Lest Perhaps...
Hello Bride of Christ,
Do you ever set out to go somewhere and find yourself taking longer than expected to get there? Some times when I am coming home from my mother's home I go through this mental battel of which route do I take... do I take the highway or do I go through the back roads? Each route has their own experiences and challenges which impact the rest of my day. One time I chose the highway, thinking I would get home faster, to be rudely surprised by the bumper to bumper traffic, which caused my journey home to be twice as long. We can all guess how that impacted my mood for the following two hours!
The impact of choices is a life long lesson. Every choice made leads to a ripple effect of successes, encounters, challenges, and more decisions. God is so keenly aware of this. Great insight to how keen God is to understanding how routes we take lead to decisions we make look at Exodus 13:17-22.
The Way
In Exodus 13:17 the children of Israel have been given the go ahead from Pharaoh to leave Egypt. It was with a mighty hand that Pharaoh drove them out since it took experiencing numerous plagues, last of which known as the Passover. When we zoom in on Exodus 13:17 - 18 we noticed there was a route / path choice to make. It reads, "Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near...So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea." (Exodus 13:17,18)
See the children of Israel could have been led by Moses through the land of the Philistines or the wilderness. God understood each route had its pros and cons and would impact the children of Israel's decisions. In Exodus 13:17 we see God's understanding of His people's hearts, for when deciding to not go the way of the Philistines God said, "Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt." God understood although His people were liberated and freed their emotional state was still fragile, their mental state was unstable, and their physical state was not prepared for another battle.
Although the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea would be technically the longer route God knew it was just what His people needed. He did not just make the decision to send them on the long route, but He guided them every step of the way. "And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not takeaway the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people." (Exodus 13:21-22)
The Guide
Bride of Christ, the Lord not only directs the route based on His foresight of being able to see what lies ahead but also based on His intimate knowledge of how we will respond. He desires for us to walk in victory. Like the children of Israel, the Lord does not desire for us to doubt our choices or ability. He directs paths and then He guides.
Let us open our physical and spiritual eyes and ears to hear His direction for us. That we may follow the route He intended for us. While on the route may we see and hear Him guiding us because if we needed it He will provide us a pillar of cloud or fire.
The decision lies with us. Will we respond like Moses and the children of Israel and take the journey the Lord has laid out before us or will we try to set our own path and do things our own way? Only one route leads to pre-defined victory but the choice is ours.
