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Transcript

The Journey · Wilder Whispers Podcast

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Hey friend, welcome to Wilder Whispers, a space where we slow down and listen for God's voice in the ordinary moments of life.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Shay Wooden and I'm so glad you're here.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: We often expect God to speak through big moments, a sermon, a breakthrough, a perfectly quiet prayer time, and he does, but so often he chooses quieter ways, in the middle of everyday life, in the unnoticed moments, in gentle whispers that invite us closer.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Each episode, I'll share one simple story and the quiet truth God revealed through it, not because it was extraordinary, but because he was present.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: So wherever you are right now, take a breath, let's slow down, and listen together.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: When we're planning a trip, we usually start with the destination.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Where are we going?
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: We put it in the GPS, we figure out how long it's going to take, and we make our plans around getting there.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: And there's nothing wrong with knowing where you're going.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: But I've been thinking about how much can happen between where you start and where you eventually arrive.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: The stops you didn't plan, the people you meet, the things you see, even the parts of the trip you would have missed if you had taken a different route.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I wonder how often we do the same thing with God.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: We're so focused on where we're trying to get to that we don't always pay attention to what he's doing along the way.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: Recently, God reminded me that there is more to the journey than simply arriving.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Every year I go to the Preacher Girl conference at Hope NYC in Jamaica, Queens.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: And normally I fly.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: But this year we also went to Chesapeake, Virginia to visit family.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Originally, the plan was to go to Virginia the week before the conference, come home on Wednesday, and then I would turn around and fly to New York on Thursday.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: As my husband and I were talking through all of this, I had a thought.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Why don't we just drive to New York and then drive down to Virginia?
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: He was staying in Virginia a week longer than I was, so I could just fly home from there.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: Then we started thinking, if we were going to drive anyway, why not leave a couple of days early and go through Boston?
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: And if we're going through Boston, we might as well see if the Red Sox were playing.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: And they were.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: And even better, they were playing the White Sox.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: So now, what had started as simply figuring out how to get to New York and Virginia included a stop in Boston and a baseball game at Fenway Park.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: Same trip, same places we needed to get to, but now there were things we could experience along the way that we never would have experienced if I had just gotten on a plane.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: I was going over all of this in my mind one morning when I heard the Holy Spirit whisper, it's not just about the destination, it's about the journey to.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: You see, the destination may be settled, but there's still a journey to travel.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: And how we travel matters.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: So what does Scripture show us about the journey between where we begin and where we're ultimately going?
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: When we planned our trip, Boston wasn't the destination.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: We didn't have to go through Boston to get to New York, and we certainly didn't have to go to Fenway Park.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: But because we changed the route, something we hadn't originally planned became part of the journey.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I think sometimes we can become so focused on where we're going that we miss the opportunities God places before us along the way.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's a person God wants us to notice.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's an opportunity to serve or a moment to obey.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes it's simply something beautiful he's given us to enjoy, a place we've never seen or a conversation we didn't expect.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: A moment we would have missed if we had been in too much of a hurry to get somewhere.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: When you look at the life of Jesus, he was never so focused on where he was going that he missed what was happening around him.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: Jarus' daughter was waiting for him, but on the way there, a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years reached out and touched the hem of his garment.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus was passing through Jericho, and there was Zacchaeus up in a tree.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: But it wasn't always about stopping to minister to someone.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus went to a wedding in Cana.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: He sat around tables and he shared meals with people.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: He spent time with his friends, and in all of it, his life brought glory to the Father.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's something we can miss.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: We tend to recognize the moments that look spiritual, the opportunity to serve someone, to obey God, to pray with somebody.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: But there are other opportunities along the way too.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: To enjoy something beautiful God created, to laugh with people we love, to sit around a table, to celebrate, to simply be present and receive the moment with a grateful heart.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: Those moments aren't separate from a life lived for God.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: We can glorify Him in those moments as well.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Everything God has for us isn't waiting at the destination.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: Some of it's along the way.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: But there's another side to this.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want to be so focused on getting to the destination that we miss the journey, but we also can't get so caught up in the journey that we forget where we're going.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: Paul says in Philippians 3 12, not that I have already attained or am already perfected, but I press on.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: Paul knew he wasn't there yet.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: He still had some ground to cover.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I think we all know there are times when moving forward feels easy.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Things are happening, doors are opening, we can see God moving, and we have a pretty good idea of where he's leading us.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: And then there are those other stretches.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: Nothing seems to be happening.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: Things don't go the way we planned.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: There's a delay, a detour, maybe a disappointment we never saw coming.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes just continuing is an act of faith.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: But Paul said, I press on.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I love that because pressing isn't the same thing as rushing.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: Paul said press, not panic.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to figure out how to get ten miles down the road.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you just need to take the next step God has given you.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: And Paul knew where he was headed.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: He says in verse 14, I press toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: He wasn't just moving for the sake of moving.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: There was a goal in front of him.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: And that's where the destination matters.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: When you know where you're going, it helps you make decisions along the way.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: You begin to recognize that every road isn't your road.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: Every opportunity isn't your opportunity.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: There may be unexpected stops.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: There may be detours, and the journey may look very different from what you thought it would.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: But keep moving to where God is leading you.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to hurry, but you do have to keep moving.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: And if we're going to keep moving, we have to remember this isn't a short trip.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: This journey with Christ is a lifetime.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: Paul talks about running a race in 1 Corinthians 9.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: He says, run in such a way that you may obtain it.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: And then he starts talking about self-control.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: Because anybody can start something.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: The question is, can you keep going?
