By Will Heydel
Scripture Reading: Genesis 24:1-67, Genesis 25:1-18, Psalm 37:23-24, Lamentations 3:22-23
Recently my wife and I went on a fourteen-and-a-half-mile hike with our ten-year-old daughter and her fourth-grade class. Part of a two-day hike, coming in at roughly twenty-four miles total, it acts as a “rite of passage” for these fourth graders as they finish at our local elementary school and prepare to transition to intermediate school.
As we walked, I asked my wife, “Who mapped out this hike so we wouldn’t get lost?” She replied, “The music teacher and his family have been hiking sections of it at a time for the past few months to build the whole course.” He had gone before us (months before us!) to mark the starting point, memorize every trail, and take note of anything on the trails that could potentially hinder our journey. Naturally, he was at the front of the line the whole time. Why? Because he had gone before us and knew the trails better than anyone, providing us with a sense of security and guidance.
In Genesis 25, Abraham sent his servant, Eliezer, back to his native land to retrieve a wife for his son, Isaac. Can you imagine being Eliezer? “So you want me just to pick one?” he might have asked. How was he supposed to know who Isaac’s wife would be? He could not know. He would not know. He had to have faith that the Lord, the same God who had taken Abraham from his father’s house and promised land to his offspring (Genesis 24:7), did know what was going to happen and would keep His promise. God was way ahead of Abraham, Isaac, and Eliezer in God’s providence. Before the foundation of the world, God had, figuratively speaking, mapped it out. The Lord established each of their steps, a testament to His awe-inspiring providence (Psalm 37:23) .
In the same way, the Christian life is a journey of placing the weight of our trust, our faith, in the God who knows what we do not, sees what we cannot, and acts according to His good and perfect will. This journey requires us to surrender our agenda, let Him take the lead, and faithfully follow in His footsteps. With our eyes fixed on the author and perfecter of our faith, we will make it safely home. Our God not only goes before us; He is with us all along the way.
Written by Will Heydel
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