Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
PSALM 25:4–5
There are many ways for roads to get past a mountain range. Some highways go up and over a pass, winding back and forth to gain elevation until cresting the top, and then winding back down the other side. In a few places, a tunnel has been bored straight through the mountain, taking drivers on a shorter—though darker—route. Sometimes, the road doesn’t even cross the mountains at all; it may swing far out of the way to avoid them altogether.
Who knows how those routes were planned? There were probably many factors: time, money, accessible technology, the land available, and the preferences of an engineer or government official.
When obstacles and trials loom on our horizons, God may bring us through them in many different ways. His creativity isn’t limited to our lovely physical world. He also holds infinite possibilities in how our journeys unfold and how He leads us through them. Of course, we always hope He’ll take us by way of the road that curves far out of the way to avoid the trials. Who wants to go looking for trouble?
If we think of a trial as a mountain, the tunnel sounds like a quick and safe route—unless you’re claustrophobic. In that case, you may breathe easier on the road over the pass, even though it takes longer. On the other hand, travelers who are afraid of heights would probably prefer the shelter of the tunnel. Someone who’s impatient might loathe taking the long way around, but one who’s dreading arriving at the destination would welcome it.
Not that we always get what we wish for, right? God may allow His claustrophobic child to avoid the tunnel or He might take the child right into it and guide her safely through. God knows our fears, our wounds, our weaknesses. No matter what route He leads us on, He is God of the mountain.