The Wilderness Way

“And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:
But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.”

-Exodus 13:17, 18

A few weeks back, the Lord had me speak from this verse in a devotion I gave in one of my classes. While this verse had spoken to me in my own time with the Lord and had held great truths even then, I wasn’t quite sure why He had me share it at the time that He did. I find that He does this often with us. He leads us to do something that, although it is a blessing, we don’t completely understand. It is not till later that we see the whole impact of the blessing and see truly what a door of provision was opened up in something that seemed small to begin with.
This verse speaks of the children of Israel just coming out of a mighty victory in the fact that they were finally freed from the oppressive hand of Egypt and were now on their way to the Promised Land. Yet we see here that even though there was a more direct route, God did not lead them that way because it contained struggles that they were not quite ready for. The Scriptures here in Exodus refer to it as “war”, and this same conflict that the Lord kept them from, He tries to maneuver us away from as well. What throws us for a loop, though, is the fact that not only is He leading us the long way, but it just so happens that the long way is through a wilderness!
The right way most often will not be the easy way! It will be dry and empty, seemingly a path of foolishness, yet God promised to go before them as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. And He was continually before them! He never once left them to fend for themselves, just as He will never leave us nor forsake us. If He is taking us through the wilderness, be encouraged that it is for a reason! He is preparing us for what is to come. The story of the Israelites did not end there. Once they got to the Promised Land, they did go into battle time and again. However, they were not ready for it when they left Egypt. God had to deal with other things in their lives before He could give them the harder tests.
Whatever God has promised you, He will bring it to fruition… In His Time! Don’t get overanxious to the point that you wish to face the Philistines before you are ready. Let the Lord prepare you in the wilderness. It won’t always be easy, and it won’t always seem logical. But it will teach you to depend on Him. The Bible speaks of the Israelites being supplied water from the rock, eating manna in the mornings and quails in the evenings, and never having their clothes or shoes be in disrepair. God supplied for them constantly. Every day, they had to believe that He was going to be the one to give them drink and give them food. Is that the kind of dependence we have on Him? Are we trusting Him day in and day out for the very things we need to stay alive, or are we going out trying to provide those things for ourselves?
Lastly the passage says that they went up harnessed, or rather in an orderly fashion, out of the land of Egypt. Despite how things may appear to us, when we do things God’s way, it will be in a way that brings order to our lives. It will be a way that prepares us and keeps us ready for the next trial to come our way. We won’t always understand what the Lord is doing, but He just wants us to trust Him. Faith is the only way to please God, and our faith will certainly be tested, especially in the midst of a wilderness. God wants to strip us of all self-reliance and turn to Him completely, desiring Him more than the very things we thought we couldn’t live without.
At the time I gave the devotion, I didn’t fully understand why the Lord had me give it. I thought that perhaps it was what somebody else in the class really needed to hear, yet a few days later, I realized that it was I who had needed to hear it. I don’t need to elaborate too much on the situation that I faced, for I know that no matter what the specifics were, they were probably not far removed from the ones you are facing every day. The important part, though, was that I was clearly presented with two paths: One was easy and near, leading seemingly towards the promises of God. The was harder, calling for a complete denial of self and absolute trust in God that He would provide that which He had promised me. It required me to put aside what I wanted at the moment and believe that the Lord was going to make a way, even though I could not see what that way would be. These are never the easiest choices to make, for we are selfish in nature. I want what I want when I want it, yet God is calling us to seek Him first. What a promise we have in the Lord, though. He has told us that if we seek Him first, all of those things that He has promised, He will be faithful to provide.
This will ever be the choice we are presented with throughout our lives: our way or God’s way. Our way might seem right and appear to be the most productive, yet it is only in waiting on the Lord that we will ever see how much He wants to teach us before we are able to face the true heart of the problem in our life: our self.Wait on the Lord. There may be a time where you will find yourself in the wilderness, but be of good hope. It is preparing us to take the Promised Land.



-Samuel Gasc