Lately, the old song by Don Moen (quoted above) has practically “played on repeat” in my mind. Of course, the real source of the lyrics is the Bible, where we read that God is “the one who made a road through the sea, a pathway through the surging waters,” and that He is about to do something new when He “will make a road in the wilderness and paths in the wastelands” (Isaiah 43:16, 19).

 

The old song plays in my head because, as we all know, life is unbearably difficult at times, to the point that we face challenges we believe are impossible to overcome. But God is in the business of making a way where there seems to be no way.

 

A few months ago, I was sharing with our elders and youth minister about how hopeless it can feel when it comes to the difficulties we face in living through the current situation in America and in the world. I even told them that the apparent impossibility of these circumstances has made me feel like giving up on more than one occasion. On the positive (and more important side), I also shared how God convicted me that we are here in this time and place for a reason, and that giving up in the midst of a crisis or challenge is not the right time to walk away.

 

Since I love to run, I described an analogy about those stretches on the road when I’m ascending a steep hill, and how I never let myself walk until I reach level ground again. During those times, I tell myself that if I need to walk, I can do it after I’ve crested the hill. Then what usually happens (actually, what always happens) is that once I return to level ground, I no longer need to walk. With this in mind, I told our leaders that I’m praying and trusting that something similar will happen with the challenges we face.

 

What’s incredibly encouraging is to see is the unity of our leadership. I believe if we continue to focus on the bigger picture of showing love and concern for others, while striving to do what is biblical, then God will bless our efforts greatly. They say the darkest hour is just before dawn. Maybe it’s no coincidence that a “Sunrise” could be just around the corner for us.

 

At the risk of sounding overly optimistic or naïve, I’ve felt for some time that we can potentially come out of this whole thing better and stronger than we were before, even if there are days (and weeks and months) when it just seems to get worse and worse. That’s ultimately up to God, of course, but if we are faithful and prayerful, and if we continue to focus on what’s most important, God just might “make a way where there seems to be no way.” He just might reveal a breathtaking sunrise to follow that darkest hour. One of our elders, Bud, discussed it in the sense of doing our small, but necessary part and then seeing God do His miraculous, seemingly impossible part. As Bud said, “We just need to figure out what our five loaves and two fish should be. Then we can watch God feed 5,000.”

 

Troy Burns