My faith tends to remain strong when I'm aware of the next 2 or 3 plausible alternatives where I know God can guide me through adversity. When I have to cool my heels without any clear outcomes ahead, I grow steadily uneasy and wary as each day or week ticks by.
Last summer I was fishing on a remote Canadian boundary lake with my daughter and son-in-law. We were three lakes away from our cabin....miles of big, open wilderness water plus one river passage and one rocky set of rapids. I heard an unfamiliar rattling sound when I started our outboard motor a few times that day. Once started, the motor ran fine, and I made a mental note to check it later.
The fish stopped hitting so we wound or way back to camp, reversing the miles of open water, rapids and river passage. Later that same night my son-in-law and I trailered the boat to a smaller lake and caught a lot of bass. As dusk set in, I tried to start the motor and was rewarded with a loud clanging, grating noise under the cover. We soon discovered a damaged starter bracket. After much trial and error we cobbled together a start and nursed the boat back across the lake.
Things could have been a lot worse. Earlier that day we would have had a much greater distance to cover. No cell phone coverage and no other boats along the way, we would have been lucky to row back with many hours of back aching effort. But things weren't great either, since we still had the better part of the week left to fish without our main motor. Fortunately we had a small backup motor for the smaller lakes, so we kept busy and took our time enjoying those lakes. Then our cabin owners were able to rent a boat to us on the larger lake. Rather than venture too far with borrowed equipment that last day, we opted for a closer shoreline. That ended up being our best outing - catching more fish in a short period of time then we had anywhere else all week.
Looking back, we had a wonderful trip with fantastic fishing. But in the moment, we had broken equipment, "limited options" and were "forced" to fish along a shoreline we would have otherwise passed up.
Our family has had several significant health challenges in the past two years that have not quickly resolved.
The longer things linger unimproved, the less confidence I have in God's sovereign power. Slowly, my capacity to appreciate simple daily joys erodes and sometimes I simply determine that God won't, or can't, intervene in any positive manner. I don't doubt God being God - but I do question (resent) the wisdom of his non-intervention in more helpful ways. And so I am no different than most.
But that's what it was like in the wilderness last summer. I didn't even realize our motor needed repair - looking back, what an unknown blessing that it held together and we were not stranded. And though I didn't welcome an alternate plan/boat - we had some of our best memories together as a result.
A fishing trip doesn't begin to compare to health or other family struggles where we wait on God.
Of course not, and I'm the first to get that.
But right now, this has helped to remind and encourage me -- that I can't see around the corner for what God has in mind. That even in the midst of unresolved adversity, there can be blessings, even joy. It doesn't mean everything gets fixed as fast as I want. But maybe the timing is better than it could have been. And maybe we'll travel to a different shoreline of experience that we might have otherwise roared past wth the big motor. Its not the way I would have planned it. But God is at work in our lives even when we don't see or sense Him.
Psalm 62: 1-2
My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my Stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.
What do you believe?
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