Tuesday 27th June 2023

As you probably all know I work in Exeter and commute there twice a week (as I’m a ‘hybrid’ worker now) via train. I’m used to commuting by train as I did it for several years into various parts of London. As interesting as that journey could be, my current commute through Teignmouth, Dawlish and up the Exe is significantly nicer. Commuting can be a chore, however (as again I think most people know) I’ve a lifelong interest in trains and the rail industry in general which contributes to the overall feeling that my commute is actually quite fun. As Bernard (if he were here) would confirm, having an interest in trains is more than just watching them go past – you need to know exactly where and when to stand, be aware of any delays or changes to the timetable and for that I (and many other rail enthusiasts) use a website called ‘Realtime trains’ which is (for want of a better phrase) a trainspotters bible as it contains all the information you could need in, as the name suggests, real time.

This website has proved its worth to me over the years, not just in knowing when a special train is coming through, but in helping me out with my commute. Because it is constantly updating it monitors, as I said, delays and also platform alterations. And this is where it fits into a devotions, I’m not just talking about trains (Although I could) for the next half an hour. More often than not, RTT updates quicker than station information boards or word of changes gets through to staff themselves. It happened today in fact. With several delays and cancellations (as usual) on various parts of the network my train came in on a different platform to normal. I checked RTT out of habit and picked up on this change and duly made my way to the new platform. Usually the change to RTT is swiftly followed by updates to the departure boards but today these didn’t change, leaving me in the position where I needed to trust the website, or trust the boards. Nobody else was aware of the change, everyone was stood where they always do (anyone here who’s commuted I’m sure will know that you see the same faces every day and more often than not people stand on the same spot on the platform, and get in the same carriage by the same door). So I had a choice to trust the website (and my instinct) and stand on an empty platform on my own or go with the majority, despite being confident that they were wrong.

In the end I trusted RTT and the train duly came in on the platform I was on, and left a large number of people desperately rushing across the station to make the train while I was able to get on it, get a seat and get comfortable.

It can be hard to trust you’re doing the right thing sometimes, particularly when it’s the opposite of what everyone else is doing. As the Bible says in Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."