two things

Two things I know for sure:

I have no idea where God is leading me.

I know I will arrive there just in time.

the wilderness

Faith has been a big subject in my life lately. I've made many (scary) decisions that I know are good for me, but they've taken more than everything in me to make them - and keep them. Throughout this season, I've often found myself coming back to a scene in my head. I'll try and convey it to you...

When God brought the ten plagues against the Egyptians, it was not only to convince the Pharaoh to let them go, but also so that God could show how powerful He was. He wanted to convince - and save - people by showing them that He was truly the God He claimed to be. While the plagues were happening in Egypt, the Israelites still lived there. They were present with the flies, the frogs, the locusts, the boils - the death. However - and this is a big however - God kept them safe in the midst of their oppressors and the plagues. He kept them safe while they were still in Egypt, the land of their burdens.

Almost as soon as the Israelites were freed and on their way to their own land, the Pharaoh changed his mind about releasing them. He came out to attack them - and God showed His power once again at the Red Sea, saving the people of Isreal from danger by a spectacular show of His ability.

Once the Israelites had left Egypt far behind and were camping in the wilderness with Moses, they often succumbed to fear that God was going to abandon them, or that God was unable to keep them safe out in the wilds of the land. Accepting this fear as fact was the lone reason that their short journey turned into 40 years camping in the wilderness. They didn't believe God would be there when they needed Him, so they decided to stop trusting Him in favor of trusting themselves.

God used grand miracles (and I'm sure also personal ones that didn't make it into the written history) to show His loved people that He was capable of keeping them safe, that He was capable of giving them freedom and a place to rest. He knew faith was needed for the journey ahead, so He gave them tangible moments to hang on to while they were in the wilderness. He wanted them to remember that He could - and would - do everything He had promised. But they forgot about these things. Worse yet, some likely dismissed these miracles as flukes or one-time events.

But the point that keeps coming back to me: God was able to protect them while they were still in Egypt. While they were still in the land they desperately wanted to escape. If He could be with them there, why couldn't He be with them on the journey that He was personally leading them on?

If God could be with me in the moments of my past, in the 'land of my oppressions and burdens', why can't He be with me on the journey He's personally leading me on as we leave that oppressive land?

Yahweh isn't a God who traps those He loves. He has come to set the captives free. And He is capable of keeping them free. All He asks is that we trust Him to do what He promises.

Lord, help me remember Your power when the dark moments come. Remind me of Your grace and Your deep love for me. Help me choose faith instead of fear, so that I don't unwittingly turn a short journey into a lifelong one. Thank you for being the God of my life.

Sunset in the Negev by Matthew J Parker