When Moses picked his way up among the rocks and scrub and finally reached the top of Mount Nebo, he saw before him the Promised Land. It must have been a much-welcomed sight. If you take a tour to Jordan, you can visit that same summit today. And if the climate is just right, you’ll see Jerusalem. But those crystal-clear days are rare. The typical haze blurs the distance and cuts down the visibility. On Mount Nebo, we don’t all get to see what Moses saw.
Isn’t that just like God? He does not often give us a perfectly clear view of the way ahead, and rarely do we feel as though we know where He’s leading us. Much of the time we see what we need to: just the next phase of the journey, the next path that we are invited to step onto.
Why? It keeps us from skipping ahead, for one thing. It forces us to put our trust in God, rather than in our own strength. Not being in control of the journey keeps us honest, keeps us humble, keeps us from falling for the myth that we are the main attraction in life. Isn’t it better that way?