A Closer Walk

Befuddled. Befuddlement. According to Merriam-Webster, befuddled is defined as utterly confused or puzzled; deeply perplexed. Befuddlement then would be the state of being befuddled. Ever been befuddled? Probably most of us have at one time or another. A quote from J. R. R. Tolkien, "All that is gold does not glitter, Not all who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless shall again be king." From, "Fellowship Of The Ring," originally published on July 29,1954. The first book of Mr. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
Bewildered. Bewilderment. Merriam-Webster defines bewildered as deeply or utterly confused or perplexed. So befuddled and bewildered are synonyms of each other. Two different ways of saying the same thing. In Mr. Tolkien's quote most people turn the first part of the quote around to say, “All that glitters is not gold.” But let's look at the second part. “Not all who wander are lost.” This implies that we might wander but that doesn't necessarily mean that we are lost. To others it may appear that we are just wandering. But again, our wandering does not mean that we are lost. In this context lost means not knowing where we are, or how to find the path that will take us where we want or need to go. And if we are following our Lord's direction we can not be lost. Look at the ancient Israelites. They wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. But were they lost? Look at Jesus. He wandered in the wilderness also. But was He lost?
We might be befuddled. We might be bewildered. But at no time is our God befuddled or bewildered. He never says, “How did that happen?” He never exclaims, “Oh my goodness! What do I do now?” And. AND! He is never lost. Our God is never lost. Never, ever. Once we get a firm hold on that concept it likely will be easier to put our full and complete trust in our God. “My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep My commands; For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you … Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths,” Proverbs 3:1-2 and 5-6 NKJV.
“The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost.” In our case as children of God the strength to not wither most likely comes from our own deep roots. How do we encourage deep roots? By our personal experiences with our Lord. Because through them we learn and can remind ourselves what He did for us the last time we had a similar situation. Deep roots can be acquired by reading and studying His word to see what He has done for others. “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope,” Romans 15:4 NKJV. Because what He did for others He can do for us. Like the song says, “It is no secret what God can do. What He's done for others He'll do for you. With arms wide open, He'll pardon you. It is no secret what God can do,” words and music by Stuart Hamblen 1908-1989.
Mr. Tolkien eloquently states that all that is gold does not glitter, and all who wander are not lost. The old that is strong does not wither, and deep roots are not reached by the frost. Wandering does not mean we are lost. Like all things in the Kingdom of God wandering has its purpose. It can help us sort things out. Get things straight in our head. And if we do not know why we are wandering, or if we don't understand why the wandering is necessary, we can be assured that our God has a purpose for the wandering. To everything there is a season. And a time for every purpose under heaven. Right? In addition, we can be assured that our Lord is not, repeat not, befuddled or bewildered. Each of us know we should be walking our own straight and narrow. But first we must figure out what straight is. Amen?
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under Heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted ...” Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 NKJV.