“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid: do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

I was about to turn fifteen and it was my turn to take the traditional Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness trip with my dad. This trip, from what I’d heard, was like no other just being in complete isolation from the outside world; it would be truly remarkable. Although I knew it was going to be even more amazing than what I’d heard, I had no idea that the experience would be so Godly.

After an extremely long and hard trek of portaging and canoeing (I can't even begin to explain the difficulty of it) from our car to our campsite, finally we were able to set up and get comfortable at our campsite. This long day left me in complete exhaustion. I took a refreshing swim, ate a filling dinner cooked over the fire and headed straight for my sleeping bag. The humid night forced millions, if not billions, of mosquitoes around our tent. Nevertheless, it did not take long for me to fall asleep after this long, hard, but thrilling day. The next morning, I arose to singing birds and a crackling fire with my breakfast cooking on top. The day consisted of swimming, adventuring in our canoe, and creating campfire meals. As night came, we could see a dangerous looking storm upon the horizon. This view made me a little anxious thanks to the previous stories I had heard about trees falling on tents in the Boundary Waters. My dad didn't seem as concerned as I thought he should be, but I guess that was for my sake. I fell asleep with ease, even with the many mosquitoes. The next morning, I found the storm had been much worse than I had previously thought. I noticed many leaves and branches scattered all over the ground. And from what my dad explained after a mostly sleepless night, he had thought of moving our tent next to a nearby boulder to protect us from the elements and falling trees. The thing that made me realize God can protect and be with you no matter how isolated you may be from the world was when my dad explained that the worst of storm miraculously moved around our location, behind and away from us. We have no idea the harm the storm could have done to us, but God absolutely protected us from an eventful and possibly dangerous night.

From that trip I am reminded, I can always trust that God will be with me whether I feel His presence or am in a place seemingly far from Him; God will always, always, always protect me. I truly thank you God!!!

Prayer: Amazing God, thank you for allowing me to always know you will be in my presence even if I am afraid, weak, and far away from you. In hardships and loneliness it's a great relief to I know you will always be looking out for your children. In God's name we pray. Amen!