Scripture Reading: “In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye.” Deuteronomy 32:10
I made my choice for college on “Decision Day”, the last day possible to make the decision. One month after graduating from college, I accepted an assistantship for graduate school just as I was leaving for vacation. More recently, I accepted a contract for my current job in Charlottesville on the Fourth of July in 2017, without even visiting, and just about a month before the position was set to start. Prior to all of these monumental decisions, and many smaller ones in between, I wondered if I was making the right choice because I had other carefully thought out plans. That is the problem, though, when I look at my journey through this perspective- it isn’t really about my plans. Time and time again, God was directing and protecting me while I took my sweet time getting to where I am today- geographically and spiritually.
Thankfully, while in graduate school, after a semester of feeling particularly lost, I decided to attend a Christian service and gave my life to Christ that day. I wish I could say that was the end of my wandering, but as you can tell from the story above, I continued to resist what God had for me. I finally made it to Charlottesville, attended The Point in the first few weeks, got connected to a group soon after, and the rest is God. I consider The Point my home and often think “If only I had come sooner.” Here’s the thing- I almost applied to graduate school at UVA, but God knew I wasn’t ready to be there yet.
When I think back over the past few years, I think of myself like the wandering Israelites. They were so close to the Promised Land, yet continued to doubt, disobey, and put their faith into things other than God. Yet through all of their wandering, God did not abandon them. Moses reminds the Israelites of this as they are about to enter Canaan: God protected them, provided for them, and continued to fulfill his promises. Unfortunately, for the Israelites, entering the Promised Land was not the end of the story. They continued to sin, which led to destruction. Fortunately for them and us, God STILL kept His promises by sending Jesus to serve as the ultimate sacrifice for sin.
We should take comfort in the fact, that despite all of our wandering, doubt, and sin, God keeps the promises to us as well. He finds us in pits of despair, dragging our feet in disobedience, or hopelessly wandering pursuing our plans. Even still, He gives us comfort and guidance and will lead us to the Promised Land.
Reflection: What are you allowing to keep you from God’s promises? Where do you need to obey and trust God’s plan over your own?