The Long Way Around

In the book of Exodus there is an account of an experience common to all of us. It’s a familiar life problem I call “the long way around.” It was only 200 miles from Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan, a journey that could be made in ten days. But the trip took the Israelites 40 years. God led them, not by the shortest route, but by the long way around. The New Testament explains that the reason the Israelites spent so long on the journey was due to their unbelief. They simply were not prepared for the land of promise. That’s because promised lands cannot be entered too quickly. Too much, too soon, is a formula for mediocrity.

We’re so impatient, we’re always in a hurry. But God’s way is not our way. We need to remember this and let our minds focus on the infinite patience of God, the steadiness revealed in all His works. Learn to trust God’s way, let go of the idolatry of the immediate, and let Him equip you so you  will be ready to experience all that He has prepared for you to enjoy.