(2 minutes, 4 seconds to read)

“He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth, the Lord God Almighty is his name.” Amos 4:13

Two winters ago, I discovered the secret-sauce-combination for not just enduring Minnesota winters, but actually enjoying them.
Electric hand warmers and…snowshoes.

My kids gave me snowshoes for my birthday, and seven weeks later, in the spirit of companionship, I got my husband a pair for Christmas. I quickly discovered that not only is it more enjoyable to snowshoe with him, but it is also easier. When walking behind him through deep, freshly-fallen snow, he stomps out a path for me, and my job is instantly less complicated. He goes ahead of me, cutting the trail, making a way through the deep snow, and my trek overall is simply better.

The Lord doesn’t just tread a path ahead of us; He treads on the heights of the earth in absolute sovereignty. The One who made the mountains, the wind, and the snow, goes ahead and makes a way for us to follow.
The comforting truth of Psalm 139:5 is that He goes before us, and He follows us. The Lord hems us in, behind and before, and places His hand of blessing on us.

During a challenging season of work for my husband, I started asking him a question in the morning before he left for the day. Right after he put his shoes on and before he walked through the door to drive away, I would routinely inquire,

“Who goes before you?”

I wanted to remind him that he wasn’t alone. That he wasn’t floundering in waist-deep snow trying to make his own trail. That the Way Maker had already gone ahead of him. And that no matter what happened or how difficult the things were that he would face that day, sovereign God had already gone ahead. God had already prepared him, provided him with what he needed, and paved the way for him that day.
And the presence of Almighty God went before, with, and behind him.

The answer to the question, “Who goes before you?” ?
“The Lord God Almighty is His name.”

We don’t know what lies ahead, but we know Who goes before.

The One Who never changes. The Rock Who never moves. The Anchor Who never fails. El Roi, our God Who sees, Emmanuel, our God with us, He who is omniscient knowing all, He is the One who goes before us, into and through whatever lies ahead.

As you put your hand on the door of 2021 and prepare to step into a new year, move forward in faith, confident that you are hemmed in and blessed. The One who treads the height of the earth goes before you.
The Lord God Almighty is His name.