I recently took my son on a father / son camping trip with other men from our church. On Saturday morning, several kids started walking down a path and my son wanted to go with them. We were a couple of hundred yards behind them, but caught up about 15 minutes later. We crossed streams, logs and hilly terrain. About 30 minutes into it, one of the boys said, “We should go back the way we came.” I pointed out that we could hear the voices of the others and told him that we were close to the camp.
About 30 minutes later, we still hadn’t reached the camp. We could still hear them, but we seemed to be circling them. I couldn’t find a clear path to get to the camp. After going down a steep hill and finding ourselves at yet another stream to cross, I said, “You’re right. Let’s go back the way we came.” As soon as we turned around, I heard some rustling in the bushes not far away. It was his father who had come to look for him. He took us through some bushes to the path we couldn’t seem to find and led us to camp.
I can tell you from personal experience that I feel the same way on the path God has for me. A lot of times, it feels like I’m going nowhere. It’s long, hilly and has me cross some streams. There are times that I feel like I should be on another path or that I should turn around. The advice I get from others tells me to turn around, yet I can hear the voice of God say, “Continue on this path. I’ll lead you to where I’m taking you.” I keep going even though I can’t see where I’m going.
If you’re there with me, I want to share a scripture with you out of Deuteronomy 5. Verse 33 says, “Stay on the path that The Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.” If God has put you on a path, don’t let your mind or others tell you to get off of it. I know you may not see the end of it or where it’s going. It may be through some tough terrain, but God has you on that path for a reason. You will get to where He’s leading you when He wants you to get there. You will gain the experience He needs you to have as you follow the path.
In the end, He’s leading you to your promised land. He’s leading you to a place where you will flourish. God has a plan for your life and for the path that He has placed you on. He didn’t promise it would be easy. He promised that He wouldn’t leave you. He didn’t say that there wouldn’t be times where you wanted to give up. He promised to send the Holy Spirit to comfort you. He didn’t say you’d always know what was next. He said that His Word would be a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. Stay on the path God put you on and trust Him to get you where He wants you.
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 