Scripture Focus:
Exodus 13:17–18 (NIV) — “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.”
We are not always very good at slow. We refresh the tracking page on a package that is still hours away. We check our phones for a reply that has not come yet. The bigger waits are even harder, like a career change that is taking longer than we hoped, or a prayer we have been praying for since January. Faster and more efficient seems better. So, it may surprise us that God sometimes chooses the slow road on purpose.
When God led His people out of Egypt, there was a shorter road. It ran along the coast, almost straight toward the land He had promised them. But God led them the long way instead, through the desert.
In this story, God explained why. Most of the time, we don’t get an explanation, so we fill the silence with our own. Maybe I did something wrong. Maybe I am just not good enough to go faster. However, a long road is not proof that we are failing. Often, it simply means God is not in the same hurry we are.
The Israelites did not have a map of the whole desert. What they had was God Himself. He went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, and it never left its place in front of them (Exodus 13:21–22). God wasn’t waiting for them at the finish line. He was right there, walking every mile of the road He had chosen for them.
On a long road, our eyes keep drifting to the end, and we want to know why it’s taking so long. Those questions are honest, and God can handle them. We cannot always choose the length of the road, but we can choose to take it with Him.
Think about a long drive with someone you love. The miles feel different. The conversation wanders, and you notice things you would have missed on the highway. The long way with God can be like that. There is joy on this road too, in the good gifts of today and in the company of the One who walks it with us.
Weekly Challenge:
This week, when you catch yourself counting the miles, tell God honestly how the road feels. Then look for one good gift along the way and thank Him for it.