Cairo: Jesus in Egypt & God's Unusual Leaning
God seldom gives us all we need to understand, but He always gives us what we need in order to obey. The story of Jesus in Egypt as a boy offers a...
Sometimes I wish Google Maps could give me traveling directions for life. You know, sometimes it might help in knowing God’s will for, say, the next thirty years?
Image by Google.
Wouldn’t it be nice if knowing God’s will for your life was that easy?
For many of us, our problem isn’t our eternal destination—heaven. (Though, if you’re not sure about that, you’ll want to firm that up today.) I tried searching for “Heaven” in Google Maps, but it’s not there. But I located “Hell” in Michigan. (I guess it does freeze over after all.)
But God’s will isn’t necessarily a complete mystery.
Even after we know our eternal destination, to be honest, our real curiosity comes from what we’re doing in the mean time.
We combine wonder with worry and ask questions like:
These kinds of questions aren’t new. When the Lord led His people out of Egypt toward the Promised Land, instead of entering Canaan from the south (the short route), God led them east around Edom.
As a result, the people “became impatient because of the journey” (Numbers 21:1-5).
Why take the long way around? The extra miles seemed pointless.
But as the passage unfolds, we read how God gave Israel victories all up and down the King’s Highway so that they ultimately gained control of the majority of Transjordan. This allowed them to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land at a location far more strategic than from the south.
The long way ended up the best way after all.
Often, it seems as if God needlessly extends our journey.
Yet when we look back in hindsight, we actually come to appreciate how God used the journey—and all the victories and failures along the way—to prepare us for something we felt ready for much earlier.
But we weren’t. Knowing God’s will wasn’t the problem.
So many of us are impatient with our faith. The journey we are invited to undertake is a long haul and delivers its benefits in the longer term. We have got to learn the hardest of all lessons—that we need to be patient. —Alister McGrath
Doesn’t God receive more glory from our lives as we trust Him along the path of the unknown, rather than if we see His purposes from the start?
If Google Maps did help us in knowing God’s will, we would look for an alternate route.
Thankfully, although we strain to see over the next horizon, God sees the map from above—and so He knows the best way to proceed.
Tell me what you think: When have you had to wait for something only to discover that God’s will was best after all? To leave a comment, just click here.
This post is adapted from Wayne’s book, Going Places with God: A Devotional Journey Through the Lands of the Bible.
• These 90 devotional readings, each based on a specific place in the lands of the Bible, will help you apply the truths of God’s Word to your daily journey of faith.
• You’ll enjoy pertinent Scripture, inspirational quotes, photographs, maps, and a daily prayer.
After going places with God, you’ll never be the same.
Click here to leave a comment.
God seldom gives us all we need to understand, but He always gives us what we need in order to obey. The story of Jesus in Egypt as a boy offers a...
Roads are often built for one reason, but God uses them in our lives for another altogether. The Appian Way in Rome proved this so in the life of the...
Two gardens in the Bible, Eden and Gethsemane, provided the settings for two choices that brought opposite results. The Bible wildly contrasts these...