“I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!” (Psalm 121:1-2 NLT)
A group of campers left their campsite and went on a hike in the woods, starting their adventure just before the sun went down. Only one of the campers took a flashlight. The others apparently assumed that the hike would be quick, and they would get back before dark. There was no path to follow, hence they found themselves making their own trails through the wooded area, filled with various types of trees and bushes. Choosing the ways that seemed easiest to walk, to their surprise, they were lost and could only see the trees and forest growth to their left and to their right, and the same to their back and to their front. The group decides to turn around and head back, but they soon discover that they have no idea which direction they were going. There were no Hansel and Gretta crumbs that any of the campers had dropped to serve as a sign of which way to go. Clouds hid the light of the moon in the night sky. It was practically pitch dark. The one camper that had a flashlight takes the lead for safety purposes as they walked, searching for a way out of the wooded maze. Eventually they come to a large clearance, a space where there were no trees, no bushes, and no wild vegetation growth. There was an atmosphere of jubilation, almost instantly. While the other campers take a rest and relax, the camper with the flashlight explores what lies ahead of them. He soon sees more trees, more bushes, and more wild vegetation. He rushes back to the campsite and is met with excitement by his fellow hikers. One says, “Well, are we close to being back?” The answer came quickly and dampened the spirits of the campers, “You are not out of the woods yet!” The camper with the flashlight goes on to say, “We can’t give up! We must say a prayer and keep on trying to make it back to our campsite.” Everyone agreed and they formed a circle, held hands, bowed their heads as a volunteer prayed aloud, asking the Lord, pleading with the Almighty, to help them find their way back. The volunteer closed his prayer by saying, “We thank you in advance Lord and we give you the praise.” Reassured after reaching to heaven, they set out with confidence, or should I say with faith, that they would make it back to the peaceful place where they started. Their excursion continues through the night, a long time that seemed to some like an eternity. There were complaints that equaled the Israelites grievances and complaints to Moses as they traveled to the Promised Land. But suddenly, as the sun ran away the darkness, the campers see home base, their campsite, only a short distance away. They run to the campsite! Their smiles return! Their joy fits in the category of exceeding joy. Finally, they were out of the woods.
Listen my friend! You may be traveling through a place in life, going through an experience, encountering a happening, where you feel lost. You might come to a place where you think you are okay, but you soon realize, like the camper above, that you are not out of the woods…yet. Well, my advice to you is to do as the campers did in the story above. Look to the hills from whence commeth our help. Know that our help comes from the Lord! Pray! Yes, pray! Pray and continue pressing on. You may not be out of the woods yet, but soon the light from the lighthouse, as our elders used to sing in church, will shine on you and you will be able to return to the place where peace and joy abound! Don’t give up, but get up, and press on! For you too can experience what it feels like, from a figurative and spiritual perspective, to finally be out of the woods. I hope this counsel helps you in your right now experience or at least I hope it encourages you that you can get through a future experience, or I hope it has equipped you to counsel someone else, lost in the woods. Have a great Thursday! Be blessed!
“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5 NLT)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King