If you feel like your journey towards fulfilling your destiny is taking longer than needed, I encourage you to allow the word of God, taken from the book of Exodus, to provide some comfort for you along the way. Many of us would love the chance to take the “easy” road in life to get to where we are going. Shortcuts are created all over the place to cut time and “speed up the process”. In life, the idea of escaping the “blood, sweat and tears” portion of our journey to success/living out our purpose is tempting to some. I often used to pray for the Lord to show me what He had planned for me. How easy would it be for God to just tell me what He wanted me to do for Him vs. me seeking the scripture, praying and developing my relationship with Him, consistently? I realized I was trying to take the easy way out. God is not in the business of allowing us to take shortcuts in life. He has given Himself the responsibility to work in and through us, until the end of time. The purpose of this is to make sure that our hearts are for Him and not for us.
I’m here to tell you that this theory, of shortcuts through life, is of the world as God did not intend for our journey to be this way. The purpose of our walk with Him is to allow Him to renew our minds and transform our hearts, which takes time. The above passage which highlights the beginning of the Exodus (God’s people being freed from slavery in Egypt and led to the promised land) shows 3 things:
1) God is always in the lead if, and when, we allow Him. As it says in verse 17 “God did not lead them along the road…” and 18 “So He led the people”. Even though God appointed Moses to take charge, He was still, and always is, in control. Amen! Don’t allow the pace of your race to dictate who is in charge. God is in as much control of your life as you allow Him to be.
2) God isn’t on a time schedule; He is more concerned with helping us develop a true heart for Him. “God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearby; for God said, “The people will change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war.” He could have taken them on the “easy” path towards the Promised Land, but He knew that trouble was ahead and that His people weren’t prepared to deal with it, as He intended them to. If you accepted Christ in your heart today, will you be able to carry out the responsibilities He has for you in 3 days? No. It’s a process and takes time.
God wants and wishes for us to get to the Promised Land, but He isn’t too concerned with the destination because it is already established and available for all who do what they must to get there. He is concerned with the journey, that’s where He gets His hands dirty in order to make us clean. We must unlearn the knowledge of the world and learn the knowledge of Christ. Who we are (in Christ) vs. How we’ve become (in the world) are 2 different perspectives. HOW we’ve become doesn’t define WHO we are.
3) God also showed much compassion and understanding for His children due to their lack of knowledge. He shows that same compassion and understanding towards us today. It almost seemed that He displayed the theory that, it isn’t about Him (although it His) but about taking His time to give His children what they need to succeed. “The people will change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war.” According to that part of the scripture, God knew that His people weren’t ready to face war. WE ALL KNOW that the power of God is so strong that He can allow one chosen man to defeat an army of 10,000 men, Hallelujah! Even if all the Jews were to go back to Egypt, if one stayed, God could have provided him will all the power needed to face the war but that didn’t happen.
He didn’t want them to change their minds nor did He have a mentality of “whoever is ready and willing I will deal with them and whoever isn’t, they are on their own”. He purposely took them on the longer journey in order to properly prepare them for what they will encounter. In my humble opinion, I feel that this was a sign that the process/journey is more important than the destination. As stated earlier, the destination will not change…the Promised Land isn’t going anywhere. However, those who have the ability to call it home could miss out if they aren’t prepared for the road that lies ahead. In our natural minds, many of us would love to take shortcuts in life. But God knows that this will harm us more than we think it can help.
If you are feeling like your journey is taking long and that it doesn’t seem like things are getting any better, trust that God is in the lead. Trust that He isn’t in a rush, although the sooner the better as we have a duty to Him for the aid of others, and is patient with those who are willing to fully submit to Him. Lastly, trust that He understands what we are going through and has compassion for where we are in our present lives. Not that He will tolerate consistent deliberate disobedience, as he will discipline us accordingly, but He will have compassion for our lack of knowledge and provide all the tools needed for us to learn.
Again, if you feel that this course is never-ending or that it’s taking longer than “you think” it should take for you to reach the destination that God has prepared for you, understand that He is in control. He may be saving you from resulting to your old ways when things get too tough for us to handle. Continue to submit and allow Him to guide you. He is not going to take you down the shorter route if He knows that your heart isn’t fully committed to Him. The longer path is actually a blessing in disguise. Let’s appreciate the things that we may not understand as it is all a part of His plan.
Let the love of God be your path towards His grace and freedom, Amen.
James Oyola a.k.a His Messenger
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