We like to know where we’re going.

I know, some of us that are adventurous travelers also like some surprises along the way. We don’t need to know the exact directions with every turn determined ahead of time. But we still like some generalities to help us be prepared.

We like the same from God. And Proverbs 3:6 says he’ll provide exactly that, right? Or not.

Here is another translation:

Think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.

And a familiar one:

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

God isn’t Google Maps. He rarely says, “In 37.5 hours, you will need to leave this familiar road. Be prepared.” Or, “There is a crisis ahead, but you are going to have to stay on this road and deal with the delay and chaos.” Just because he purposes the road ahead of us doesn’t mean it’s void of complications. He know our path. He purposes our path. He doesn’t clear everything from the path. He doesn’t move every person off the path so we have no conflicts and discussions (or encouragement and accountability). Showing us which path to take doesn’t include making the choice or the journey easy or simple. Showing us which path to take doesn’t mean it looks appealing or makes sense to us at the time.

Have you ever noticed how a road or path appears one way from a distance but another way close up? As we move forward, we notice unevenness and concerns we couldn’t see from farther away. We see views only possible from a specific point. Traffic is different than anticipated. Our perspective is able to absorb more than we could before. But as we walk or drive along, we will still miss some details. We don’t stay engaged in every step or mile. We appreciate, then we don’t. We understand, then we don’t.

We like to know where we’re going, but we don’t fully engage in where we are. We want God to reveal understanding to us, but we’re not willing to engage with him in ways that allow us to see his truth and perspective.

Sometimes we just want God to be an enhanced Google maps voice for us to alert us, instruct us, and warn us. But then we’d miss out on most of the best God has to offer—a personal companion and the most-focused guide for every vantage point we experience as a preparation for the next experiences of the journey.