I love the way God tends to move in our lives. For my husband and I, it’s almost as if he refuses to let us get into a mentality of “settling”. Maybe it’s not even in the physical sense as much as he never wants us to stop bending our ear toward heaven. He never wants us to stop looking to him for provision. Even now, every time we feel like we are ready to put the brakes on because the next adventure is years away, he packs our bags and pushes us out the door. No maps or clues are given as to the end destination, but simply a walkie-talkie and a promise that in every leg of the journey he goes before us and promises provision.

Although I’ve learned to expect change to come when I least expect (or desire) it, faith rarely comes easy. There have been too many times where I’ve told God that I don’t believe he is going to provide what I need, or I have blamed him for how miserable I am going to be before I’ve even put my foot out the door!

One such time, when I was desperately praying for God to provide Luke with a new job and I felt like he either wasn’t hearing or refusing to listen, I got this picture in my head of me walking through the woods. I was going full stride, and taking everything on as it came. In that picture God was behind me, and all I cared to do was to yell back and say “Keep up, God! This is where we’re going!”

As I sat and prayed, I realized the mistake so many of us often make.

In my minds eye, I stopped walking, turned around, and got behind God. I bowed down and told him that it’s his turn to lead. I cried and said I was sorry, and that no matter how slow or how fast he wants to go I will follow. If he goes over obstacles that are bigger than me, or through something that looks perilous, I’ll know he can get me through it. I will go, because he will go before me.

You see, if we are leading, we are traveling as fast as we can and taking the best route we know to the best destination. We don’t know what lies ahead…maybe a bear? A river? A desert? We are not prepared. God sees what’s ahead and can try to tell us to stop, slow down, change direction, or turn around, but the odds of us listening are slim because we are convinced we know the way there. We are convinced that the destination we have in mind is the best possible destination.

I also realized that most of the time, when God is in the lead, the journey won’t make sense. There may be times where we get confused and stop completely, or even wander off on our own because his way becomes too hard and we feel too out of control. But as we follow him, we will see that it will be far more exciting than we could ever imagine! He will take us to places we have never been before. On roads we never thought existed. He wants us to understand that he really does know where we are headed! It is a journey he wants to make with us. He knows the best way, the safest trail, the most beautiful view. All we have to do is follow, keep up, communicate, and trust.

With God in the lead, it changes everything. The impossible no longer exists. We just need to trust and follow his lead! Our God is so amazing. So loving. So compassionate. But he is also a warrior who will protect, avenge, and fight for us. We need to take our eyes off ourselves, off the destination we desire, and let God lead us. He knows a lot more than we do, including the short cuts and paths along the beaches. He is a good shepherd. He will take care of us.