The Long Road Home
Exodus 13:17-18
17 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: 18 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.
Ernest W. Blandly wrote the hymn, ‘Where He Leads Me I Will Follow’. It’s a song that I’ve known all my life. Or, at least as long as I can remember. You remember the refrain:
Where He leads me I will follow,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way!
We sing it.
But, do we mean it . . .
​. . . even if it means rough waters?
​. . . what if it takes me to the Garden of Gethsemane?
​. . . not to mention, if it leads to dark Calvary?
​. . . I’ll go with Him . . . All the way.
Have you noticed that following God’s plan for your life isn’t always easy? Hey, if we’re honest, life isn’t easy. And, it’s not even always fun. But, we know that God is always good, so we can trust Him while we follow Him on this journey. There’s no better illustration of this reality than when God led the children of Israel out of Egypt during the Exodus.
Remember, it took the Israelites 40 years to get to the Promised Land. In reality – it should’ve only taken them a few days, or a couple weeks. And then, when they get there because of their fear they didn’t enter in for another 40!
There is no doubt that it wasn’t God’s initial plan for it to take them that long to receive the promise. However, God did delay the plan. Not for years. But, He didn’t lead them on the shortest route. You could say that He led them on the long road home . . .
That’s what I want us to look at over the next few weeks.
To many of us, it seems as though we might be on the long road home. What I want us to understand is this:
The God who redeems and delivers His people,
will also guide and protect them.
We need to be reminded of this. And, as we journey with the Israelites on this road we’ll see that God chose this path:
These are lessons we all must learn.
So, will you join me this month?
Whether you are on the long road or not . . . We all need to be reminded of God’s faithfulness on this journey.
Grab your bags.
It’s time to hit the road . . .
