God & Geometry, Part II

Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding and in all your ways he will make your paths straight.

I can't help but think of what the angels were thinking while Moses wandered through the desert for 40 years. I mean, is it really that long of a trip? Let's say the desert were many times larger than it is, say, the size of the continental US. Would it take you 40 years to go from Miami to Seattle? How about Portland, ME to San Diego?

Clearly, the nation of Israel was violating this crucial axiom while it corkscrewed and figure-eighted through the barren wasteland from Egypt to the land of milk and honey. Forty years!!! Are you freaking kidding me?! Even if we only walked 2 miles per hour for 6 hours a day, six days per week, we'd still make our destination in less than a year!!! Okay, they couldn't stop at the McMatzah's for a Moishe-burger and Gefilte fries, but even at 3 hours a day, we're only talking 85 weeks or less to travel 3000 miles.

The Bible tells us in many places that God wants to prosper us, to grow us, to stretch us beyond who we are or ever could be without Divine intervention. With this in mind, is it any wonder why every time we grumble and rebel against Him, we automatically stretch out the amount of time between us and our eventual destination? Is it any wonder why we find ourselves wandering in circles with little to sustain us in dry, empty wilderness?

There's more to teach about, but so little more that needs to be said - Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Mt. 6.33, ESV)

I think it's very easy for us to suffer from "Small God Syndrome". Instead of imagining God as huge, complex, and wise, we see His discretion and timing as if He is out of control - too small to give us what we want, deserve, or "need". Our path wanders around like Moses and the grumbling Israelites in the desert. A small child is distracted by a small toy and easily gives up what is in their hand for something less valuable. Or, is that you and I? Do we misplace our trust for God and trade greater things for lesser because we are so headstrong on the path to what we want that we miss what we need?

What if we gave God the space to be God - to be large and in charge - and guide us on the most direct path to His ultimate destination for us? Is it possible we might look back one day and discover that He had pulled all the other things we desired to us? Is it possible that we may one day see in our wake the greatest life we could have lived because we sacrificed the lesser for the greater?

Only if our God is big enough.