8 Powerful Lessons about God I Discovered on Road Trips Across America

Driving through various landscapes and climates during morning, noon, and night reveals more about the God who created it all. Hebrew 11:3 explains how, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”

Sometimes our idea of who God is, is limited by our familiarity with our local settings, where we may take the beauty and majesty surrounding us for granted. Proverb 4:18 describes how, “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”

Road trips have a way of broadening our horizons and expanding our understanding of who God is and how big He is, showing us the vastness of the world He designed and the creativeness of His hands.

In Isaiah 45:12, God declares, “It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.”

As well, Jeremiah 32:17 proclaims, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You.”

2. God wants us to follow His map.

Just like we use a map, atlas, or a car’s satellite navigation system to guide us and choose the best routes for our road trips, God has given us a map for life through His word that chooses the best route for our lives. 

But just like we must pay attention and follow the printed maps or listen to satellites instructions, in order to follow God’s guidance, we have to read, know, and be attentive to His word’s directions and follow His itinerary.

Like the Google map’s voice speaks, giving directions on where to stop, turn, or the need to recalculate, the Holy Spirit assists in directing us according to His word, speaking directions to us if we’re willing to tune in and listen to His voice. As Isaiah 30:21 describes, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

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Often roads crossing bridges, going through steep and rugged mountain terrains, and along picturesque routes, are narrower for important reasons, such as taking us through treacherous and dangerous areas safely, carefully leading us through the more the difficult areas of travel.

Narrow roads are designed to keep us safe in possible hazardous parts of our trip and Jesus, in Matthew 7:13-14, describes the importance of following the narrow ways in life. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Learning to yield to narrow roads is for our protection, helping us to keep ourselves safe in dangerous areas on roads and in life.

4. God reroutes us so we’ll follow Him more closely.

Sometimes, the routes we choose for road trips are like the routes we plan in life, rerouted without our permission or opinion, leading us to what seem like out-of-the-way places and off-course for our intended destination.

At times, what we thought would be a four-lane highway drive turns into driving on a two-lane  road, where some cars in front of us slow us down and others behind us speed by, where intersections are few and far between, rest stops, gas stations, and restaurants are hard to find and not to our liking.

So what are we to do when rerouted? Do we adapt and keep going forward or turn-around and go back to where we started? These are the types of situations many of us face on a regular basis.

Yet, God reroutes us for our good, to help us learn how to adapt to His plan, rather than being a stickler to our own way. Psalm 16:11 explains, “You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.”

Like on road trips, when God reroutes us, it usually takes us longer to get to where we’re going, causing us to slow down our timetable and readjust our plans. During these times, we want to remember what God explains in Isaiah 55:8, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.

When God reroutes us, He wants us to believe and trust Him, like the classic 1950s sitcom titled proposes “Father Knows Best.”

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Rest is a wonderful gift, and God wants to give it to us.

Like road trips, life can get tiring, where we need to pull over and take a break. Sometimes, though, it’s hard for us to see that we need to take a break.

Yet, hectic traffic, bumpy road conditions, hunger, and tiredness all help us to pull over at times during road trips to rest. Likewise, God often works through situations and circumstances in our lives, things beyond our control, to help us see we need to leave the weariness behind for a while and find rest with Him. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Just like rest areas are places where our bodies, minds, and emotions find relief during a long trip, resting in the Lord frees us from concerns, fears, and doubts, bringing refreshment and renewal to our body soul, and spirit. 

So, instead of feeling like we have to push harder to for destination, we’ve learned to receive God’s gift of rest, trusting that He’ll get us to our destination on time.

6. God want us to trust His direction.

Once on a trip to Palm Spring, California, our printed map showed us towns along the way, leading us to think there would be gas stations fast-food places on the route, and restrooms available.

But much to our surprise, the towns listed on the map were abandoned places with no facilities. The map’s misleading information led us to run out of gas on the side of the interstate miles from facilities, in the middle of a 113-degree desert.

Like our map, God taught us that our directions on road trips and in life are only as good as the map we’re following. That’s why we can trust following the Bible, because we know our source is based on God’s truth and will not disappoint or fail us. As Jesus assures us in Luke 1:37,  “For no word from God will ever fail.”

Also, when driving on roads, there are signs along the way instructing us about how fast to travel on the road, how far ahead the next exit or rest area is located, if there is road construction ahead or dangerous road conditions coming up, all there to help direct us so we stay on the correct route and know which direction to go. They also clue us about when to stop, turn, slow down, and more. 

God does the same for us in His word, such as the Ten Commandments, that serve like road signs for life, helping us to know which direction to go and how to stay on the path that lead to life.

Isaiah 35:8 describes “And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.”

Although the Ten Commandments don’t save us, they lead us in following God’s highway, the Way of Holiness, by teaching us the ways of holiness. Proverbs 16:17 describes it more, “The highway of the upright avoids evil; those who guard their ways preserve their lives.”

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At times, we have had a route planned only to find during our trip that the road is closed, taking us by surprise and causing us to quickly find an alternate route.

Although we’ve planned our route in life, God has the power to close pathways that aren’t leading us to where He wants us to go. It’s a way He helps to direct us which way to go in life. Proverbs 16:9 explains, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

In life situations where God closes a road,  we want to trust God that He has a better route for us to go, like Proverbs 14:12 explains, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.

8. God wants to make our way in life smooth. 

He doesn’t delight in deteriorating and bumpy roads, potholes, and other obstacles we might face on our journey in life. 

God wants to go before us and make our way smooth like a road grader does in smoothing out streets.  As Isaiah 26:7 explains, “The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth.”

Often, people believe God wants to make their lives difficult by putting obstacles in their way just to give them a rough time, but God wants to help us and to make our roads even.

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