Route 66: God’s Story, Our Journey
Wednesday Word
The Long Way Isn’t the Wrong Way
Scripture: Exodus 13:17–18
Reflection: Have you ever noticed how impatient we have become?We don’t like waiting in line.We get irritated when the microwave has 30 seconds left.We complain if the internet takes longer than five seconds to load.And heaven help us if our GPS says we’ve added three extra minutes to the trip.We’re a people who love shortcuts.But God doesn’t seem to be in as much of a hurry as we are.When God led Israel out of Egypt the Bible tells us that God intentionally didn’t take them the shorter way. Why? Because He knew they weren’t ready.
The shortest road would have led them into battle before they had learned to trust Him.
So God took them on a forty-year field trip. But God wasn’t lost. He was leading. Sometimes we assume that if life is hard then we’ve taken a wrong turn. Sometimes we wonder if God has forgotten us because the road seems longer than we expected. Maybe, just maybe, God isn’t delaying your destination. Maybe He’s preparing you for it. God is far more interested in preparation than we are. And when I look back over my own life, the seasons that felt like detours often became the seasons that shaped me the most. The same may be true for you.
That difficult coworker may be teaching you patience. That unanswered prayer may be teaching you trust. That closed door may be protecting you from something you cannot yet see. So before you ask, “Lord, when will this be over? Try asking,” Lord, what are You teaching me while I’m here?” Because the wilderness isn’t where God quits working, it’s where He does His best work.
Consider This:
- Read Exodus 13:17–18. Ask yourself, “Where has God taken me the long way?”
- Read Deuteronomy 8:2–3. What is one lesson God has taught you through a difficult season.
- Read Matthew 11:28–30. Spend time giving one burden to Jesus that you’ve been trying to carry on your own
Prayer: Lord, thank You that You never waste a mile. Forgive me for wanting shortcuts when You are shaping my character. Help me to trust You when the road is long, the answers are delayed, and the destination seems far away. Teach me to walk by faith instead of by sight. Give me the courage to let go of the burdens I was never meant to carry and to follow Jesus one step at a time. Thank You for walking beside me through every wilderness and for promising that You will finish the good work You began in me. In the name of Jesus, who is both our guide and our destination, Amen.