Riding the Current

It was a dazzling day at sea. Shimmering shades of sapphire and teal stretched to the horizon in every direction. It was the first cruise my wife and I had ever taken, and we set out to get some exercise, tracing laps around the promenade deck.

I habitually started my fitness app to track our data. But when I checked my phone afterward, I was disappointed — the fitness app clearly wasn’t working right. There was no way we could have covered that much ground in so little time.

I shrugged it off, blaming sketchy satellite coverage in the middle of the ocean. Then it hit me. The GPS wasn’t simply measuring our walk around the deck. It was adding in the ship’s own progress underneath us!

What an amazing illustration of how God works in our lives. Sometimes it may feel like we’re taking very small steps in prayer, service, or personal growth. We wonder if our efforts even matter. Yet even when it seems like we’re walking in circles, the hand of God is moving the world beneath us, orchestrating circumstances and guiding us toward His planned destination.

Isaiah 55:8 reminds us that God’s ways far exceed our understanding: “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”

Has God been moving you in ways that don’t match your expectations? Are you trusting His unseen guidance?

- Ron Reid