Post from July 3, 2023

“👟 RSD 1161 ✅ Verse: “The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.” — Deuteronomy 2:7

Do you ever get lost…even with the GPS? You know what I mean. You’re just confused about what it told you, or you’re not totally paying attention. Sometimes, I even go to somewhere unfamiliar without turning on the GPS because I want to save the battery on my phone, and “I’m pretty sure I remember where it is.” I don’t, by the way. I never do. The patrons of the Flat Earth Society have a better sense of direction than I do. I should always use the GPS for less-than-familiar places, but I don’t always do it. Sometimes it’s frustrating, especially when you have to change routes. See, the little “construction ahead” or “wreck ahead” icons appear on the little map as soon as I put in where I want to go at the beginning of the trip, so I know it’s coming, but, even though it might require a detour or just stop-and-go traffic for a bit, it’s still the best route. But, I still get nervous in heavy traffic when it’s time to detour or when lanes close prompting the stop-and-go traffic. I always get there, though—the GPS knows the whole route, so I don’t know why I don’t always use it or sometimes think it’s giving me not the best route. I don’t know why heavy traffic makes me nervous when I know to just follow the route. I mean—that’s dumb, right?

So, the background of today’s verse will sound familiar to all of us (even if you don’t know the Bible story). And, if you do, you’re probably like, “Umm, I’m not about to go to the Promised Land after wandering around a desert for forty years.” You sure? When I read about the (seemingly avoidable) circumstances that turned what was supposed to be a quick journey into one that took a generation, I’m going, “Man, these people are not smart.” God’s like, “Ok great. We have that whole Egypt thing (remember Moses and the Red Sea?) behind us. Now, keep the faith, follow Me, and I’ll lead you to this awesome land I promised your people. I picked it out especially for you.” I guess the trip wasn’t quick enough or easy enough or something because the Israelites…went a little off the GPS. Instead of following God, they decided to do their own thing. “Nah, you know what? We’re good doing our own thing. It’ll be faster and probably easier. Plus, we can make our own rules.” So, God (Who had just performed miracles in front of them to enable them to escape oppression in Egypt—literally parted an entire body of water to allow them to escape via dry land) had everything planned for them, and they decided to do their own thing. 🙃 If you’re anything like me, you’re like, “What’s with these people?” And, if you’re anything like me, as you’re hopping aboard the judgmental express 🚂 taking that ride of inventory of how these people messed up, didn’t listen to God, and made everything so much harder for themselves, you stop and go, “OHHHHHHH…well, now I’m embarrassed.”

It’s the story of all of us. We go off the GPS (we know a faster way, right? Oh, but the GPS knew that road was closed off and we didn’t…oops), and we make decisions that are not the best for us and don’t get us where we want (or need) to be. God is still bigger than our circumstances (both the ones we didn’t create and the ones we did) and factors in our…tendency not to be the smartest, so God’s plan still works, and He still provides us a good route to get us where we need to be. After all, the Israelites did reach the Promised Land. But, what happens during those times when we go off the GPS? You know, while we’re still in the desert on the wrong road we took. God reminds the Israelites in today’s verse that He was always there, even when they wanted to do their own thing. While they were in the desert, He made sure they had all the necessities (food, water, etc.). He never left them to fend for themselves. So, in this next chapter of their journey (actually nearing the Promised Land), He reminds them that He’s still going to be there with them and bless their futures. What does that mean about us?

Well, we’re all on a journey to the Promised Land, and that journey is long, and it’s hard. God puts in reminders like this all over the Bible because He knows life can be hard. See, in our verse today, they hadn’t always stuck to the GPS route, but, hey: neither do we. Sometimes we don’t even turn it on (you know, pray, try to apply the lessons in the Bible, etc.). We end up having to drive over the colossus that is the Rainbow Bridge to Bridge City so that we turn around at that McDonald’s just to leave Groves. Or was it Port Arthur? Anyway, our deserts all look different, but everyone’s just trying to get to the best place they can be. Everyone’s on a journey to the Promised Land (or rather little Promised Land checkpoints intermittently), and sometimes we get off the route and have to get back on. But, sometimes the desert might take awhile to navigate even though you’re pretty sure you’ve done your best to stay on the best route. You might be going, “Hey, I put everything in the GPS; I’m following directions to the best of my ability, but I’ve been stuck in traffic for a long time. There’s roadwork everywhere; I had to detour for a wreck; I almost got in a wreck because somebody else was in the wrong lane and cut me off. There was an actual train parked blocking the road I needed, and that alone took twenty minutes. It seems like the traffic is only getting heavier, and the sun is setting. I’m tired of driving, and I feel like I’m getting nowhere.”

Maybe you’re waiting on a job or blessings in your personal life. Maybe you’re battling an illness or an athletic injury. Maybe you’re trying to mend a friendship or trying to manage finances in this economy. Maybe you’re worried about the future, and you just can’t seem to shake it. You’ve been as faithful and as patient as you can be. You’ve done your best. But, you’re tired of navigating the desert. In your own wilderness, when you have no idea where you are or what to do next, God knows exactly where you are and what to do next. Remember that thing we discussed yesterday about trusting with little means you can be trusted with much? It’s in these times where it seems like we’re driving aimlessly but doing our best to stay on the route that God allows our faith to grow. I mean, we’ll pick up other things on this road (patience, compassion for others, humility, tenacity, etc.), but our faith will grow when we choose to trust God. See, God is faithful in every little thing (you know, stuff we don’t think about…you ate today), but God is also faithful in big things. Sometimes we get scared and forget about that. You know, the traffic is heavy, and you have to cross over three lanes to take the correct exit? Whatever the life version of this is for you, it can be hard to remember that God’s always guiding your path. God’s got you. Even when it’s hard, and it IS hard going through the wilderness, stick with God. He’ll bring you safely to where you need to be. And, He’ll even fill the car up for you when you get there.”