Tuesday Devotional: Lost in the Woods

It was our day off, and our family took a group of summer camp staff about 15 miles up a back road from Sunset Lake. We parked our van on a ridge high above a beautiful mountain lake. The view was incredible. After a few minutes, someone said, “Let’s hike down to the lake!”

There wasn’t a trail in sight, but we figured we could bushwhack our way down the ridge. About halfway down, we came across a dry stream bed.

“This must lead to the lake,” someone said.

So, we followed it.

After a while, we saw a clearing up ahead and got excited—we were sure the lake was just beyond the trees. But when we stepped out into the open, what we found was not what we expected.

There was no lake. Just a muddy swamp.

We split up to look around, hoping we had just missed it, but all we found was more swamp and thick forest. The lake had completely disappeared.

By now, we’d been gone for a long time, and it was time to head back to the car. We tried retracing our steps, but the faint trail we’d made had vanished into the thick brush. We were lost—and we had no idea which way to go.

For fifteen minutes, we pushed through a dense patch of fir trees. The branches were so thick we couldn’t see more than three feet in front of us. In my head, I imagined the headline: "Camp Director and Staff Lost in the Foothills of Mount Rainier."

The only tool I had to guide us was the compass on my phone. Before leaving the swamp, I had taken a compass reading, pointing in the direction I thought we should go. So, as we hiked through the trees, I kept checking the compass and adjusting our direction.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the trees opened up—and there it was: a clear, well-marked trail. We scrambled up it, and it led us straight back to the cars.

The trail had been there all along. In our rush to get to the lake, we had just missed it.

In the Old Testament, the story of Israel is a lot like our hike. Over and over again, they lost their way. They forgot God’s promises and made the same mistakes again and again. They ended up far from home, taken into exile in Babylon. It seemed like everything was lost.

But that’s when God showed up.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord.
— Jeremiah 29:11–13

Have you ever felt far from God? Like you’ve messed up too badly or wandered too far? The good news is that God never stops looking for you.

Like a compass in the forest, His voice is steady and true. He’s always listening. Always searching. And He always wants to be found.

So don’t give up. Don’t stay stuck in the swamp.
Call out to Jesus—He hears you, and He’s ready to lead you home.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever been physically or emotionally lost? What helped you find your way?

• What do you think it means when God says, 'You will find me when you seek me with all your heart'?

• How can you keep your spiritual compass pointing toward God?