Apparently, campouts are one of God’s favorite ways to illustrate His spiritual truth. That seems to be the case in my life, at least. Take, for example, our recent church campout. Even before we left, God had already reminded me of a lesson we all need to learn (see last week’s devotional). On the campout itself, He continued to speak. In fact, He taught me that walking by sight can be a good thing. Let me explain.
My husband was leading Kenny and Lindsey to the small building that housed the bathrooms. Fortunately, they were not only well-maintained, but also close by. It was dark at this point, so my husband was supervising the use of a flashlight to light their way. He reminded the kids not to shine it in people’s eyes (which they have a tendency to do on accident) but instead to shine it directly on the path in front of them.
One of them took the flashlight and pointed the beam of light toward the bathrooms up ahead. “No,” my husband said, “you have to shine it right in front of you. Otherwise, you might trip over something that’s in your way.”
“And you always follow the light,” Lindsey added.
That pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it? Keep the light pointed right in front of you, and follow it.
God will often illumine two things for us: the goal and the first few feet in front of us on the way to reaching that goal. Just as the kids’ flashlight could either have lighted up the bathrooms or the path right in front of them, so God often shows us only those two things. He usually doesn’t light up the entire pathway on the way to the goal. He wants us to walk by sight to the extent of moving forward as far as He’s illuminated our way, and to walk by faith in terms of trusting that He will continue to light our path as we proceed toward the goal.
Sometimes, God doesn’t even illuminate the goal. In that case, we have to walk by faith that we will reach the goal He’s set for us. In those circumstances, we are to continue to follow the part of our path He’s made known (the part right in front of us), and trust that each “next step” He lights up will bring us not into danger, but closer to where He wants us.
I know it can be really hard to walk this way. But it’s what we have to do. Fretting about not being able to see the whole path won’t cause God to light up any more than what He’s already lit up. God knows that He’s given us enough light for what we need right now, and we simply have to believe that that’s true and trust that He knows what He’s doing. It really is as simple as that. It may not be easy, but it is simple.
Is there an area in your life where you’re having a hard time believing that you know enough about what’s ahead? Are you worried or anxious because you can’t see farther than a few steps ahead, or because you’re not even sure of your next step? Why not make a decision of your will to trust God that He’s taking care of you? That He knows the entire path ahead, even though you don’t, and that He’ll show you what you need to know, when you need to know it?
You’ll make it to the goal. God will see to that. But you can determine the measure of peace you have along the way. You can either trust God completely, and therefore know that you have nothing to worry about; or you can decide that the fact that God sees everything isn’t enough, and that unless you see everything, you cannot have peace. But who are you—who am I—to think that we ought to feel safer when we see things than when the Almighty God of the Universe, Who is Master of all things, sees everything and says that it’s okay?
Precious mom, let’s turn things entirely over to God. Let’s determine that when He sees things, that’s good enough for us. Let’s resolve deep within our hearts and minds that when He’s leading us home, we’re just where we ought to be, and nothing can befall us that’s outside of God’s control.
For after all, God is leading us home. Every step we take under His leadership brings us closer to heaven. And then, we will see everything, because there will be no more darkness. There will be no difference between walking by faith and walking by sight. Instead of reaching a wooden shelter at a campground, we’ll reach the loving shelter of His eternal embrace. And we’ll realize that we were in His hands all along.
Isaiah 42:16—And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.