Rediscovering Our Forgotten Compass

I saw an image of a person hiking. They were wearing boots, shorts, a hat and carried a backpack. They were hiking a well-worn trail. The scenery was familiar.  It was obvious other hikers had been walking over the same trail for decades never stepping out of its dusty rut.

Then the image shifted to a drone shot. I was above the person hiking and could see what they were missing by staying on a known trail. As far as the eye could see there were stunning views, unexplored mountain passes and forests that had never been entered.

As I watched theses images, the Lord used an x-ray shot to zoom inside the hiker’s backpack. Deep inside was their compass. The hiker never found a need for the compass as long as they stayed on established trails. In fact, the hiker had not used the compass for so long they forgot it was there.

When the image was finished, I came to realize the Lord was showing me an image of the Church. We have been traveling on predictable trails that have become worn and rutted from repeated use. These trails did not require faith to navigate because they do not lead us to new destinations. What originally started out as a hike into new territory had lost a sense of wonder and anticipation because we stopped believing for more as we repeated the same hike over and over again.

As a reformation of the Church takes place many pioneers will catch a glimpse of something new on a distant horizon that can only be reached by leaving the established trail. In order to make the trek, they will take off their religious backpack to look for the compass. When they finally hold the compass in their hand it will reveal 360 degrees of new possibilities.

In that moment, God will give us a new heading. It will lead us away from what is known to take us in a new direction – 360 new directions, and more. There will be shouts from those who have chosen to stay on the known trail. They will yell, “Come back!” Their shouts will be filled with warnings and fear-based stories of “what is out there”.  When you hear these protests, keep hiking in faith holding true to the heading of your passion. Your new heading will take you into virgin, unexplored territory where the name of Jesus Christ has not yet been heard. This is why a reformation the Church needs to take place in each generation.