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28 Years Ago Today – The Split Rock

Written by April 2, 2020 0 comment

It is almost impossible to believe that it has been 28 years since we first laid eyes on the Split Rock. Yet, that is exactly how long it has been. It was a day we will never forget. Sometimes when you think you’re heading in a certain direction to accomplish a planned mission, something entirely new and unforeseen ends up happening. Such was the case on April 2nd, 1992.

Today there is a tremendous amount of uncertainty around the world in the lives of countless individuals. Unexpected circumstances have been thrust upon all of us suddenly with this pandemic circling the globe. But take heart, and take courage! Though you may feel completely bewildered and totally lost at this moment, it could be that you’re actually headed right to the place you’ve been purposed to go.

WRONG TURN, RIGHT PATH By: Penny Cox Caldwell

There’s a word on my mind this morning that always makes me smile. And when I say smile, I really mean snicker in a “gotcha” kind of way. The sort of chuckle that says, “Oh, all right! You win!” Countless times it has happened prior to now, and seems to perpetually continue in my life. I have also witnessed it repeatedly in the life of my exceedingly dear friend, Leslie. We’ve just learned over the years to expect it and even welcome it. But sometimes it still catches us off guard, and at the end of the day when we finally realize it’s happened again, we just sit back and laugh out loud. It deals with the wisdom of God’s guidance over us, and the word is maneuvered.

Manuever is defined as “to carefully guide or manipulate in order to achieve an end”. To be maneuvered is to be led in a certain direction; nine times out of ten by an unseen stratagem. And I submit to you today that God is the One behind those maneuvers, attempting to take you through green pastures to still and restful waters, thereby restoring your life! Have a look at a very familiar Bible passage – the 23^rd Psalm. God is seen as the Great Shepherd, guiding, feeding, shielding. He leads away from danger and into places of provision and protection. So, what’s the purpose of His maneuvering? To keep you safe and sound, and once in a while, to show you things you’d never have seen without His altering your path!

I can tell you from experience that sometimes the craziest days you remember can be traced back to the tactical moves of God on your behalf. You can make all sorts of plans ahead of time, but now and again, it all seems to blow up and nothing works the way you thought it would. One of the biggest examples I can share with you happened to us on April 2^nd, 1992. My husband and I were alone in northwest Saudi Arabia way out in the wilderness, miles from nowhere. We had previously visited the area twice, convinced that Mt. Sinai was in this region. Because the front of the mountain on the east side had been fenced off and we couldn’t get to the base where some very conspicuous ruins were, we had determined to drive around to the west side of the range and were going to attempt to climb over the mountain and down into that area to get to them. However, absolutely nothing happened the way we thought it was going to, and we must have taken the wrong desert track into the backside of the range. We got to the top of the mountain ridge and realized we were absolutely lost. We were nowhere near where we needed to be to accomplish what we’d planned, and the trip could have been perceived as a failure. Except for one big, gigantic thing. Because we were “lost”, we’d managed to find our way into an area that actually held what has become the greatest discovery we ever made by the grace of God – the Split Rock in Horeb. We believe this gigantic rock is the one that Moses was ordered by God to strike with his staff, where the waters miraculously gushed out for the Israelites in the desert! Now had our own plans been realized, we would have never seen this rock. When we finally comprehended the significance of what we were actually standing in front of, it dropped us both to the ground. There we sat, maneuvered!

The Bible says a lot about God ordering the steps of a good man. It even says if he falls, God is right there to catch him. Furthermore, it is God’s desire to enlarge your steps under you so that you don’t slip in the first place! If you want to get to that place, as we all should, here’s the prerequisite. I was taught this by my dear Mother oh, so many years ago. It’s also my husband’s favorite Bible verse. Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMP) says to lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. That’s pretty clear instruction right there!

So, put your trust in God to lead you, whether to the grocery store, or in a desert on the other side of the world. He’s fully capable of either. He knows where you need to be, and He’ll see to it you get there. Just remember, sometimes when you take what you think is a wrong turn, you’re on the right path. And when you get the whole understanding of it, you’ll have to smile when you realize there you sit, maneuvered!

Psalm 23:1-6 (AMP)
¹THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.
² He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.
³ He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him—not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake.
⁴ Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.
⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.
⁶ Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.

Psalm 37:23-24 (AMP)
²³ The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step].
²⁴ Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him.

2 Samuel 22:37 (AMP)
³⁷ You have enlarged my steps under me, so that my feet have not slipped.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMP)
⁵ Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
⁶ In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.