God's Provision

By Marilyn Travis

In July of 2002, Mitch and I had an unforgettable experience that demonstrated God’s provision for us. Here’s the story as I wrote about it in my journal on July 2, 2002.

Mitch and I had an experience today that I will never forget. We became lost while hiking in the forest! We are camping at Spring Creek Reservoir, about 20 miles West of Taylor Reservoir. It’s just the two of us. We decided about 10:30 this morning to head out on a hike. We each grabbed a bottle of water, thinking we’d be gone for two to three hours. We left the trailer and headed up the road.

We had been hiking for a few miles when a man and his son drove up, stopped, and asked us if we knew where the trailhead to Mystery Lake was. He explained the general directions he’d been given but was having trouble finding it. We were no help, but he offered us a cold drink, which we refused, and he drove on. We decided to try to find the Mystery Lake Trailhead. It sounded much more interesting than the road we were on. We saw his car twice in our quest. The first time he had taken a wrong turn and backtracked. He stopped again and offered us a cold drink, which we refused. We soon saw a trailhead and discovered his car parked there. Eureka! Mystery Lake, here we come!

The beginning stretch of the trail was very steep, but we kept at it and it eventually leveled off, so we kept going. We looked over the landscape and thought we could circle around and return to camp on a trail we saw on the other side of the little valley earlier in our hike.

We continued, then the trail took a long, steep drop! Even though Mitch’s knees were giving him trouble, we kept going because we were convinced that we were making a circle trip. At this point we were about out of water and we had neglected to bring a snack. We had eaten breakfast at 7:30 AM. It was now about 1:00 PM. We found another trail leading downhill, and soon discovered Mystery Lake. The man and his son were there, and we greeted them like old friends!

We continued around the lake because it was emptying into our valley, or so we thought. However, the trail again got very steep, uphill. We reasoned that we had come across a ridge to get to the lake, so we must have to cross the ridge to reach the trail we saw on the opposite side of our valley. We kept going. At this point I began to pray because I was not at all sure of where we were. The trail started to descend steeply, as I thought it should. I figured we were okay.

By 3:15 PM I prayed again, very specifically, “Lord, if we are going the wrong way, please direct us.” Fifteen minutes later a man and his two friends, on dirt bikes, had to stop right where they met us on the trail because there was a large rock in the path. We asked if they knew how to get us back to our campground. He pulled out a map and showed us we were going the opposite direction we should be. He showed us on the map where we were. We had indeed crossed a ridge that would have placed us in a different valley.

We knew we had to retrace our steps. There was no circular route. We had been hiking five straight hours and were facing at least five hours back across that steep, rough terrain. The men on dirt bikes apologized for not having the capacity to give us a ride. They continued their journey. We began the long return trip back with no water, no food, and little energy. Roughly 20 minutes later, our dirt bikers returned with water and energy bars! After they left Mitch said he had just prayed for the energy and strength we’d need to make the return hike! We found we indeed had the energy and strength we needed.

On the return hike, there was an intersecting trail we needed to turn onto. Once again, just as we approached the intersection, our dirt biking friends returned. They had doubled back, figuring out about where we’d be. They wanted to make sure we found the right trail that would get us home. We waved goodbye, then began the arduous job of climbing the longest, steepest portion of the trail home.

We finally made it to the road about 6:00 PM. We figured it would take another two hours or so to reach our campsite. We hoped to be there no later than 8:00 PM. We were traveling slowly by that time. Just as we were finishing the last of our water, here came a big white four door pickup. It stopped, the window rolled down, and there were our dirt bike angels, as I came to think of them. They had returned to their camp, then decided to drive the 25 miles back to find us. They drove us the rest of the way home to our trailer. I have never been more grateful.

The morning after our adventure, I read Psalm 139: 1-10. It is a beautiful passage about how we are never alone. We couldn’t hide from God’s presence if we wanted to!

Oh, Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You know my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.

You hem me in, behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens you are there; If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

I have often thought back to that day. The entire day we were surrounded by beauty. Mitch and I enjoyed each other’s company. We were never frightened, though we were uneasy and confused at times. God provided us with everything we needed. We had to make the journey, which wasn’t easy, but He gave us what we needed to get home. He allowed us to take wrong turns, and make mistakes, but that is how we learn and grow. I learned to depend on Him, and He reminded me I am never alone.