Uncharted Waters

“The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.” (Joshua 3:17, NIV)

“This is what the LORD says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.’” (Isaiah 43:1-2, NIV)

“Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.” (Psalm 77:19, NIV)

The island’s coast was fringed with a collage of color and texture, where massive coral colonies rose from the seafloor in unpredictable patterns. It was beautiful to swim through, but precarious to boat through.

Hands twitching against the helm, I was driving a boat across the reef to a mooring, a volleyball-sized float where the vessel could be safely tied before our scuba team began underwater work. But the path to the mooring was anything but linear. Giant corals created dangerous obstacles and tropical sunlight glinted off the water’s surface, making it hard to see. Careful though I was, the hull of our boat came dangerously near the jagged reef.

One of my fellow divers made her way to the front of the boat. “A little to your right!” she called back to me. “There’s a big colony over there, so try going this direction.” From the front of the boat, her vantage was clearer than mine. And her directions made navigating through the reef significantly easier.

Like a keen-eyed spotter at the bow of a boat, God is particularly good at directing our paths. When the Israelites were trapped at the shore of the Red Sea as they were pursued by their Egyptian oppressors, God parted the sea for them, providing a miraculous escape route in the midst of danger (Exodus 14:29). It’s a fun fact that the Red Sea is filled with thriving coral reefs. Perhaps the Israelites had to carefully step around corals as they made their way through the parted waters. Maybe they saw sea creatures in the watery walls to their right and left as they followed God’s path.

This wasn’t the only time that God literally parted deep waters for Israel. Only a few generations later, God directed the Israelites to cross the expansive Jordan River at flood stage. God stopped the flow of the water upstream “until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground” (Joshua 3:17).

While God faithfully led Israel through the water in both these instances, it’s interesting that he directed them through deep water to begin with. It was still a challenging path. Can you imagine the fear of stepping into an ocean with walls of water on either side? Or the terror of entering a river when the violent onrush seemingly threatened to sweep you away?

God directed Israel along those paths. And like a spotter at the bow of a boat, he promises to go with us when we encounter similar challenges. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” (Isaiah 43:2). God is able and willing to help us navigate uncharted waters—and he goes with us.