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New Blacktop

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A couple of weeks ago, I found a notice in my mailbox announcing that our neighborhood streets would soon be resurfaced. Early that Monday morning, workers began the jarring work of milling, removing the existing asphalt to make way for the new. Next the crew poured and packed on a thick coating of paving material. Traffic was delayed as residents drove carefully around the fresh layer so that it might become firm beneath us. Though unsettling at the time, the process resulted in beautiful new blacktop that has made our going so much smoother.

“New Blacktop” has become one of my go-to phrases to describe what happens when we gain new ground in the journey of faith. One of the most pivotal examples in my life came early on in my first discipleship class. The teacher had been milling away my current mindset about what God expects from me, laying the groundwork for a more solid relationship with Him. That particular morning, she read Psalm 119:65, “You have dealt well with Your servant, O Lord, according to Your word.” The Spirit of God took the word of God and made it personal–new pathways for my heart to follow.

My new blacktop gave me a fresh look at stories of how God interacted with people in the past. This took the guesswork out of my prayers. I had new confidence to simply ask for and expect the same provision, protection, and power that I saw in the pages of my Bible.

Almost immediately I had the opportunity for a test drive. The time was approaching for my firstborn, Jackson, to be enrolled in school. My husband and I wanted a different environment for him than the very large public school in our area. As we set out to investigate the other options for his education, conflicting data began to pour in. Parents and educators filled our heads with their opinions. They seemed to suggest that our school choice had the power to determine what our son might become — anything from an Ivy League scholar to a morally bankrupt ne’er-do-well. It was tempting to feel overwhelmed and under qualified.

At some point in this process, it hit me to try out my new blacktop. “Oh yeah, God promised to deal with me according to His word,” I remembered. Immediately, the story of Abraham came to mind. God promised to lead him to a place that he did not know and to prosper him there. Suddenly, clarity came and, with it, confidence to pray with expectation. “Lord,” I prayed, “You showed Abraham the way and I’m asking you to do the same for us. Guide us to the right school for Jackson.”

Besides home schooling (no one at my house thought that was a good idea!), we had explored every school choice imaginable. But mind can’t conceive of what God has in store. Unsolicited, three people in a single week offered glowing reports about a school option we hadn’t considered. And that was the one that we chose. God led us to a place we did not know and it was a place where both our children prospered.

The same God that charted a path for Abraham had made a way for us! He demonstrated His ability to use His written word in a living, active, and personal way. New Blacktop can become a reality to all of us as we rely on the Bible as our roadmap.

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, in paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them and rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, and I will not leave them undone.”
Isaiah 42:16

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