After several days of rain, water dripped off leaves, trees, and rocks. Soon, small ribbons of water trickled down the mountainside. Meandering driblets eventually joined others, and quickly rivulets grew in size and sped down the mountain.
A closer observation revealed that the speeding waters did not head toward the valley in a straight line. Natural obstacles detoured the flow in unnatural directions. The rushing waters wandered left, right, down into a washout the waters created, blocked by a rock, over the natural dam, left and again to the right. Seemingly haphazardly, the flow wandered down to the lower ground.
Because of God’s design, even the water flow and how it was diverted caused little washout. If the gushing waters had their way, they would have eroded much of the hillside, uprooted trees, caused mudslides, and ravished havoc on the area. Thank you, Lord, for even watching over the water flow.
The difficult hazards we face may also preserve us more than we realize. Left to follow our lusts and desires, without stopping or deterring us from wrong behavior and decisions, we would race to destruction, ruining our lives and those of others.
A grade failure, car breakdown, lost job, illness, or a broken relationship may be more of a help than a hindrance, especially if a person affected is God-controlled. Only He knows what could have happened to us if obstacles did not change our self-destroying directions.
We may not like the “roadblocks” or deterrents keeping us from the way we thought was best. However, it may be a God-directed obstacle diverting us to His better direction rather than our destructive one.
The obstacles we encounter may not be as bad as we believe. They may keep us from a more tumultuous life and an early grave.
We certainly should not want our lives to be a “washout.” Thank you, Lord, for loving and protecting us. You keep us safe even when we do not have the sense to know that our will and way may not be the right and best direction for us.
“O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.” Psalm 25:20
