Verse of the day: Exodus 13:17 Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.”
Beware of shortcuts! In today’s society, many have become accustomed to having everything right away. If we want a meal, we can get fast food or use the microwave. If we want information; who has time to pick up a book and turn pages? We just get on our computers, laptops, tablets, or phones, and with one or two clicks find what we were looking for. More and more, society is coming up with ways to take shortcuts to accomplish whatever we set out to do. With God, this is not always the way. God works in His way, on His timetable, and all for good reasons; reasons that we are often completely clueless about. This was the case with the Israelites when God used Moses to lead them out of Egypt. There were things that God knew, and things that God wanted to show His people, that they did not know would be for their good. First, even though there was a shorter route to the Promise Land, God chose to take them the long way around. Why? Because He knew that they were not ready for the fight they would have encountered had they been led through the land of the Philistines. So it is with us today, when God is leading us, He already knows what we can, and cannot, endure on the path He has chosen for us (Ps 32:8). One of the biggest mistake that we can make in our walk with God is to think that we know better than Him in respect to which way we need to go or what course we need to take. We will face certain failure if we trust in our own wisdom, and understanding, over what our Omniscient God already knows (Prov 3:5-6). God had a greater purpose in bringing the Israelites via the longer route. In allowing Pharaoh to pursue them, and corner them at the edge of the Red Sea, they were given a great opportunity to see that God was with them, and protecting them; just as He is with us today (Heb 13:5). He demonstrated His great power over Pharaoh by not allowing Him or His army to come near to His people or cause them any harm. He (Pharaoh) no longer had that power to enslave them, as God shows us in Exodus, chapter 14. Today, when we call upon Jesus, and become one of God’s children, our bondage to sin, death, and Satan is broken, and we can never be enslaved again, unless we choose to be enslaved (Rm 6:16). Not only did they see God’s protection and power, but He was also trying to teach them, and we could learn from this as well, that there are times in our walk with the Lord when He simply wants us to be still and know that He is God over all (Ex 14:13; Ps 46:10). Trusting God to lead us on the right path takes faith. Imagine being the first person to have to step onto the dry land, between the two enormous walls of water, after God parted the Red Sea! We can read about it; praise God for it, but could we have honestly been the first one to take the first step, maybe being uncertain that those walls were not going to come crashing down on us? Well, that is exactly what the devils would want us to think so that we would hesitate or even refuse to take that first step of faith. You see, today, God is still in the business of doing the impossible so that it is possible for us to accomplish whatever He is leading us to do, and to live out the plan He has for our lives. However, in order for us to finish our race, God may choose to steer us away from some of life’s shortcuts, and take us the long way around so that we can see His power (up close and personal). He may choose the longer path to teach us to trust Him, so that we will learn how to truly live by faith (Rm 1:17; Gal 3:11). Today, we may feel like we are going nowhere fast, and may be getting impatient because God seems to be taking His time in allowing us to accomplish some things for Him or answer some prayer we think needs answering right this minute. Maybe God is trying to teach us to be still. Maybe He is trying to teach us to be patient, trust Him, and wait on Him. Taking a shortcut may rob us of the opportunity to have a “parting of the Red Sea” experience in our lives. Wait on God, trust that He knows the best route, slow down, and enjoy the fellowship; make the most of the long walk God may want to take you on. In the end, it is really about His glory, getting to know Him, and what He is capable of doing in our lives if we will just put our lives in His hands, by faith, and trust that He will never steer us down the wrong path (Jer 29:11).
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