Trail of Trials

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. (Ex 13:17-18)

Ever wonder how God chooses the path he leads us on? It should be obvious by this point in our lives that it’s not the easiest or shortest path. We can see that in this passage. If you are in Egypt and you want to get to Canaan, the easiest and quickest way is to follow the Mediterranean coast up through Philistine country. You certainly wouldn’t strike out across the desert toward the Red Sea. Even if you could figure out how to cross it you would find yourself in the desolate Sinai. In fact, by leading them to the shores of the Red Sea God led them, on purpose, into a trap. With the sea before them and the army of Pharaoh behind them they were in need of a miracle – which was precisely God’s plan! That day God miraculously defeated both the army and the sea. By taking them on this path, what did God accomplish?

1. They saw God’s final, miraculous triumph over their Egyptian slave masters. 
2. They were in a desolate region where they were utterly dependent on God for food and water. And 
3. There was absolutely no way they could turn back because the Sea was now between them and Egypt! 

In fact, if they had taken the coast road they would have had to fight their way through Philistia, and God knew they were not ready for that.

Lord, I know you go behind me and before me. You mark out a path for me that is wiser than I can imagine. It is a path full of trials, but they are the trials you have chosen for me. There are other trials I am not ready to face, but you have chosen these trials for me so that I may learn to depend on you. You are my provision and my protection. I will trust in you. Amen.

For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. (Ps 48:14)

From Prince to Frog

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. (Ex 3:1a)

In the fairy tales, the princess kisses the frog and he turns into a handsome prince. In the story of Moses, it seems at first as though God has it backwards. He takes Moses, a prince of Egypt, and turns him into a shepherd. Shepherding was a lowly profession in Egypt. Gen 46:34 tells us that shepherds were despised by the Egyptians. Imagine what Moses must have thought about the turn his life had taken. He was the prince whom God had turned into a frog! Or so it seemed. But God had a different idea. He had a bigger plan for Moses than being a pampered royal prince in Egypt. After 40 years of shepherding sheep, he was ready to be a shepherd of God’s people.

How often do I misunderstand the turns my life has taken? Illnesses, failures, disappointments – they don’t seem like the stuff of a great master plan for my life. But they are! Every hardship and every failure, if I’m willing to learn from them, molds me into the kind of man God can use for his glory. Lord, I am willing to learn. Redeem my failures by teaching me to be your obedient disciple. Lead me through the hard times and train me up as a man of faith to be your witness. Thank you, Lord, for your great plan for my life. Amen.

Times of Trouble

If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength! (Pr 24:10)

Funny how you can read something over and over again, and then one day it just pops out at you. I would swear they just added this verse this month!

Our measure is not taken in the good times but in the bad. When the weather is mild, no one finds out whether you’re a good sailor or not. In our spiritual lives as well, there are seasons when life is easy and seasons when it is hard. There is no point in patting ourselves on the back for “being spiritual” when life is easy. The testing of our faith is in the hard times. I have failed that test too often. I let myself be discouraged; I give in to fear. But it doesn’t have to be that way. God is always present. His Spirit always lives in my heart. I don’t stop being his child in hard times. Lord, remind me of your presence and your power when I am discouraged. I know you always love me and you have a purpose for every bad thing you allow to happen to me. I know that I grow spiritually far more in trials than in easy times. I will trust you and lean on you when trials come. Amen.

Shine for the Lord

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart. (Pr 17:3)

God will test us, and the implication is that it will get pretty hot. In that same metaphor is also a suggestion of his purpose: to refine and purify us, and finally to mold the purified raw material into a vessel both beautiful and useful to him. Some of the glory of the temple was in its gold and silver furnishings, and God allows us to reflect his glory in the same way.