I can remember as a child the many car-trips taken by my family. When my brother and I were very young, we would pack into the little Volkswagon Bug and travel 6 or 8 hours at a time. Within 15 minutes, one of us would ask our parents, “Are we there yet?” The answer was always, “not yet – in a little while.” And if we weren’t told where we were going, we would also ask, “Where are we going?” Sometimes my parents would tell us and sometimes they would not.
As we grew older, the cars got a little bigger, the rides got longer, and the questions of “Are we there yet?” and “Where are we going?” came less frequently, but they still came. I think the questions in our minds were truly, “Do our parents really know where we’re going?” and “Can they really get us there without getting us totally lost?”
After I became a mother, it seemed that every time we got into the car for any trip longer than 5 minutes, my son would ask “Where are we going and are we there yet?” My response was the same one I always received from my parents, “not yet – in a little while.” My son has even been bold enough to ask “Are you sure we aren’t lost?” My response to that has been, “What, don’t you trust me? Do you really think I will take you anywhere that isn’t safe for you?”
As children of God on our own trip through life, we often ask our Heavenly Father the same questions, “Are we there yet, God? Where are we going?” When the ride gets a little too long, we find ourselves saying, “Lord, take me back. I don’t want to ride in this car anymore. I don’t care how great this destination is supposed to be. I just can’t take the ride anymore.”
The children ofIsraelfound themselves on such a trip. They asked Moses repeatedly “Ask your God where we are. Aren’t we there yet?” God split the greatRed Seain two and allowed a way of escape from the Egyptians. He provided for their every need – manna and quail for food, water from the rock. He blessed them with a pillar of cloud for guidance during the day and a pillar of fire for light and guidance during the night. He promised them a land of milk and honey at the end of their journey, yet they grumbled and groaned, “We hate the desert. Why did you bring us out here? Why didn’t you just leave us inEgypt?” Basically, they were saying, “We don’t want to be in the car anymore. Take us back. We don’t trust you to get us there.” (Read Exodus 13:17 – 17:7) Because of their repeated murmuring and lack of trust in the Lord, it took them 40 years to make a journey that should have been less than 30 days. Many who left Egypt never saw the Promised Land because they would not follow God’s direction for them.
Many of us are on a similar journey. There is a Promised Land waiting for us. But instead of just trusting the Lord to get us there, we are continuously asking, “Are we there yet? Why is it taking so long? God, are you sure you haven’t gotten us lost? I really think you should have left us where we were. I don’t want to ride in the car anymore.” And His answer for us is the same answer I give my son on our journeys, “Don’t you trust me? Do you really think I will take you anywhere that isn’t safe for you?”
God knows the destination He has for us. We need only to trust in Him and rest in His arms as we travel the road He has set before us. Never has He promised that the journey will be easy – we will hit bumps in the road; there will be mountains that must be climbed and there will be times when we feel we will be in the car forever. He has promised us, however, that He will be with us all the way. And the Promised Land will be well worth the trip!
