Uncertainty grips my soul. A mist has rolled across the clearly marked path ahead, making it difficult to see much more than a few feet in front of me. The sky is dark with ominous clouds, bright flashes of light bouncing off of them, illuminating a surreal eternity of gray. I keep to the path because I know it’s what I was instructed. But what if I stumble? What if a jagged rock cuts my foot and I am unable to walk further? I’d be undone. Doubt floods my mind as roaring thunder threatens to break open the heavens and let the rains wash me away. My pace slows and I begin looking to my left and to my right. If I could only see a little bit more into the future and see where I was headed.
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:10 carries softly in the wind that brushes my face.
I stop, my feet no longer moving. The mist increases, shrouding the path even more.
Another voice whispers in the rustling of nearby trees:
“Act according to the law they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left.”
I look ahead. The bolts of lightning are fierce and the wind is picking up.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9 echoes stronger than the others. The voice is not in the rustling of the trees or in the thunder of the skies. It is coming from my heart, where the words are written, along with these:
“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” – Psalm 119:105
I look ahead and in the distance is a small glimmer. A light perhaps, the end to this boisterous storm. Or maybe something much more terrifying. But my spirits are lifted now. I feel stronger and my feet move in confident stride.
It begins to rain and I am without an umbrella.
I am to face this test alone and yet not, for I remember Joshua 1:9.
Bring it on.
