The long way

At some point in our lives, all of us have had to map out a course for a trip of some kind. And whether it’s a trip to the store to pick up some milk, or a journey of hundreds or even thousands of miles, we all tend to seek out the shortest route to our destination, and we are delighted when we discover a “short-cut” of some kind or another. While this is not necessarily wrong, it does indicate that we are, as a general rule, more destination-minded than journey-minded, viewing the journey itself as no more than a means to an end.

It doesn’t take too long living the life of faith, however, to discover that as God plots the course of our lives, He does not always look for the shortest way there. This does not necessarily mean that God views the destination as being less important than we do, but it does tell us that He understands the value of the journey more than we tend to. Because of this, God will sometimes intentionally take us “the long way” to our destination.

A great example of God doing this very thing is found in the story of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to their promise land. The geography of that region led to the establishment of several trade routes from the land of Egypt to Canaan. Without question the shortest and easiest was to simply follow the Mediterranean coastline, across the northern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, through the land of the Philistines, and into Canaan. But in Exodus 13:17 we read the following:

“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, ‘if they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.”

The route that led along the Mediterranean coast was heavily guarded by both Egyptian and Philistine troops. God knew that His people were not ready to meet that kind of military opposition, and that if they were confronted by such opposition they would turn and run straight back to Egypt. So ultimately what seemed like the shorter way was in fact no way at all. This is good for us to remember, as this is often the case in our lives as well. This story is actually a wonderful example of 1 Corinthians 13:10, where we are assured, “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.”

But God not only had good reason for not allowing his people to take the shorter route, he also had good reasons for wanting them to take the longer route. For one, he had already told Moses that the Israelites would worship God at Mt. Sinai (3:12). Furthermore as many verses tell us, God would use their wilderness experiences to test, mold, and shape his people, so as to prepare them for entering their promise land.

In Exodus 14:1 God actually told the Israelites to backtrack, and camp by the Red Sea, in order to give Pharaoh the impression that they were “wandering aimlessly in the land.” If you’re anything like me, backtracking is the last thing you want to do on a trip! And yet God used this incident to lure Pharaoh and his army out after the Israelites where they would be swallowed up by the Red Sea. In Psalm 107:7 we read that God led his people “by the right way.” If you have the feeling that you’re taking “the long way” or even “wandering aimlessly” on you journey of faith, take courage! Let your soul rest again in the knowledge that God is leading you, and while it may not be the shortest way, His way is always the right and best way!