My 18-year-old son talked me into watching the extended version of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Now that he has gotten me started, he doesn’t have to prod me to continue. I am hooked, and I am sure I will be sad as I come to the end of the final disc.
While my husband and son enjoy watching the battles and rooting on the good guys, one of the early scenes that stands out in my mind occurs after the hobbit Frodo agrees to be the ring-bearer. He is one of the most insignificant and least likely characters to complete the task of taking the dreaded/coveted ring to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom. Standing at the head of the procession of the “fellowship” -- the nine individuals who are sworn to help him accomplish the impossible -- Frodo leads the group outside the safety of Rivendell. Trying to appear confident, he whispers to his friend Gandalf, “Which way?”
I wonder how many of us feel exactly as Frodo did at that pivotal time in his life. We stand at the crossroads of a decision and wrestle with the direction we should go. Perhaps we are irritated at ourselves because we think we should be more certain about what to do. By this time, we should have a handle on this thing called life. We have others to lead, maybe a wife, maybe children, maybe those on our job or in ministry. But we really don’t know which way to go, while we are anxiously aware that people are depending upon us to lead them.
That’s when we need a friend like Gandalf, who didn’t laugh at Frodo or ridicule him, but whispered from just over his shoulder which direction to go so Frodo could strike out with confidence.
The key to this interchange is the friendship and trust that bound Frodo and Gandalf together. Without that trust, Frodo might have hesitated at Gandalf’s direction, perhaps deciding his ideas were better than Gandalf’s and leading everyone astray.
So it is with our lives. How much we need to have that friendship and trust relationship with God to keep us going in the right direction, to let us know we are not alone in life’s challenges. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21 NIV)
The greatest compliment we can pay God is to trust Him -- that is what pleases Him the most. The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. (Hebrews 11:1 Message)
Gandalf and Frodo enjoyed one another’s company for many years, learning to trust one another. We have the invitation to enjoy the company of God Almighty, our Creator, so we can learn to trust Him and recognize His voice, which will never lead us astray.
