Really? That rock?!

I was once on a hike with two friends. We were slowly making our way up a creek by stepping on rocks. My one friend would go before us testing our next rock. He’d make sure it was stable and not too slippery before we followed him. If he wasn’t satisfied with one rock, he’d test another one, even if it meant going to the left or right, rather than forward. Sometimes even backwards. If the most stable rock was a rather long distance from our current position, he’d twist around, throw his longer arms out and offer us his hand to help us to it. (this is a very good guy, by the way) In this fashion, we hiked.

In the book of Isaiah, we are told that God gives Cyrus (Persian king) some big tasks—like taming the nations and terrifying other kings. Cyrus eventually conquered Bablyon and issued the decree that allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem with God’s help.

God took Cyrus by the hand and said:
"I will go before you
and will level the mountains ...
so that you may know that I am the LORD,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name"
(Isaiah 45:2-3)

I don’t always follow God’s lead. I stand on my rock and try to go it alone. I decide where to take my next step and often slip or fall. But sometimes, I take God’s hand and let Him lead me to the next rock that He has tested for me. I don’t often step confidently. I question. I doubt. I am shaking in my boots (or tennies). I fear that the rock before me is slippery or unstable. I wonder why the rock is to the left or the right, when I think it should be in front of me. I don’t think the rock looks big enough to stand on. In fact, it looks like a pretty lame rock to me. And sometimes I’ll stand stubbornly for quite some time contemplating whether or not I’m going to step onto God’s rock or not. I mean, it’s sketchy!

But once on that rock, I am always amazed. Sometimes it takes me a little while to catch my breath, to stop shaking, to chill. But inevitably I am amazed at how stable and sturdy it is. I can’t believe He has provided and blessed in a very specific way. And I'm in awe at how wonderfully it puts me in a better position to then take the next step He has mapped out for me!

He goes before us and levels mountains. He offers us his hand. If we take it, we discover sturdiness and come to know that He is, in fact, Lord. And He is a very good God.