The thing about wandering is that every stop is a surprise. You never know where you’ll end up, or what it will be like. There’s no road map telling the name of the next town. There’s no GPS indicating when the next gas station might be. The available restaurants might be quality, or the food and service might be sloppy. The bathrooms might be clean, or they might be… well you know.
Perhaps this is an unpopular opinion, but I don’t think God is as big on plans as we are. At least not by our definition of “plans”. Following him tends to feel a lot more like wandering in the wilderness than it does a well-thought-out road trip. I’d wager that this experience is more the rule than the exception.
When it comes to you and me, and every other human, God is not assembling an automobile or a hamburger—he’s creating a life. A unique, unrepeatable life that is being shaped by the moment. There very well might be a goal, an ultimate “destination” or ideal, but there’s no blueprint to follow.
If there is no step-by-step that we’re expected to follow, then what might God desire of us? I think it’s remarkably simple: “listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes.” (Exodus 15:26) Listen and respond. To the real-time communications. Pay constant attention. Be aware and ready.
I suspect that God is more interested in the quality of human being you are becoming than in the carefulness with which you follow some pre-determined plan. Becoming is a more heavenly goal than arriving.
This makes the wandering more bearable, and—dare I say—more enjoyable. If you’re expecting some solid plan, you’ll probably feel quite frustrated, and you’ll be a miserable travelling companion for others. No one wants that.
The water at the next stop might be bitter and undrinkable. Or it might be an oasis with twelve springs and seventy palm trees. No matter. Relax. It’ll get worked out. Save your breath in asking God about some supposed plan. Instead, hear him asking you: Are you listening? Are you responding? Who are you becoming?
See Exodus 15:22-27.