Manna for the Day
One of my favorite verses in the Bible isn’t one you’ll likely see on a sign at Hobby Lobby or freshly tattooed on a friend’s wrist. Exodus 13:17 says, “When Pharaoh let the people go, 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.’ Verse 18 goes on to say, “So he led the people around toward the Red Sea along the road of the wilderness. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt in battle formation.”
Some translations I’ve read say, “He led them in a roundabout way” (NLT), and I resonate deeply with that word “roundabout.” I often say I have had a roundabout life. You won’t find a thread of ease or straight-forwardness in my story but rather obstacles and detours and trials that have tested my endurance. I have learned to love my roundabout life because of where it leads, what I have learned, and who I am when I get to each destination. And this verse highlights why God sends us on winding adventures instead of snapping His Almighty fingers to teleport us like He did for Philip in Acts 8. God can certainly do this, but our greatest growth often happens in these winding, roundabout seasons.
God always has our good in mind. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He knew the Israelites might change their minds and give up if they faced the Philistines immediately after leaving Egypt. God didn’t lead them down the shorter path but the better path, and they were equipped and ready for all they would face because of it.
Maybe your journey to having a child has felt roundabout. Or finding a spouse. Or finding a community of people to call friends. Or getting back on your feet after a financial loss. And maybe you have questioned God time and time again for the twists and turns He has taken you down, but what if it was for your protection and your good all along?
In Exodus 14, we see that after God took His people in a roundabout way, He led them to the Red Sea to set them up for their final flee from Pharaoh’s army. And while a miracle was in the works, their perseverance was still put to the test.
God made a way, but the Israelites had to make a move. I can only imagine they were terrified as they saw waves become walls and stared at miles of dry land ahead. It sounds simple at first read – walk across the dry land! But imagine being an Israelite in that moment and consider the fear of stepping out into unknown terrain.
We don’t know if God or Moses assured them the waves would stand still. We don’t know how long it took them to walk across the dry land. We read that God held back the waters all night, so we know it wasn’t just a skip and a hop over to the other side.
But they chose to face their fears and press on, not without grumbling or questioning, asking God why He even delivered them from Egypt in the first place just to be captured by Pharoah’s army. And man do I act like an Israelite on a regular basis, asking God why He delivered me in the first place if only to have me face another hurdle.
His people overcame whatever doubts they may have had and started the trek. God didn’t force them across – He held back the sea, and they had to take the next step, literally.
The same goes for us. God will make a way, but we must make a move. Throughout Scripture, He gives His children the freedom to choose how they will respond to his leading. We can either choose to give up, or persevere, putting one foot in front of the other across dry land so that we can one day see the provision waiting on the other side. And tell of the God Who held back the waves all night.
Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from She Just Won’t Quit, by Kaitlin Chappell Rogers, from B&H Publishing Group.