Are We There Yet?

Yes we are! Day 1 of 2024 is signed, sealed, and delivered to us. On Sunday at church, New Year’s Eve, we sang an old song that made my eyes water. See if it causes yours to water, too:

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know, He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives,

“He holds our future!” That says it all. Whatever this new year holds, we can face it and, better yet, overcome it. I am certain God is in control – no matter what the news says, what the predictors are predicting, what the weather brings and what comes our way.

Back to my blog title: “Are we there yet?” Those are familiar words to moms and dads who venture out to take road trips with their young ones. Before long, those kiddos start asking: “How long until we’re there?” Then, it’s “Are we there yet?” And that’s the language we often use with God.

We pray for a quick fix or an on-the-spot answer to our prayers, but often, God’s timing is NOT our timing. I’ll admit it. Sometimes God’s Word doesn’t make a lick of sense to me (as we say in the South).

“If you say to this mountain, be removed and do not doubt in your heart, it will be removed!” (Mark 11:20) Okay. I’ve got this! “Mountain be removed!” Nada; nothing; zilch! I’ll try this one! “All things are possible to those who believe.” (Mark 9:23). I AM believing! Nada; nothing, zilch! I stare at the words on my Bible’s paper-thin pages and end up scratching my head.

I recently read this, “So God led the people the roundabout way” (Exodus 13:18). This little passage is about the Israelites leaving Egypt to go to their Promise Land. They messed up with their grumbling and complaining so instead of the 11-days trip to get there, God let them wander around for forty years. God led them the roundabout way.

Have you ever felt that way? Did you have a lot of roundabouts in 2023? I suspect that last year didn’t turn out the way many of us planned, but let’s take heart! It doesn’t mean that we’re not in God’s will. Sometimes He just leads us the roundabout way.

Why? Because His ways are not like ours. Because we think in minutes and He thinks “eternity”. We barely see a foot in front of us, but the winding way may be God’s best way to get there.

This year I hope that I’ll act less like the kid in the back seat asking: “Are we there yet?” every five minutes. I want to lower the window and enjoy the view of the grandeur of the mountains, the rivers, AND the valleys. It’s about way more than simply getting there.

We don’t know what this new year holds, but God knows. He holds our tomorrows, and is with us through the straight, the narrow AND the roundabouts.

Our future is bright. Let’s purpose to make every day count because each day is one that God made. He knows everything about everything — and with that kind of Trip Advisor, if we pay close attention, He’ll guide us into making 2024 to be our best, most blessed year EVER!