the main road, there it was, actually there they were, a nice fresh pair of wheel tracks, and pretty fresh ones at that, as the soft wind had not blown any powdery snow into the tracks. This sure makes life easier, somebody has been this way before us, all we have to do is to keep our wheels in those wheel tracks, take it gently, for they have trod the way before us, forged a sure path, and any hidden dangers, black ice, and hazards are not a problem, they have safely passed over the way before, so we can safely and confidently follow behind, we can clearly see the way before us. The pair never did actually catch up, or find out who had paved the way for them, but they did get down the mountain very safely, and in a good time considering the snowy weather and all the hazards, as somebody had very recently passed that way before them, laying out the trail, making the burden and fears light, going on before them, breaking new ground.
Jesus has trod the way before us, made things so easy for us to follow, we can choose to walk in his footsteps, or we can chose to go our own way and to forge our own path, and risk all the many pitfalls and traps that can so easily wreak you on the mountains of sin, leaving you very cold, abandoned and probably dead. Matthew 16:24-27 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” Psalm 119:105 “Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Jesus has forged the path before, laid out for us all the way-marks, given us a map-book called “The Bible,” given us the Holy Spirit to keep us in all our ways, so we have much assurance, we just need to stay within the “Wheel Tracks.” John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
Genesis 17:1 “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I [am] the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” Mark 14:28 “But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.” All through the Gospels, Jesus regularly used this term, “Follow Me,” as he is offering such a superior way, following in Jesus’ wheel tracks, will mean that you will always successfully navigate all that there is out there, you will stay on the road, Jesus is keeping you away from the ditches, and to then have you arrive safely “Home,” in Eternity. John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Jesus has driven the road before us, he has avoided all the pot holes and dangerous spots, erected warning sign posts, so here we have the assurance that if we just follow closely behind, stay in his wheel tracks, we are assured of arriving safely, on the easiest pathway.
I do believe that when we all get to Heaven, and sit down with Jesus, and go over the path that we have trodden, and reviewed the providential path we have trodden, we will quickly see that the way Jesus has led in our past was actually the very best path, the very safest path, and like a “Giant Puzzle Maize” if we followed carefully at every twist and turn, we do actually get to the end, with minimum of dead ends, if we let Faith and not Fear give sway, we will get there, we just need to stay closely behind, following Jesus’ Wheel Tracks.
