I love to travel. When I was a kid, every summer we would take family vacations in our trusty wood-paneled station wagon. Before the big day arrived, my dad would go to AAA to get a special map called a “Triptik”. I loved being in charge of tracking our location as we travelled. It was a smaller map that showed your route for a few miles and then you’d flip the page to get to the next section of your drive. Sometimes I looked ahead, but more often then not, I loved knowing where we were in the moment and that there was new adventure ahead as soon as I turned the page!
Of course, my dad always knew exactly where we were and where we were headed because he had already planned out the trip. He knew where the rest stops would be and which freeway we would be taking next. But I loved that he let me feel like I was somehow a part of the navigating process to our destination.
As I’ve gotten older, there have been many times I’ve thought how awesome it would be to have a “Triptik” for life! I’ve gone through seasons where I felt like I knew exactly where I was in the moment and where I was headed. Then there were other times it felt like I was at some sort of fork in the road. A decision needed to be made as to which direction to go. Which school should I go to? Should I accept this job or that? Where should I live?
And then there have been those moments that a route was chosen that seemed to lead me straight into a corner; no place to go that didn’t seem like I hadn’t messed everything up completely. I’ve spent time on my knees crying out to God asking him to make my bad decision go away and put everything back to the way it was. There simply was no path out of my situation. But I’ve come to know and believe, with all my heart, that God always has a plan and a way out!
If you’ve read my stories before, you know that I love the Old Testament. I love the stories of the nation of Israel and how God shows His love and patience for this scrappy group of people day after day, century after century. The way they act and interact with God and His master plan is so similar to my responses in life; sometimes I’m on fire for God and other times I think He’s so far away that I have to muddle through on my own. Those are the times I make a mess of everything and am left dealing with the consequences of bad choices and decisions.
God delivered the Israelites from slavery and chose Moses to lead them through the wilderness to a new place for them to grow and flourish. The trip wasn’t always easy. They made really bad decisions and choices along the way. But God loved them anyway and He lead them anyway. When it got rough, they just wanted things to go back to the way they were. Although they had been slaves and treated incredibly brutally, when it got hard all they thought about was going back. They romanticized their past life, thinking it was way better than it actually was.
Once Pharaoh and his troops realized what they had done by letting the Israelites go, they chased after them. The recently freed slaves found themselves facing what they thought was certain death by Pharaoh since the Red Sea was in front of them and an angry army was behind them. They got angry with Moses and, by extension, God.
Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians.’ It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness! – Exodus 14:11-12
The truth was, they were far better off where they were, they just didn’t know it yet. God had planned out the trip ahead of time and was going to accomplish exactly what He said He would. He had the route already mapped out and there would be more freedom and blessings than they could ever imagine once they reached their destination. God had brought them to that exact spot because He knew the complete roadmap to where they were going. They hadn’t flipped the page yet to know what was on the next section of their journey.
When the Israelites saw an impossible end, God saw a road to safety. God’s path isn’t always obvious. In fact, sometimes it’s completely hidden. That’s where faith comes in. The Israelites just saw the Red Sea on one side of them and the Egyptians on the other. But God saw a clear, dry path through the bottom of the sea!
When I feel like I’ve gotten myself into an impossible situation and there is no way out of it, I need to be reminded that God sees the big picture and He already has the road completely mapped out. His solution and path for me is almost always something I couldn’t see before. And the destination will always include more freedom and blessings than I could ever imagine!
Just because WE can’t see it, doesn’t mean that GOD can’t see it!
Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters – a pathway no one knew was there! – Psalm 77:19
Thank you for this, perfect reminder at the perfect time. Love you sis!