Gotta Go Through

 

“But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the desert.”

—Psalm 78:52

You may remember the chant, “Goin’ on a Bear Hunt,” in which the teacher leads the children and they echo the words and motions:

Goin’ on a bear hunt! I’m not scared!
Got my lunch by my side,
my camera too.

Coming to some tall grass!
Gotta get through!
Can’t go over it!
Can’t go under it!
Can’t go around it!
Gotta go through!

Coming to some thick mud!

Coming to a big lake!

Coming to a tall tree!

Coming to a dark cave!

(slowly) It’s dark in here!

There’s something furry up ahead!

It has yellow eyes!

And sharp teeth!

(Quickly) It’s a bear!

(Note: Go backwards through the motions: up and down a tree, swim the lake, walk in mud, part grass and finally wipe brow.)

Whew!

In life, sometimes we find that there is no way over, under, or around problems. We just have to go through them. These life situations, like the proverbial bear, make us scared and we fear how we will ever navigate them.

We must remember that whatever path God leads us through, He has promised to walk with us. And, even walls and doors cannot stop His presence. John 20:26 reminds us:

Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

He has power over unbearable situations, and He asks us to trust Him to get us through them.

An old gospel song comes to mind: ¹

Got any rivers you think are uncrossable?
Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through?
God specializes in things thought impossible,
He does the things others cannot do.

If you are staring at an impossible route ahead, trust our God who cannot be stopped by the obstacles we face. If you “gotta go through,” He will be with you and will grant you His peace.

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1 Oscar C. Eliason, Got Any Rivers (Grand Rapids, MI: Singspiration, Inc., 1945)