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: Can you keep seeking God when you've been walking with him for years?
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: Can you keep obeying when obedience gets hard?
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: Can you keep praying when you haven't seen the answer yet?
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: Can you stay in the Word when nobody is checking to see if you did?
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: Those things matter because they're what sustains us for the long haul.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's easy to be excited at the beginning, but we're not just trying to start well.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: We want to finish well.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: And near the end of Paul's life, he writes in 2 Timothy 4 and 7, I have fought the good fight.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: I have finished the race.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: I have kept the faith.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: I keep coming back to those last few words.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: I have kept the faith.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: Because think about everything Paul went through between the road to Damascus and the moment he wrote those words.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: He was beaten.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: He was imprisoned.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: He was rejected.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: He was shipwrecked.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: He was threatened.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: He was misunderstood.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: People walked away from him.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: That's a lot of road between the beginning and the end.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: And after all of it, Paul could still say, I believe.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: I still belong to Jesus.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: I kept the faith.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: That's how I want to finish.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: Not just I made it, but I kept the faith.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: Because finishing well isn't just about reaching the end.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's about reaching the end, still faithful to the one who called you at the beginning.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: So when you reach the end of the journey, will you be able to say what Paul said?
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: I finished the race.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: I kept the faith.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: Take a moment and think about your journey.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: Are you so focused on where you're trying to get that you're missing some of what God has put right in front of you?
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe there are opportunities you've been rushing past.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: People you haven't really noticed.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you haven't allowed yourself to enjoy the good things God has given you along the way.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: And then think about how you're traveling.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: Are you still moving in the direction God is leading you?
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: Are you taking the next step, even when things aren't happening as quickly as you'd like?
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: Are you doing the things that will keep your faith strong for the long haul?
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because how we travel matters.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: And if you keep traveling the way you're traveling right now, where is it taking you?
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: Will you reach the end still able to say, I kept the faith?
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: Hebrews 12 1 tells us to run with endurance the race that is set before us.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: And then verse 2 tells us where to look while we're running, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: Keep your eyes on Jesus.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: I think about Luke 9.51 when Jesus steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: He knew where he was going.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: He knew what was waiting for him there.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: And he knew what he had come to do.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: But he didn't rush through everything between where he was and where he was going.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: He still stopped for people.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: He taught.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: There was purpose in the journey all the way to the cross.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: And when he got there, Jesus could say, It is finished.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: He completed what the Father had sent him to do.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: Hebrews tells us that for the joy set before him, he endured the cross.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's the one we're looking to.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: When you're tired, keep your eyes on Jesus.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: When you don't understand the road you're on, keep your eyes on Jesus.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: When you're not sure you can keep going, keep your eyes on Jesus.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: He is the author and finisher of our faith.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're listening and you've never started this journey with him, Jesus said in John 14 and 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: He doesn't just show us the way, he is the way.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: The journey begins with him.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: And we keep our eyes on him all the way home.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: Father, thank you for the journey you have given us.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you that you walk with us every step of the way.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: Help us to see what you're doing along the road.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: Give us eyes to see the people you place in front of us and the opportunities you give us to serve.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: And help us not rush past the good things you give us along the way.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: Teach us to receive those moments with gratitude and to glorify you in them.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: Keep us moving when the road is difficult.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: Give us endurance when we're tired.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: When we don't understand the route, help us trust you.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: And through every mile, keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_00: Strengthen us to obey you, to live faithfully, and to keep walking with you for all of our days.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: And Father, when we finally reach the end of this journey, may we be able to say, I finished the race.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: I kept the faith.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: In the name of Jesus we pray.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: Recently, we were driving home from Gatlinburg and I noticed a man driving in the middle lane.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: The speed limit was 70, and he was going 73.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: I know because every time I looked over at him, he was going exactly the same speed.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: 73.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: Cars would come up behind him and ride his bumper.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: He didn't speed up.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: There were other lanes.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: They could go around him, and eventually they did.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: But he just kept going steady.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: Eventually we passed him, but I kept thinking about that man.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: Later in the drive, I was in the passing lane.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: I was already going over the speed limit.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: Not quite 10 miles over because I'm not trying to get a ticket when a car came flying up behind me.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: And almost immediately I felt myself wanting to speed up.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: Not because I needed to, but because somebody behind me wanted me to.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I remembered that man, still going 73.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I thought, this is your journey.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't need to speed up just because somebody behind me wanted to go faster.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: I knew where I was going.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: I just needed to keep going.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe that's what somebody listening needs to hear today.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: Don't let the pressure around you determine how you travel the road God has given you.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: You know where you're going.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: Keep going.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: And today's closing whisper to carry with you is this this is your journey.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: Stay in your lane.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: Keep your eye on the prize and get there safely.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for spending this time with me on Wilder Whispers.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: I hope today's story reminded you that God is closer than we often realize and that he's still speaking, even in the ordinary moments of life.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: Whispers are the language of closeness.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: They invite us to lean in.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: As you go about your day, whether you're working, resting, driving, or just trying to catch your breath, stay attentive.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: God is not far away.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: He's not silent.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: He's near.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: And he's speaking.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, keep listening.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: This is Wilder Whispers, and I'm Shayward.