One area that becomes ironically clear in our walk with God is that His paths and even His guidance is often a divine mystery. As we continue in our study of the life of Joseph, we can take solace in knowing that we aren't the first and only to consider our walks with Him at times mysterious.
Paul described it like trying to see through a fog or a cloud in 1 Corinthians 13:12 - “Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”
Our path is not always crystal clear. Despite how much we would like for God’s guidance to be as easy to follow as a GPS, He often takes us down hidden paths. In recalling how God led Israel out of Egypt, one of the Psalm writers, Asaph, said, “Your road led through the sea, Your pathway through mighty waters – a pathway no one knew was there!” Psalm 77:19
I love the exclamation point at the end of that statement. Imagine being one of those Israelites, fleeing from Egypt after being enslaved for over 400 years. You are part of the millions that escape, and you come to the Red Sea following Moses - who claimed to be following God’s guidance. Then, you find yourself stuck with the sea in front of you and the entire Egyptian army chasing fast after you from behind. You have no place to go! Talk about being between a rock and a hard place! Why would God lead us here? What could Moses have been thinking to bring us to this place? Did we miss God’s guidance? Is this the end of the road?
Have you ever felt like that in your spiritual journey? You follow where you think God is leading; but it seems like you’ve come to a dead end. Circumstances get worse. You can’t see a single path to take that would get you out of your situation. Where’s God? I imagine the Israelites were asking that question. Then, God moves in the most mysterious way, as He so often does. We know the story. It’s one of the most amazing miracles in the Bible, and yet, when we face our Red Sea experiences, we are so prone to forget what God did for Israel. He made a way where there seemed to be no way – “… a pathway no one knew was there!”
When Moses got to the Red Sea, his dead end of the road, he cried out to God, and God spoke to him. God answered his prayer. He gave Moses divine direction that replaced all the confusion with divine clarity and changed the destiny of a nation! He told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” Exodus 14:13
The more you walk with God, the more you will experience the mystery of His guidance, providing hidden pathways when you couldn’t see where to go or what to do. We’re discovering more and more that the path is often hidden until you start the journey. Step out in faith, believing God to provide where He guides. He will make a way where there seems to be no way. Just stay calm and ask Him to lead you even when you can’t see the path. Follow the counsel of Psalm 32:8 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you."
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