In a small eastern Kentucky town, the local police chief was also on the Volunteer Fire Department. His job was to answer the phone in event of a fire, and ring the fire bell to summon volunteer firemen. One morning the phone rang and the chief answered, “Fire department”. Out of the ear piece came a woman’s terrified voice, “Hurry, send the fire truck!” But immediately she hung up. The chief sat there stunned. “Send it where?” In a very few minutes the phone
rang again, and the chief again answered, “Fire department”. Once more, in hysteria, she cried, “Hurry! Hurry! Send the fire truck”. Again, she immediately hung up the phone. The chief was very upset and frustrated. He ran out into the street, looking around in a full 360 degrees for smoke. No smoke. Where was the fire? Whose house was going up in flames? Were there children in danger? All these things flooded his mind. He heard the phone ring again, and on the way back to the station office he devised a way to keep the lady on the phone long enough to determine where to send the fire truck. He grabbed the phone and said, “Where’s the fire?” The voice on the other end yelled, “In the kitchen”! And she promptly hung up the phone once more.
We can understand the chief’s frustration. This humorous, fictional account illustrates how confusion stems from a lack of information. Like when a child isn’t picked up at school or a bill isn’t paid because one parent forgot to tell the other about a change in plans. But guess where the most confusion exists? The greatest amount of confusion exists in religion. No real surprise there! Why? Because too many people rely on what they hear from everybody. Everybody but the Lord.
The Lord won’t confuse you. Take God at His word. Trust His word. Read His word. Submit to His word, and it will be clear.